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Cities for the Levites(A)
21 The family leaders of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. 2 At Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them, “Through Moses the Lord commanded that we be given cities in which to live and grazing lands for our livestock.” 3 So according to the word of the Lord, out of their inheritance the children of Israel gave the Levites these cities and their grazing lands.
4 The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites, so the Levites who were descendants of Aaron received an allotment of thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The remaining descendants of Kohath received an allotment of ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon received an allotment of thirteen cities from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 Descendants of Merari by their clans received an allotment of twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The children of Israel allotted the Levites these cities and their grazing lands, as the Lord commanded through Moses.
9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they assigned the following cities with these names. 10 They were assigned to the descendants of Aaron, to the clans of the Kohathites of the tribe of Levi, for theirs was the first lot.
11 They assigned them Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), which is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, and the grazing lands around it. 12 (Now they had assigned the city’s fields and its surrounding villages to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.)
13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron (a refuge city for people who committed manslaughter), Libnah with its pastures, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, together with the grazing lands of each: nine cities from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
19 Altogether the descendants of Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing lands.
20 The rest of the Levites from the clans of the descendants of Kohath received cities allotted from the tribe of Ephraim.
21 They assigned them Shechem (a refuge city for people who committed manslaughter) in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
23 From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with the grazing lands of each: two cities.
26 Altogether the rest of the clans of the descendants of Kohath received ten cities and their grazing lands.
27 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned to the descendants of Gershon (one of the Levite clans): Golan in Bashan (a refuge city for people who committed manslaughter) and Be Eshterah, together with the grazing lands of each: two cities.
28 From the tribe of Issachar they assigned Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
30 From the tribe of Asher they assigned Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali they assigned Kedesh in Galilee (a refuge city for people who committed manslaughter), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, together with the grazing lands of each: three cities.
33 Altogether the Gershonites according to their clans received thirteen cities and their grazing lands.
34 From the tribe of Zebulun they assigned to the descendants of Merari (the remaining Levites): Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
36 From the tribe of Reuben they assigned Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities.
38 From the tribe of Gad they assigned Ramoth in Gilead (a refuge city for people who committed manslaughter), Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer, together with the grazing lands of each: four cities in all.
40 So twelve cities were allotted for the descendants of Merari according to their clans (the remaining Levite clans).
41 Altogether the Levites received forty-eight cities and their grazing lands within the possessions of the children of Israel. 42 Each of these cities had grazing lands surrounding them. It was this way with all these cities.
43 The Lord gave Israel all the land that He swore to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and lived in it. 44 The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He swore to their fathers. Not a man among their enemies stood before them, and the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not a single word of all the good things that the Lord had spoken to the children of Israel failed. They all came to pass.
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed me in everything that I have commanded you. 3 You have not left your brothers these many days down to this day, and you have observed the obligations of the commandment of the Lord your God. 4 Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He had said to them. So now, turn and go to your homes, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Only carefully obey the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commandments, to cling to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and soul.”
6 Joshua blessed them and sent them off, and they went to their tents. 7 Moses had assigned land in Bashan to half the tribe of Manasseh, and to the other half Joshua assigned land among their brothers on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them also to their homes and blessed them, 8 he said, “Return home with great wealth, much livestock, silver, gold, copper, iron, and great quantities of clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies among your brothers.”
9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the children of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to go to the land of Gilead, the land of their possession, according to the word of the Lord through Moses.
10 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built a very large altar by the Jordan. 11 The children of Israel heard someone say, “The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar by the land of Canaan by the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 12 When the children of Israel heard this, they assembled the whole congregation of the children of Israel at Shiloh to go up against them in war.
13 Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, 14 and with him ten chiefs, one chief each for each father’s household of every tribe of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father’s house among the thousands of Israel.
15 They came to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them, 16 “The whole congregation of the Lord says, ‘What is this trespass you have committed against the God of Israel? Today you have turned from following the Lord by building yourselves an altar to rebel against Him! 17 Is the sin of Peor, from which we have still not purified ourselves even today, not enough for us, which brought a plague upon the congregation of the Lord 18 that today you have turned away from following the Lord?
“ ‘If today you are rebelling against the Lord, then tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel! 19 If indeed your own land is unclean, then cross over to the land of the Lord where the tabernacle of the Lord stands and take land among us. Yet do not rebel against the Lord or rebel against us by building an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit a trespass in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”
The Question of Jesus’ Authority(A)
20 One day, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up to Him, 2 and said to Him, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is he who gave You this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you one thing. Answer Me: 4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”
5 They debated with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Vinedressers(B)
9 He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to vinedressers, and went to a distant country for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the vinedressers so they might give him some fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again, he sent another servant. But they beat him also, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 Once again, he sent a third. And they wounded him also and drove him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him when they see him.’
14 “But when the vinedressers saw him, they debated among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill these vinedressers and will give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard this, they said, “May it not be so!”
17 He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’[a]?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken. But he on whom it falls will be crushed to powder.”[b]
19 The chief priests and the scribes tried to lay their hands on Him that same hour, but they feared the people. For they perceived that He had told this parable against them.
The Question of Paying Taxes(C)
20 They watched Him and sent out spies who pretended to be righteous men, that they might seize Him in His words to hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So they asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach rightly. And You do not show partiality, but You truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
23 He perceived their craftiness and said to them, “Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius.[c] Whose image and inscription does it have?”
They said, “Caesar’s.”
25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 They could not catch Him in His words before the people. And they marveled at His answer and were silent.
Psalm 89
A Contemplative Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;
with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;
Your faithfulness shall be established in the heavens.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘Your offspring I will establish forever,
and build up your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah
5 Let the heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly sons is like the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the holy ones
and awesome to all those who surround Him.
8 O Lord God of Hosts, who is a mighty Lord like You,
with Your faithfulness all around You?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when the waves arise, You still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a corpse;
You scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm.
11 The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours;
the world and all that is in it, You have founded them.
12 The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
13 You have a mighty arm,
and strong is Your hand, and victorious is Your right hand.
15 Good understanding gives favor,
but the way of transgressors is hard.
16 Every prudent man deals with knowledge,
but a fool lays open his folly.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.