约书亚记 21
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
分给利未人的城邑
21 1-2 利未人的众族长到迦南的示罗见祭司以利亚撒、嫩的儿子约书亚和以色列各支派的首领，说：“耶和华借着摩西曾吩咐你们把一些城邑分给我们住，让我们可以在城郊牧养牲畜。” 3 以色列人便按照耶和华的吩咐，从他们的产业中把以下的城邑及城郊分给了利未人。
4 利未人哥辖宗族中大祭司亚伦的子孙从犹大、西缅和便雅悯支派的产业中抽签得了十三座城。 5 哥辖宗族中其他的人也从以法莲、但和玛拿西半个支派的产业中抽签得了十座城。 6 革顺的子孙从以萨迦、亚设、拿弗他利和在巴珊的玛拿西半个支派的产业中抽签得了十三座城。 7 米拉利的子孙按宗族从吕便、迦得和西布伦支派的产业中抽签得了十二座城。
8 以色列人照耶和华对摩西的吩咐，把这些城邑及其草场用抽签的方式分给利未人。
9-10 利未支派哥辖宗族中亚伦的子孙得到第一签，以下是从犹大和西缅两支派的产业中抽出来分给他们的土地： 11 犹大山区的基列·亚巴及其草场，亚巴原是亚衲人的祖先，基列·亚巴就是希伯仑。 12 而城周围的田地和乡村已经分给耶孚尼的儿子迦勒作产业。
13 以色列人把避难城希伯仑分给祭司亚伦的子孙，并把立拿、 14 雅提珥、以实提莫、 15 何仑、底璧、 16 亚因、淤他、伯·示麦共九座城及其草场分给了他们。这都是从犹大和西缅两支派分出来的。 17 从便雅悯支派的产业中分给他们的城有：基遍、迦巴、 18 亚拿突、亚勒们四座城及其草场。 19 亚伦的子孙中做祭司的共分到十三座城邑及其草场。
20 利未人哥辖宗族其他的子孙从以法莲支派的产业中分到的城邑有： 21 以法莲山区的避难城示剑，基色、 22 基伯先和伯·和仑共四座城及其草场。 23 从但支派的产业中分给他们的城邑有：伊利提基、基比顿、 24 亚雅仑和迦特·临门四座城及其草场。 25 他们从玛拿西半个支派的产业中分到他纳和迦特·临门两座城及其草场。 26 以上是哥辖其他的子孙所分到的十座城及其草场。
27 以色列人分给利未支派中革顺子孙的城邑有：玛拿西半个支派中巴珊的哥兰避难城和比·施提拉及其草场，共两座城； 28 以萨迦支派的基善、大比拉、 29 耶末、隐·干宁四座城及其草场； 30 亚设支派的米沙勒、押顿、 31 黑甲、利合四座城及其草场； 32 拿弗他利支派的哈末·多珥、加珥坦和加利利的避难城基低斯三座城及其草场。 33 革顺人按宗族共分到十三座城邑及其草场。 34 其余的利未人，就是米拉利的子孙所分到的城邑有：西布伦支派的约念、加珥他、 35 丁拿、拿哈拉四座城及其草场； 36 吕便支派的比悉、雅杂、 37 基底莫、米法押四座城及其草场； 38 迦得支派的玛哈念、基列的避难城拉末、 39 希实本、雅谢四座城及其草场。 40 利未人中米拉利的子孙按宗族所分到的城邑共有十二座。
41 利未人从以色列各支派共分到四十八座城及其草场， 42 这些城周围都有草场，城城如此。
43 这样，耶和华把从前起誓赐给以色列人祖先的整个地区都赐给了以色列人，以色列人都分到土地，住了下来。 44 耶和华照着给他们祖先的应许，使他们四境安宁，没有仇敌能抵挡他们。耶和华将所有仇敌都交在了他们手中。 45 耶和华给以色列人的美好应许没有一句落空，全部实现了。
Joshua 21
Contemporary English Version
Levi's Towns
21 1-2 (A) 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.”[a]
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[b] 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,[c] 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[d] 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,[e] Juttah, and Beth-Shemesh were from Judah and Simeon. Hebron, located in the hill country of Judah, was earlier called Arba's Town.[f] It had been named after Arba, the ancestor of the Anakim.[g] Hebron's pasturelands went along with the town, but its farmlands and the villages around it had been given to Caleb.[h] 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[i] 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,[j] 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.[k]
Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer were from Gad.
Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead were Safe Towns[l] 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.
Footnotes
- 21.1,2 The Lord told Moses … animals: See Numbers 35.1-8.
- 21.4 asked the Lord to show them: Hebrew “cast lots to find out.” See the note at 14.1-5.
- 21.4 The descendants … priest: Hebrew text; three ancient translations “The priests, the descendants of Aaron.” The male descendants of Aaron would also be priests.
- 21.4-7 Kohath … Gershon … Merari: Sons of Levi, the ancestor of the tribe of Levi.
- 21.9-19 Ashan: One ancient translation and the parallel in 1 Chronicles 6.59; Hebrew “Ain.”
- 21.9-19 Arba's Town: See the note at 14.15.
- 21.9-19 Anakim: See the note at 11.21.
- 21.9-19 Caleb: See 14.6-14.
- 21.20-26 Jibleam: One ancient translation and the parallel in 1 Chronicles 6.70; Hebrew “Gath-Rimmon.”
- 21.34-40 Rimmonah: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 21.34-40 Bezer … Jericho: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 21.34-40 Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead were Safe Towns: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Ramoth in Gilead was a Safe Town.”
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