Joshua

Cities Allotted to the Levites

The heads of families among the Levites came to Eleazar, the priest. To Joshua, son of Nun, and the heads of families of all the tribes of Israel.

At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said to them: “The Lord commanded through Moses that we should be given towns to live in, with the pastureland around them for our cattle.”

The Israelites gave the Levites certain cities and pasturelands out of their territories by the Lord’s command.

First among the Levite clan of Kohath, the families descended from Aaron the priest, were given thirteen towns from the territories of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin;

the other Kohath families received, clan by clan, ten towns from the territories of Ephraim, Dan and half the tribe of Manasseh.

The clan of Gershon was given thirteen towns from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

The Merari clan’s families were given twelve towns from the Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun territories.

The Israelites assigned these towns and the surrounding pasturelands to the Levites by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed through Moses.

These are the towns of Judah and Simeon that Joshua gave

to the descendants of Aaron, who were of the Kohathite clan of the Levites, the first to be given some cities.

They gave them Kiriath-Arba, the chief city of the Anakim, now Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the pasturelands around it.

But the fields and surrounding villages of this town had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.

To the descendants of Aaron the priest, they gave Hebron, a city of refuge, and the pasturelands near it; also Libnah with its pasturelands,

and Jattir, Eshtemoa,

Holon, Debir,

Ashan, Juttah and Beth-shemesh, each with its pasturelands: nine towns taken from these two tribes.

From the territory of Benjamin, there were four towns: Gibeon and Geba with their pasturelands,

Anathoth and Almon with theirs.

The towns of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen towns in all, with their pasturelands.

Some towns from the territory of Ephraim were given to the other families of the Levite clan of Kohath:

the city of refuge, Shechem, with its pasturelands, in the hill country of Ephraim, together with Gezer,

Kibzaim and Beth-horon, each with its pasturelands: four towns.

From the territory of Dan, Elteke, Gibbethon,

Aijalon and Gibbethon with their pasturelands: four towns.

From the territory of half the tribe of Manasseh, they were given two towns, Taanach and Gath-Rimmon, with their pasturelands.

In all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the families of the clan of Kohath.

To the Levite clan of Gershon were given the city of refuge Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, each with its pasturelands: two towns, both from the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

From the territory of Issachar, four towns: Kishion, Daberath,

Jarmuth, and Engannin, each with its pasturelands.

From the territory of Asher, four towns: Mishal, Abdon,

Helkath, and Rehob, each with its pasturelands.

From the territory of Naphtali, three towns: Kadesh, the city of refuge in Galilee, with its pasturelands; Hammath, with its pasturelands; and Karan, with its pasturelands: three cities.

The Gershonites, according to their clans, were given thirteen towns with their pasturelands.

To the clans of Merari, the rest of the Levites were given four towns with their pasturelands from the territory of Zebulun:

Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands: four cities.

From the territory of Reuben, beyond the Jordan, there are four towns: the city of refuge Bezer, Jahaz,

Kedemoth, and Mephaath, each with its pasturelands.

From the tribe of Gad, four towns: the city of refuge Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,

Heshbon, and Jazer, each with pasturelands.

A total of twelve towns were given to the clan of Merari.

The towns thus given to the Levites from the Israelite inheritance were

forty-eight, with their pasturelands. All these towns, as well as the pasturelands around them, were given to the Levites.

So the Lord gave the Israelites all the land he had solemnly promised to give their ancestors. They took possession of it and began to live there.

The Lord gave them peace throughout their land just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of their enemies could stand against them; the Lord gave them victory over all their enemies

and kept all the promises he had made to the people of Israel.