Old/New Testament
Simeon’s Allocation
19 The second lottery went to the tribe of Simeon according to its families. Its inheritance was enclosed within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. 2 Its inheritance included Beer-sheba (also known as[a] Shebah), Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen, for a total of thirteen towns and villages. 7 Also included were[b] Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, for a total of four towns and villages. 8 Also included were[c] all the surrounding villages as far as Baalath-beer, in Ramah of the Negev.[d] This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, according to its families. 9 The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was contained in part of the territory of Judah; that is, because the portion allotted to the tribe of Judah was large enough for both tribes, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance within that of Judah.[e]
Zebulun’s Allocation
10 The third lottery went to the tribe of Zebulun according to its families. The boundary of its inheritance extended to Sarid, 11 then turned westward toward Maralah, proceeding to Dabbesheth, and then to the valley that is east of Jokneam. 12 From Sarid it proceeded back eastward, creating a sunrise boundary at Chisloth-tabor, and proceeded from there to Daberath, then to Japhia, 13 from which it proceeded toward the east to Gath-hepher, then to Eth-kazin, then going to Rimmon, where it turned toward Neah. 14 On the north of Neah, the boundary turned toward Hannathon, terminating at Iphtah-el Valley 15 and Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem, for a total of twelve towns and villages. 16 These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun according to its families.
Issachar’s Allocation
17 The fourth lottery went to the tribe of Issachar according to its families. 18 The territorial allotment included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez, 22 with the boundary including Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh. The boundary terminated at the Jordan River, for a total of sixteen towns and villages. 23 These towns and villages comprise the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its families.
Asher’s Allocation
24 The fifth lottery went to the tribe of Asher according to its families. 25 The territorial boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal, and on the west Carmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then proceeded east to Beth-dagon. It proceeded to Zebulun and the Iphtah-el Valley, turned north to Beth-emek and Neiel, then proceeded north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah as far as Great Sidon. 29 There the boundary turned toward Ramah, reaching to the fortress city of Tyre and turned to Hosah, where it terminated at the Mediterranean[f] Sea. Also included were[g] Mahalab, Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob, for a total of 22 towns and villages. 31 These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Asher according to its families.
Naphtali’s Allocation
32 The sixth lottery went to the tribe of Naphtali according to its families. 33 The territorial boundary proceeded from Heleph, the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel as far as Lakkum, terminating at the Jordan River. 34 There the boundary proceeded west to Aznoth-tabor and then to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun at the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan River. 35 Also included were[h] the fortress towns of Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh, for a total of nineteen towns and their villages. 39 These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali according to its families.
Dan’s Allocation
40 The seventh lottery went to the tribe of Dan according to its families. 41 The territorial allotment included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon at the border near Joppa. 47 Later, when the descendants of Dan lost their territory, they went up and attacked Leshem. After they captured it and executed its inhabitants, they took possession of it and settled there, renaming the city of Leshem to Dan in memory of their ancestor Dan. 48 These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Dan according to their families.
Joshua’s Allocation
49 When the Israelis had completed distribution of the various territories of the land as inheritances, they provided an inheritance to Nun’s son Joshua. 50 By a command from the Lord, they allocated the town that he requested, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and settled there. 51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Nun’s son Joshua, and the heads of the families of the Israeli tribes distributed by lot in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
The Cities of Refuge(A)
20 Then the Lord told Joshua, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to set apart cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally and without premeditation may run there and be protected from closely related[i] avengers. 4 He may run to one of those cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and tell his side of the story to the elders of the city. They are to bring him inside the city with them and provide him a place to live among them. 5 Now if the closely related[j] avenger pursues him, then they are not to hand the killer over to him, because he killed his neighbor without premeditation and without hating him beforehand. 6 He is to live in that city until he stands trial before the community, until the death of the one who is high priest at that time. Then the killer may return to his own city and to his own home, that is, to the city from which he fled.”
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 East of Jericho beyond the Jordan River, they reserved Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were appointed to be cities for all the Israelis and for the foreigner who lives among them, so that whoever kills anyone unintentionally may run there and not die at the hands of a closely related[k] avenger until he stands for trial before the community.
Reservation of the Levitical Cities
21 Then the family leaders of the descendants of Levi approached Eleazar the priest and Nun’s son Joshua, along with the family leaders of the people of Israel. 2 It was at Shiloh in the land of Canaan that they told them, “The Lord ordered through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, along with their pasture lands for our livestock.”
