² They came to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasturelands for our livestock.”

The Allotments of the Remaining Land

18 Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle.^[a]

² “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands. ³ These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. ⁴ The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet^[a] from the town walls in every direction. ⁵ Measure off 3,000 feet^[b] outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.

⁶ “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. ⁷ In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites. ⁸ These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”

¹⁷ Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,^[a] especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”^[b]

⁶ Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

¹⁰ Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

⁹ “The area set aside for the Lord’s Temple will be 8 1⁄3 miles long and 6 2⁄3 miles wide.^{[a] 10} For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8 1⁄3 miles long by 3 1⁄3 miles wide,^[b] with the Lord’s Temple at the center. ¹¹ This area is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who served me faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites. ¹² It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests’ territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live.

¹³ “The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests—8 1⁄3 miles long and 3 1⁄3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 8 1⁄3 miles long by 6 2⁄3 miles wide.^{[c] 14} None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is set apart as holy.

¹⁵ “An additional strip of land 8 1⁄3 miles long by 1 2⁄3 miles wide,^[d] south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use—homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center. ¹⁶ The city will measure 1 1⁄2 miles^[e] on each side—north, south, east, and west. ¹⁷ Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards^[f] in every direction. ¹⁸ Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 3 1⁄3 miles to the east and 3 1⁄3 miles to the west^[g] along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city.