Beginning
Simeon
19 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, according to their clans. Their inheritance was located within the inheritance of the descendants of Judah.
2 As their inheritance they received:
Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities and their villages.[a]
7 Also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities and their villages.
8 All the villages that are around these cities, as far as Baalath Be’er (which is Ramah of the Negev).
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Simeon according to their clans. 9 Part of the share of the descendants of Judah became the inheritance of the descendants of Simeon. Because the portion of the descendants of Judah was too large for them, the descendants of Simeon received an inheritance within Judah’s inheritance.
Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for the descendants of Zebulun according to their clans.
The border of their inheritance reaches as far as Sarid.
11 Their border ascends toward the west to Maralah and touches Dabbesheth.
Then it touches the streambed that is next to Jokneam.
12 Then it turns from Sarid eastward toward the rising of the sun on the border of Kisloth Tabor. Then it goes out to Daberath and ascends to Japhia.
13 From there it passes on the east, along the side that is toward the sunrise, to Gath Hepher, to Eth Kazin, and goes out to Rimmon, which is marked off to Neah.[b]
14 Then the border curves around it on the north to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtah El, 15 Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—twelve cities and their villages.[c]
16 This is the inheritance of the descendants of Zebulun according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the descendants of Issachar according to their clans.
18 Their territory extended to Jezre’el, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border touches Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh, and their border ends at the Jordan—sixteen cities and their villages.
23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Issachar according to their clans—the cities and their villages.
Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Asher according to their clans.
25 Their border enclosed Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad, and Mishal, and it touches on Carmel on the west, and on Shihor Libnath.
27 Then it turns on the east to Beth Dagon and touches the territory of Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El to the north, also Beth Emek, and Neiel.
Then it goes out to Kabul in the north, 28 to Ebron,[d] Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon.
29 Then the border turns toward Ramah, to the fortified city of Tyre.
Then the border turns toward Hosah, and it ends at the sea.
It extends from Hebel[e] to Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two[f] cities and their villages.
31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Asher according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for the descendants of Naphtali, for the descendants of Naphtali according to their clans.
33 Their border extends from Heleph, from the oak in Za’annim, past Adami Nekeb, and Jabne’el to Lakkum. It ends at the Jordan.
34 Then the border turns west to Aznoth Tabor and goes out from there to Hukkok. It touches Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah[g] at the Jordan on the east.
35 The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinneret, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh—nineteen cities and their villages.[h]
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali according to their clans—the cities and their villages.
Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Dan according to their clans.
41 The territory of their inheritance includes Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Sha’alabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Yarkon, and Rakkon, with the border close to Joppa.
47 But the territory of the descendants of Dan slipped away from them. So the descendants of Dan went up and fought against Leshem. They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword. They took possession of it and lived in it, and they named Leshem “Dan” after Dan, their forefather.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Dan according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
An Inheritance for Joshua
49 When they had finished distributing the land as an inheritance by assigning borders, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 According to the command of the Lord, they gave him the city that he had requested, Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built up the city and lived in it.
51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the tribes of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished distributing the land.
Cities of Refuge
20 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua 2 and told him to give the people of Israel the following directions:
Designate for yourselves the cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses. 3 A person who takes a life may flee to one of them, if that person has killed someone by accident, without intent. These cities are to serve for you as a refuge from the avenger[i] of blood.
4 The person is to flee to one of these cities and stand at the entrance to the gate of the city and state his case before a hearing of the elders of that city. They are to receive him into the city and give him a place where he can live with them. 5 When the avenger of blood pursues him, the elders are not to hand over the person who took a life to the avenger, because that person killed his fellow man without intent, and he had not been his enemy previously. 6 The killer is to live in that city until he stands in front of the community for judgment, and then until the death of the high priest who presides in those days. At that time the one who took a life may return to his city and to his house—to the city from which he fled.
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Also in the region on the east side of the Jordan of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the appointed cities for all the people of Israel and for the aliens residing among them, so that anyone killing a person accidentally could flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood before he stood trial in the presence of the community.
