Joshua
Chapter 21
1 The leaders of the Levite families approached Priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other Israelite families.
2 They talked to them at Shiloh in Canaan, saying, “God told us through Moses to give us cities to live in, with the surrounding land for our animals.”
3 The Israelites gave the Levites these cities and the land around them from their own land, as God had commanded.
4 The Kohathite families got their land by casting lots. Aaron’s descendants, who were Levites, received thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by drawing lots from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 Gershon’s descendants received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and from half of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The Merari family members received twelve cities from the Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun tribes.
8 The people of Israel gave cities and surrounding land to the Levites by drawing lots, just as God ordered through Moses.
9 They gave cities from the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simeon, which are listed by name here.
10 Aaron’s descendants from the Kohathite clan, who were part of the Levi tribe, received this because they got the first share.
11 They gave them the city of Arba, Anak’s father’s city, called Hebron, in Judah’s hill country, and the surrounding suburbs.
12 They gave the land around the city and its villages to Caleb, Jephunneh’s son, for him to own.
13 They gave Aaron’s descendants Hebron, a safe city for someone who accidentally killed a person, and the area around it, plus Libnah and its surrounding area.
14 Jattir and the surrounding area, Eshtemoa and the surrounding area,
15 And Holon with the land around it, and Debir with the land around it,
16 And Ain and its surrounding area, Juttah and its surrounding area, and Bethshemesh and its surrounding area; nine cities from those two tribes.
17 From Benjamin’s tribe, the towns Gibeon and Geba with their surrounding areas.
18 Anathoth and its surrounding area, and Almon and its surrounding area; four cities.
19 Aaron’s descendants, who were priests, had thirteen cities with the land around them.
20 The Kohathite families, the remaining Levites descended from Kohath, received towns as their share from the tribe of Ephraim.
21 They gave them Shechem with its surrounding land in the hill country of Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for those who killed someone by accident, and Gezer with its surrounding land.
22 Kibzaim and its surrounding area, and Bethhoron and its surrounding area; four cities.
23 From Dan’s tribe, Eltekeh and its surrounding lands, Gibbethon and its surrounding lands,
24 Aijalon and its surrounding land, Gathrimmon and its surrounding land; four cities.
25 From the half tribe of Manasseh came the towns of Tanach and Gathrimmon, along with the land around them; in total, two towns.
26 There were ten cities with their surrounding lands for the remaining families of Kohath’s children.
27 They gave the Gershonite Levites from the half-tribe of Manasseh the city of Golan in Bashan and its surrounding lands to be a safe place for those who killed someone by accident; they also gave them Beeshterah and its surrounding lands—two cities in total.
28 From the tribe of Issachar, Kishon and its surrounding lands, Dabareh and its surrounding lands.
29 Jarmuth with its surrounding lands, Engannim with its surrounding lands; four cities.
30 From the Asher tribe, the town of Mishal and the land around it, and the town of Abdon and the land around it.
31 Helkath and its surrounding lands, and Rehob and its surrounding lands; four cities.
32 From the Naphtali tribe, the city of Kedesh in Galilee and the surrounding area serve as a safe city for someone who killed another; also, the towns of Hammothdor and Kartan and their surrounding areas; three cities in total.
33 The Gershonite family groups had thirteen cities with the land around them.
34 To Merari’s descendants, the other Levite families, from Zebulun’s tribe, they gave Jokneam and its surrounding land, also Kartah and its surrounding land.
35 Dimnah and its nearby lands, Nahalal and its nearby lands; four cities.
36 From the tribe of Reuben, the towns Bezer and Jahazah and the areas around them,
37 Kedemoth and the land around it, and Mephaath and the land around it; four cities.
38 From the Gad tribe, the city Ramoth in Gilead and its surrounding land became a safe city for someone who killed another person by accident; and likewise, the city Mahanaim and its surrounding land.
39 Heshbon and its surrounding lands, Jazer and its surrounding lands; in total, four cities.
40 All the cities given to Merari’s descendants by their families, which were left from the Levite families, totaled twelve cities as their share.
41 The Levites had 48 towns within Israel’s lands, each with surrounding land.
42 Each of these cities had surrounding areas: that’s how all these cities were.
43 God gave Israel all the land he promised to their ancestors; they took it over and lived there.
44 God gave them peace on all sides, just as he promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them; God gave them victory over all their enemies.
45 Nothing good that God promised to the people of Israel failed; everything happened.