Allocation for the Descendants of Kohath and Descendants of Gershon
3 So, just as the Lord had said, the Israelis set aside cities for the descendants of Levi from a portion of their own inheritances, along with their grazing lands. 4 The lottery went to the families of the descendants of Kohath. So the descendants of Aaron the priest, who were descendants of Levi, received thirteen cities by random lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The rest of the descendants of Kohath received ten cities by random lot from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by random lot from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh located in Bashan. 7 The descendants of Merari, allocated according to their families, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The Israelis apportioned these cities, along with their pasture lands, to the descendants of Levi by random lot, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9 From the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon, they gave these cities, delineated by name: 10 for the descendants of Aaron, one of the families of the descendants of Kohath, of the descendants of Levi, since the lot fell in their favor first. 11 They gave them Kiriath-arba, also known as Hebron, (Arba was named after[l] the ancestor of Anak), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasture lands. 12 But the fields adjoining the city and its surrounding villages were given to Jephunneh’s son Caleb.
13 So they gave Hebron to the descendants of Aaron the priest to serve as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, Libnah with its pasture lands, 14 Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, 15 Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, 16 Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands, for a total of nine cities from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands, 18 Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities. 19 All of the cities allocated[m] to the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, numbered thirteen, along with their pasture lands.
20 Cities from the tribe of Ephraim were also allotted to the families of the descendants of Kohath, that is, to the rest of the descendants of Kohath, who were descendants of Levi. 21 Shechem was allocated to them as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, in the mountainous region[n] of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
23 From the tribe of Dan were allocated[o] Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, 24 Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh were allocated Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands, for a total of two cities. 26 All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the descendants of Kohath numbered ten.
27 To the descendants of Gershon (one of the Levitical families) from the half-tribe of Manasseh were allocated[p] Golan in Bashan as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, and Beeshterah with its pasture lands, for a total of two cities.
28 From the tribe of Issachar were allocated[q] Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
30 From the tribe of Asher were allocated[r] Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, 31 Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands were allocated[s] as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands, for a total of three cities.
33 All the cities of the descendants of Gershon according to their families totaled thirteen, including their pasture lands.
Allocation for the Descendants of Merari
34 From the tribe of Zebulun were allocated[t] to the descendants of Merari (that is, the rest of the descendants of Levi) Jokneam with its pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands, 35 Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
36 [u]From the tribe of Reuben were allocated[v] Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.
38 From the tribe of Gad were allocated[w] Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, to serve as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities in all.
40 So the entire allocation to the descendants of Merari (that is, the rest of the families of the descendants of Levi) according to their families totaled twelve cities.
Summary of Allocations to the Descendants of Levi
41 All of the cities of the descendants of Levi that had been set apart[x] among the territorial[y] possession of the Israelis totaled 48, along with their pasture lands. 42 These cities were each surrounded by pasture lands, as was the case with all of these cities. 43 So the Lord gave all of the land to Israel that he had promised to give their ancestors, and they took possession and settled there in it. 44 The Lord gave them peace[z] all around them, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of their enemies was able to oppose them—the Lord placed all of their enemies under their control. 45 Not one of the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed—all of them came about.[aa]
25 Now a man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. This man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel,[a] and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die[b] until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.[c]
27 Led[d] by the Spirit, he went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the Law, 28 Simeon[e] took the infant[f] in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace
according to your promise,
30 because my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you prepared for all people to see—
32 a light that will reveal salvation[g] to unbelievers[h]
and bring glory to your people Israel.”
33 Jesus’[i] father and mother kept wondering at the things being said about him. 34 Then Simeon[j] blessed them and told Mary, his mother, “This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. Also, he will be a sign that will be opposed. 35 Indeed, a sword will pierce your own soul, too, so that the inner thoughts of many people might be revealed.”
36 Now Anna, a prophetess, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow for 84 years. She never left the Temple, but continued to worship there night and day with times of fasting and prayer. 38 Just then she came forward and began to thank God and to speak about Jesus[k] to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 After doing everything required by the Law of the Lord, Joseph and Mary[l] returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. 40 Meanwhile, the child continued to grow and to become strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor rested upon him.
Jesus Visits the Temple
41 Every year Jesus’[m] parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When Jesus[n] was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual. 43 When the days of the festival[o] were over, they left for home. The young man Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 They thought that he was in their group of travelers. After traveling for a day, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching desperately for him. 46 Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and posing questions to them. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and his answers. 48 When Jesus’ parents[p] saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!”
49 He asked them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”[q] 50 But they did not understand what he told them. 51 Then he went back with them, returning to Nazareth and remaining in submission to them. His mother continued to treasure all these things in her heart. 52 Meanwhile, Jesus kept on growing wiser and more mature, and in favor with God and his fellow man.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.