Cities for the Priests and Levites
21 Then the leading fathers[j] of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the tribes of the people of Israel. 2 When they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said, “The Lord commanded through Moses to give us cities to live in, together with their pasturelands for our livestock.”
3 So from their own inheritance the people of Israel gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands according to the command of the Lord.
4 The clans of Kohath, one of the descendants of Levi, received the first lot. Those who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, from the Simeonites, and from the tribe of Benjamin. 5 The remaining Kohathites received by lot ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants of Merari according to their clans received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The people of Israel assigned cities and their pasturelands to the Levites by lot, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Cities for the Priests
9 The tribe of the descendants of Judah and the tribe of the descendants of Simeon gave the cities, named below, 10 to the descendants of Aaron, who were from the Kohathite clan of the people of Levi, because the first lot was theirs.
11 They gave them Kiriath Arba in the hill country of Judah and its pasturelands which surround it. (Kiriath Arba is Hebron.) (Arba was the father of the Anakites.) 12 But the outlying countryside of the city and its villages they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 In this way they gave the descendants of Aaron the priest these cities: Hebron, the city of refuge for one who takes a life, together with its pasturelands, Libnah and its pasturelands, 14 Jattir and its pasturelands, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, 15 Holon and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, 16 Ain and its pasturelands, Juttah and its pasturelands, Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands—nine cities from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin, they gave Gibeon and its pasturelands, Geba and its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth and its pasturelands, and Almon and its pasturelands—four cities.
19 All the cities for the descendants of Aaron the priest totaled thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
Cities for Kohathite Levites
20 For the rest of the clans of the Levites descended from Kohath, the cities of their allotment came from the tribe of Ephraim.
21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for one who takes a life, and its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim; Gezer and its pasturelands; 22 Kibzaim and its pasturelands; and Beth Horon and its pasturelands—four cities.
23 From the tribe of Dan they gave Eltekeh and its pasturelands, Gibbethon and its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon and its pasturelands, Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands—four cities.
25 From the half tribe of Manasseh, they gave Ta’anach and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands—two cities.
26 The total was ten cities and their pasturelands for the remaining clans of the descendants of Kohath.
Cities for the Gershonite Levities
27 To the descendants of Gershon, one of the clans of the Levites, these cities were given.
From the half tribe of Manasseh: the city of refuge for someone who had killed a man, namely, Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands, also Be’eshterah and its pastureland—two cities.
28 From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth and its pasturelands, En Gannim and its pasturelands—four cities.
30 From the tribe of Asher: Mishal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, 31 Helkath and its pasturelands, and Rehob and its pasturelands—four cities.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali: the city of refuge for someone who had killed a man, namely, Kedesh in Galilee and its pasturelands, Hammoth Dor and its pasturelands, and Kartan and its pasturelands—three cities.
33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their clans totaled thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
Cities for the Merarite Levites
34 To the clans of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, these cities were given.
From the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah and its pasturelands, Nahalal and its pasturelands—four cities.
36 From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer and its pasturelands, Jahzah and its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mepha’ath and its pasturelands—four cities.
38 From the tribe of Gad: the city of refuge for one who takes a life, namely, Ramoth in Gilead and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, 39 Heshbon and its pasturelands, Jazer and its pasturelands. All the cities totaled four.
40 All the cities for the descendants of Merari according to their clans, the rest of the clans of the Levites—their allotment was twelve cities.
41 So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the descendants of Israel totaled forty-eight cities and their pasturelands. 42 These cities consisted of each city and its pasturelands that surround it. It was that way for all these cities.
43 So the Lord gave to Israel all of the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and lived in it. 44 The Lord gave them rest all around, in fulfillment of everything that he had sworn to their fathers. Not one person out of all their enemies had withstood them. The Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one promise out of all the good promises that the Lord had promised to the house of Israel failed.[k] They all came true!
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.