Allotment for Simeon^(A)

19 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.^{(B) 2} It included:

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans. ⁹ The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah,^(M) because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.^(N)

Allotment for Zebulun

¹⁰ The third lot came up for Zebulun^(O) according to its clans:

¹⁶ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun,^(Z) according to its clans.^(AA)

Allotment for Issachar

¹⁷ The fourth lot came out for Issachar^(AB) according to its clans. ¹⁸ Their territory included:

²³ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar,^(AI) according to its clans.^(AJ)

Allotment for Asher

²⁴ The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher^(AK) according to its clans. ²⁵ Their territory included:

³¹ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher,^(BD) according to its clans.

Allotment for Naphtali

³² The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:

³⁹ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.^(BQ)

Allotment for Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans. ⁴¹ The territory of their inheritance included:

⁴⁷ (When the territory of the Danites was lost to them,^(BZ) they went up and attacked Leshem^(CA), took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named^(CB) it Dan after their ancestor.)^(CC)

⁴⁸ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan,^(CD) according to its clans.

Allotment for Joshua

⁴⁹ When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, ⁵⁰ as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah^[d](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.

⁵¹ These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing^(CF) the land.^(CG)

Cities of Refuge^(CH)

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally^(CI) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.^{(CJ) 4} When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate^(CK) and state their case before the elders^(CL) of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. ⁵ If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. ⁶ They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly^(CM) and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh^(CN) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^(CO) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba^(CP) (that is, Hebron^(CQ)) in the hill country of Judah.^{(CR) 8} East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer^(CS) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead^(CT) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan^(CU) in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally^(CV) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.^(CW)

Psalm 46^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^[b] A song.

³² “Do not be afraid,^(A) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.^{(B) 33} Sell your possessions and give to the poor.^(C) Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven^(D) that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.^{(E) 34} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.^(F)

Watchfulness^(G)(H)

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.^(I) Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.^{(J) 38} It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief^(K) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready,^(L) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord^(M) answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.^(N) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.^{(O) 48} But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.^(P) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Not Peace but Division^(Q)

⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism^(R) to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!^{(S) 51} Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”^(T)

Interpreting the Times

⁵⁴ He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.^{(U) 55} And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?^(V)

⁵⁷ “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.^{(W) 59} I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”^(X)