Towns for the Levites
1
Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest,
Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal famlies of Israel
2
at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, "The LORD commanded through
Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock."
3
So, as the LORD had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites
the following towns and paturelands out of their own inheritance:
4
The first lot came out for the Kohathites, clan by clan.
The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted
thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
5
The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from
the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.
6
The descendants were alloted thirteen towns from the clans of
the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribes of Manasseh in Bashan.
7
The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve towns from the tribes
of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.
8
So the Isarelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands,
as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
9
From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name
10
When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan,
the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built
an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
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And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border
of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,
12
But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh
as his possession.
13
So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they have Hebron (a city of refuge for
one accused of murder), Libnah,
14
Jattir, Eshtemoa,
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Holon, Debir,
16
Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands -
nine towns from these two tribes.
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And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba,
18
Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands - four towns.
19
All the towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen,
together with their pasturelands.
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The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted
towns from the tribe of Ephraim:
21
In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge
for one accused of murder) and Gezer,
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Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands - four towns,
23
Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
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Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands - four towns.
25
From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon,
together with their pasturelands - two towns.
26
All these ten towns and their pastruelands were given
to the rest of the Kohahthite clans.
27
The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: from the half-tribe of
Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder)
and Be Eshtarah, together with their paturelands - two towns;
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from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath,
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Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands - four towns.
30
from the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon,
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Helkath and Rehob together with their pasturelands - four towns.
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from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused
of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands - three towns.
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All the towns of the Gershonite clans were thirteen, together with their pasturelands.
34
The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites were given:
from th tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah,
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Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands - four towns.
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from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,
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Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands - four towns.
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from the tribe ofgad, Ramoth in Gilead
(a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,
39
Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands - four towns in all.
40
All the towns allotted to the Merarite clans,
who were the rest of the Levites, were twelve.
41
The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites
were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.
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Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it;
this was true for all these towns.
43
So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefaters,
and they took possession of it and settled there.
44
The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to
their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them;
the LORD handed all their enemies over to them.
45
Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed;
every one was fulfilled.
