Joshua 21 New International Version

Towns for the Levites^(A)

21 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel^(B) ²at Shiloh^(C) in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns^(D) to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”^(E) ³So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴The first lot came out for the Kohathites,^(F) according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.^(G) ⁵The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.^(H)

⁶The descendants of Gershon^(I) were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar,^(J) Asher,^(K) Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷The descendants of Merari,^(L) according to their clans, received twelve^(M) towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.^(N)

⁸So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name ¹⁰(these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):

¹¹They gave them Kiriath Arba^(O) (that is, Hebron^(P)), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) ¹²But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.^(Q)

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge^(R) for one accused of murder), Libnah,^(S) ¹⁴Jattir,^(T) Eshtemoa,^(U) ¹⁵Holon,^(V) Debir,^(W) ¹⁶Ain,^(X) Juttah^(Y) and Beth Shemesh,^(Z) together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

¹⁷And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon,^(AA) Geba,^(AB) ¹⁸Anathoth^(AC) and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

¹⁹The total number of towns^(AD) for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.^(AE)

²⁰The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

²¹In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem^(AF) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,^(AG) ²²Kibzaim and Beth Horon,^(AH) together with their pasturelands—four towns.^(AI)

²³Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,^(AJ) ²⁴Aijalon^(AK) and Gath Rimmon,^(AL) together with their pasturelands—four towns.

²⁵From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach^(AM) and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

²⁶All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.^(AN)

²⁷The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan^(AO) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder^(AP)) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

²⁸from the tribe of Issachar,^(AQ)

Kishion,^(AR) Daberath,^(AS) ²⁹Jarmuth^(AT) and En Gannim,^(AU) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁰from the tribe of Asher,^(AV)

Mishal,^(AW) Abdon,^(AX) ³¹Helkath and Rehob,^(AY) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³²from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh^(AZ) in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder^(BA)), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

³³The total number of towns of the Gershonite^(BB) clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

³⁴The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

from the tribe of Zebulun,^(BC)

Jokneam,^(BD) Kartah, ³⁵Dimnah and Nahalal,^(BE) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁶from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer,^(BF) Jahaz,^(BG) ³⁷Kedemoth and Mephaath,^(BH) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁸from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth^(BI) in Gilead^(BJ) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,^(BK) ³⁹Heshbon and Jazer,^(BL) together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

⁴⁰The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.^(BM)

⁴¹The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.^(BN) ⁴²Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

⁴³So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors,^(BO) and they took possession^(BP) of it and settled there.^(BQ) ⁴⁴The Lord gave them rest^(BR) on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies^(BS) withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies^(BT) into their hands.^(BU) ⁴⁵Not one of all the Lord’s good promises^(BV) to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.