Levi's Towns
1-2 While the Israelites were still camped at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, the family leaders of the Levi tribe went to speak to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders of the other Israelite tribes. The leaders of Levi said, “The Lord told Moses that you have to give us towns and provide pastures for our animals.”
3 Since the Lord had said this, the leaders of the other Israelite tribes agreed to give some of the towns and pastures from their tribal lands to Levi. 4 The leaders asked the Lord to show them in what order the clans of Levi would be given towns, and which towns each clan would receive.
The Kohath clans were first. The descendants of Aaron, Israel's first priest, were given 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The other members of the Kohath clans received 10 towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh. 6 The clans that were descendants of Gershon were given 13 towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh. 7 The clans that were descendants of Merari received 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The Lord had told Moses that he would show the Israelites which towns and pastures to give to the clans of Levi, and he did.
Towns from Judah, Simeon, Benjamin
9-19 The descendants of Aaron from the Kohath clans of Levi were priests, and they were chosen to receive towns first. They were given 13 towns and the pastureland around them. Nine of these towns were from the tribes of Judah and Simeon and four from Benjamin.
Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-Shemesh were from Judah and Simeon. Hebron, located in the hill country of Judah, was earlier called Arba's Town. It had been named after Arba, the ancestor of the Anakim. Hebron's pasturelands went along with the town, but its farmlands and the villages around it had been given to Caleb. Hebron was also one of the Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.
Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon were from Benjamin.
Towns from Ephraim, Dan, West Manasseh
20-26 The rest of the Kohath clans of the Levi tribe received ten towns and the pastureland around them. Four of these towns were from the tribe of Ephraim, four from Dan, and two from West Manasseh.
Shechem, Gezer, Kibzaim, and Beth-Horon were from Ephraim. Shechem was located in the hill country, and it was also one of the Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.
Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-Rimmon were from Dan.
Taanach and Jibleam were from West Manasseh.
Towns from East Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali
27-33 The clans of Levi that were descendants of Gershon received 13 towns and the pastureland around them. Two of these towns were from the tribe of East Manasseh, four from Issachar, four from Asher, and three from Naphtali.
Golan in Bashan and Beeshterah were from East Manasseh.
Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En-Gannim were from Issachar.
Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob were from Asher.
Kedesh in Galilee, Hammothdor, and Kartan were from Naphtali. Golan in Bashan and Kedesh in Galilee were also Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.
Towns from Zebulun, Reuben, Gad
34-40 The rest of the Levi clans were descendants of Merari, and they received twelve towns with the pastureland around them. Four towns were from the tribe of Zebulun, four from Reuben, and four from Gad.
Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmonah, and Nahalal were from Zebulun.
Bezer, Jazah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath were from Reuben. Bezer was located in the desert flatlands east of the Jordan River across from Jericho.
Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer were from Gad.
Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead were Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.
41-42 The people of the Levi tribe had a total of 48 towns within Israel, and they had pastures around each one of their towns.
Israel Settles in the Land
43 The Lord gave the Israelites the land he had promised their ancestors, and they captured it and settled in it. 44 There still were enemies around Israel, but the Lord kept his promise to let his people live in peace. And whenever the Israelites did have to go to war, no enemy could defeat them. The Lord always helped Israel win. 45 The Lord promised to do many good things for Israel, and he kept his promise every time.
1 Then came the principall fathers of the Leuites vnto Eleazar the Priest, and vnto Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and vnto the chiefe fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, 2 And spake vnto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The Lord commanded by the hande of Moses, to giue vs cities to dwell in, with the suburbes thereof for our cattell. 3 So the children of Israel gaue vnto the Leuites, out of their inheritance at the commandement of the Lord these cities with their suburbes. 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron ye Priest, which were of the Leuites, had by lot, out of the tribe of Iudah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Beniamin thirteene cities. 5 And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, tenne cities. 6 Also the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of ye tribe of Naphtali, and out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteene cities. 7 The children of Merari according to their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelue cities. 8 So the children of Israel gaue by lot vnto the Leuites these cities with their suburbes, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses. 9 And they gaue out of the tribe of the children of Iudah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeo, these cities which are here named. 10 And they were the childrens of Aaron being of the families of the Kohathites, and of the sonnes of Leui, (for theirs was the first lot) 11 So they gaue them Kiriath-arba of the father of Anok (which is Hebron) in the mountaine of Iudah, with the suburbes of the same round about it. 12 (But the lande of the citie, and the villages thereof, gaue they to Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh to be his possession) 13 Thus they gaue to the children of Aaron the Priest, a citie of refuge for the slaier, euen Hebron with her suburbes, and Libnah with her suburbes, 14 And Iattir with her suburbes, and Eshtemoa, and her suburbes, 15 And Holon with her suburbes, and Debir with her suburbes, 16 And Ain with her suburbes, and Iuttah with her suburbes, Beth-shemesh with her suburbes: nine cities out of those two tribes. 17 And out of the tribe of Beniamin they gaue Gibeon with her suburbes, Geba with her suburbes, 18 Anathoth with her suburbes, and Almon with her suburbes: foure cities. 19 All the cities of the children of Aaron Priests, were thirteene cities with their suburbes. 20 But to the families of the children of Kohath of the Leuites, which were the rest of the children of Kohath (for the cities of their lot were out of the tribe of Ephraim) 21 They gaue them the citie of refuge for the slaier, Shechem with her suburbes in mount Ephraim, and Gezer with her suburbes, 22 And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbes: foure cities. 23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbes, Gibethon with her suburbes, 24 Aiialon with her suburbes, Gath-rimmon with her suburbes: foure cities. 25 And out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbes, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbes: two cities. 26 All the cities for the other families of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbes. 27 Also vnto the children of Gershon of the families of the Leuites, they gaue out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, the citie of refuge for the slaier, Golan in Bashan with her suburbes, and Beeshterah with her suburbes: two cities. 28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbes, Dabereh with her suburbes, 29 Iarmuth with her suburbes, En-gannim with her suburbes: foure cities. 30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbes, Abdon with her suburbes, 31 Helkah with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbes: foure cities. 32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, the citie of refuge for the slaier, Kedesh in Galil with her suburbes, and Hammoth-dor with her suburbes, and Kartan with her suburbes: three cities. 33 Al the cities of the Gershonites according to their families, were thirteene cities with their suburbes. 34 Also vnto the families of the children of Merari the rest of the Leuites, they gaue out of the tribe of Zebulun, Iokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbes, 35 Dimnah with her suburbes, Nahalal, with her suburbes: foure cities. 36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Iahazah with her suburbs, 37 Kedemoth with her suburbes, and Mephaath with her suburbes: foure cities. 38 And out of the tribe of Gad they gaue for a citie of refuge for the slaier, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbes, and Mahanaim with her suburbes, 39 Heshbon with her suburbs, and Iazer with her suburbes: foure cities in all. 40 So all the cities of the children of Merari according to their families (which were the rest of the families of the Leuites) were by their lot, twelue cities. 41 And all the cities of the Leuites within the possession of the children of Israel, were eight and fourtie with their suburbes. 42 These cities lay euery one seuerallie with their suburbes round about them: so were all these cities. 43 So the Lord gaue vnto Israel all ye land, which hee had sworne to giue vnto their fathers: and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44 Also the Lord gaue them rest rounde about according to all that hee had sworne vnto their fathers: and there stoode not a man of all their enemies before them: for the Lord deliuered all their enemies into their hand. 45 There failed nothing of all the good things, which the Lord hath sayde vnto the house of Israel, but all came to passe.