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Joshua 21

New International Reader’s Version



1 The leaders of the Levite family groups approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. They also approached the leaders of the family groups of Israel’s other tribes. 2 They went to all of them at Shiloh in Canaan. They said to them, ‘Give us towns to live in. Also give us grasslands for our livestock. That’s what the LORD commanded through Moses.’ 3 So the Israelites gave the Levites towns and grasslands out of their own shares of land. They did what the LORD had commanded. Here are the towns the Levites were given. 4 The first lot drawn out was for the people of Kohath, according to their family groups. Some of the Levites came from the family line of Aaron the priest. They were given 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. 5 The rest of Kohath’s family groups were given ten towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 6 The family groups of Gershon were given 13 towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali and half of the tribe of Manasseh. That part of Manasseh was in the land of Bashan. 7 The family groups of Merari received 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. Each family group received its share. 8 So the Israelites gave those towns and their grasslands to the Levites. They did what the LORD had commanded through Moses. 9 Some towns were given from the territories of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. 10 The Israelites gave them to the members of the family line of Aaron. The towns were given to the family groups of Kohath. They were Levites. The first lot drawn out was for them. Here are the towns the family groups of Kohath were given. 11 The Israelites gave them Kiriath Arba and the grasslands around it. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. It’s in the hill country of Judah. Anak came from the family line of Arba. 12 But Israel had already given away the fields and villages around the city. They had given them to Caleb as his share. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh. 13 So they gave Hebron to the members of the family line of Aaron the priest. Hebron was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also gave them Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh. They gave those towns and their grasslands to the family groups of Kohath. The total number of towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon came to nine. 17 The Israelites gave some towns from the tribe of Benjamin to the family groups of Kohath. The towns were Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth and Almon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 19 So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the priests in Aaron’s family line came to 13. 20 There were other family groups of Kohath among the Levites. They were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim. Here are the towns those other family groups of Kohath were given. 21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem. It was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They were also given Gezer, 22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 23 From the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 25 From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two. 26 So all these ten towns and their grasslands were given to the other family groups of Kohath. 27 Here are the towns given to the family groups of Gershon among the Levites. From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in the land of Bashan. Golan was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Be Eshterah. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two. 28 From the tribe of Issachar they received Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth and En Gannim. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 30 From the tribe of Asher they received Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath and Rehob. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee. Kedesh was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Hammoth Dor and Kartan. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to three. 33 So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the family groups of Gershon came to 13. 34 The rest of the Levites were from the family groups of Merari. Here are the towns they were given. From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 36 From the tribe of Reuben they received Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth and Mephaath. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 38 From the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead. Ramoth was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon and Jazer. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four. 40 So the total number of towns given to the family groups of Merari came to 12. That concludes the list of towns the rest of the Levites received. 41 The total number of Levite towns and their grasslands in the territory given to Israel came to 48. 42 Each of those towns had grasslands around it. That was true of all of them. 43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Israel took it over. Then they made their homes there. 44 The LORD gave them peace and rest on every side. He had promised their people of long ago that he would do that. Not one of Israel’s enemies was able to fight against them and win. The LORD handed all their enemies over to them. 45 The LORD kept all the good promises he had made to the Israelites. Every one of them came true. 

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Joshua 21

English Standard Version



1 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel. (Nu 34:17; Jos 14:1; Jos 17:4; Jos 19:51) 2 And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock.” (Nu 35:2; Jos 18:1) 3 So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance. 4 The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities. (Ex 6:16; Nu 3:17; Jos 21:9) 5 And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. (Jos 21:20) 6 The Gershonites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. (Jos 21:27) 7 The Merarites according to their clans received from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. (Jos 21:34) 8 These cities and their pasturelands the people of Israel gave by lot to the Levites, as the Lord had commanded through Moses. (Nu 35:2; Jos 14:3; Jos 21:3) 9 Out of the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon they gave the following cities mentioned by name, 10 which went to the descendants of Aaron, one of the clans of the Kohathites who belonged to the people of Levi; since the lot fell to them first. (Jos 21:4) 11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasturelands around it. (Jos 14:13; Jos 20:7; 1Ch 6:54; Lu 1:39) 12 But the fields of the city and its villages had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession. 13 And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands, (Jos 10:29; Jos 20:7) 14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, 16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands—nine cities out of these two tribes; 17 then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands, (Jos 9:3) 18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities. 19 The cities of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands. 20 As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Kohathite clans of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were out of the tribe of Ephraim. (1Ch 6:66) 21 To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, (Jos 20:7) 22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands—four cities; 23 and out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—four cities; 25 and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities. 26 The cities of the clans of the rest of the Kohathites were ten in all with their pasturelands. 27 And to the Gershonites, one of the clans of the Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands—two cities; (Jos 21:21; 1Ch 6:71) 28 and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands—four cities; 30 and out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 31 Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands—four cities; 32 and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands—three cities. (Jos 21:21) 33 The cities of the several clans of the Gershonites were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands. 34 And to the rest of the Levites, the Merarite clans, were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands, (1Ch 6:77) 35 Dimnah with its pasturelands, Nahalal with its pasturelands—four cities; 36 and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands, (Jos 20:8) 37 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands—four cities; 38 and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, (Jos 13:26; Jos 21:36) 39 Heshbon with its pasturelands, Jazer with its pasturelands—four cities in all. (Jos 21:38) 40 As for the cities of the several Merarite clans, that is, the remainder of the clans of the Levites, those allotted to them were in all twelve cities. 41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands. (Nu 35:7) 42 These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities. 43 Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. (Ge 13:15; Ge 15:18; Ge 26:3; Ge 28:4; Ge 28:13) 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. (De 7:24; Jos 2:24; Jos 10:8; Jos 11:23; Jos 23:9) 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Jos 23:14) 

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