Joshua 21

¹Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.

⁵¹These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

⁴They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the Lord.

¹⁷“These are the names of the men who are to assign the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun.

¹⁸Appoint one leader from each tribe to distribute the land.

¹⁴These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

²⁵Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families by their clans.

¹Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,

²“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

³The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

⁶Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.

¹⁷Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

¹⁸For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”

⁹The special portion you set apart to the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide.

¹⁰This will be the holy portion for the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side, 10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center will be the sanctuary of the Lord.

¹⁰Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

⁷Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

⁸Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.

⁹He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.

⁵⁴Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.

³³Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

⁵⁴Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.

⁸So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name

²⁰The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities: From the tribe of Ephraim

²¹they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,

¹⁸The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹⁹The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

⁶¹To the rest of the Kohathites, ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁶⁶And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:

⁶⁷They were given Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer,

²⁷From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.

¹⁶These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

¹⁷The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

²⁷This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁸From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath,

¹⁶These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

¹⁷The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

⁷¹The Gershomites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.

⁷²From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath,

²¹From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.

²²The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.

⁶²The Gershomites, according to their clans, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.

³⁴This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah,

³⁵Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities, together with their pasturelands.

⁶³The Merarites, according to their clans, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

¹⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites according to their records.

⁷⁷The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.

⁷⁸From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah,

²⁰And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

³So by the command of the Lord, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

³³The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

⁶When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God.

²So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,

¹⁸Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents.

³The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.

⁶⁵They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,

¹⁴Jattir, Eshtemoa,

⁴The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

²⁰And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

²¹The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

¹⁹The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²“Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families,

²These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

³These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.

³⁹In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,

¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.

²Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the Lord said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”

⁵⁴Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along with their villages.

²⁷Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

²She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.

¹³Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.

¹⁴Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁵⁵They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.

⁵⁶But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

⁴²Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

⁵⁴Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along with their villages.

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.

²⁹Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.

⁵⁶But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,

⁸When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

⁵⁰Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

⁴⁸These were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

²⁷He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;

²⁸to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;

⁵¹Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven cities, along with their villages.

⁴⁹Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),

¹³the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

⁵⁸Hilen, Debir,

⁵⁵Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

⁵⁹Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

¹⁰The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah.

⁹but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the Lord who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”

⁴²Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

¹²And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

³But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

²⁴Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.

²⁵Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.

²⁶Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

¹These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

³⁰Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!

⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.

⁶⁶And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:

⁵The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

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.

¹⁰But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.

¹⁵This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the Lord, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

¹⁶Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

¹Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

¹⁹And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.

¹Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother,

³Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.

¹³From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.

¹⁴On the west side the border curved southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the western side.

⁶⁸Jokmeam, Beth-horon,

⁵This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon

⁴⁴Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

⁴⁵Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

⁴²Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

¹²On the day that the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

⁶⁹Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon, together with their pasturelands.

¹¹Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.

¹⁹Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.

⁷¹The Gershomites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.

⁴This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

⁸And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁴³Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

⁷²From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath,

⁷³Ramoth, and Anem, together with their pasturelands.

¹²From Sarid it turned eastward along the border of Chisloth-tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia.

²³So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

³Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,

¹¹the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

⁷⁴From the tribe of Asher they were given Mashal, Abdon,

⁷⁵Hukok, and Rehob, together with their pasturelands.

²⁵Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

²⁶Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath,

⁷⁵Hukok, and Rehob, together with their pasturelands.

²¹Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

³¹Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.

⁷⁶And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

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.

³⁷Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

³⁵The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

⁷⁷The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.

⁷And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

¹¹It went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.

²²the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

¹⁵It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.

⁸And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁴³Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

¹⁸Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

⁷⁸From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah,

⁷⁹Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands.

²³But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.

²When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.

²⁴Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

⁴³Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

³who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”

³²Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.

⁸And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

¹⁷to Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,

²¹all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.

⁸¹Heshbon, and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

³⁷The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

⁸For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.

⁹So I weep with Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest.

³“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

¹Again the Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:

²“Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.

¹⁰He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

⁷Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

¹⁵for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

⁴And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

⁴²Their enemies oppressed them and subdued them under their hand.

⁴³Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.

²⁷I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

²⁸I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

³For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.

¹³Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

¹⁴But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

²³So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.

³The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.

⁴And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.

⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

²²The Lord your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would multiply around you.

²³But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.

³¹And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

⁴And now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you across the Jordan.

⁵⁶“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses.

¹⁴Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.

¹⁵But just as every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come to pass, likewise the Lord will bring upon you the calamity He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you.

¹⁹God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

²⁴The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

⁹God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

¹⁸Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.