Joshua 20:1-21:45

Cities of Refuge 1Then the LORD said to Joshua: 2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. 4When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. 5If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.

6They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.” 7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. 9Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

Towns for the Levites 1Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel 2at 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.”

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, 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.

5The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

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

7The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

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 (that is, Hebron), 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. 13So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, 14Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15Holon, Debir,

16Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes. 17And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them: Gibeon, Geba,

18Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

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

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 (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,

22Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns. 23Also from the tribe of Dan they received: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,

24Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

25From half the tribe of Manasseh they received: Taanach 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.

27The 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 Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

28from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath,

29Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

30from the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon,

31Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

32from 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.

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

34The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah,

35Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

36from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,

37Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

38from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,

39Heshbon and Jazer, 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. 41The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.

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, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. 45Not one of all the LORD ’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.