Day 64: Joshua 19-21
The Remaining Tribal Inheritances, Joshua’s Inheritance, and the Cities of Refuge
Joshua 19
1 The second lot came out for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was in the middle of the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2 They had for their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), and Moladah, 3 and Hazar Shual, and Balah, and Ezem, 4 and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, 5 and Ziklag, and Beth Marcaboth, and Hazar Susah, 6 and Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages; 7 Ain, Rimmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages; 8 and all the villages that were around the same cities as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9 Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance in the middle of their inheritance.
10 The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance was to Sarid. 11 Their border went up westward, even to Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth; and it reached to the river that is before Jokneam. 12 It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrise to the border of Chisloth Tabor; and it went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia. 13 From there it passed along eastward to Gath Hepher, to Ethkazin; and it went out to Rimmon which reaches to Neah. 14 The border turned around it on the north to Hannathon; and it ended at the valley of Iphtah El; 15 and Kattath, and Nahalal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
17 The fourth lot came out to Issachar, even for the children of Issachar according to their families. 18 Their border was to Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, 19 and Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, 20 and Rabbith, and Kishion, and Ebez, 21 and Remeth, and En Gannim, and En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez. 22 The border reached to Tabor, and Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh; and their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.
23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 25 Their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, 26 and Allammelech, and Amad, and Mishal. It reached to Carmel westward, and to Shihor Libnath. 27 It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah El northward to Beth Emek and Neiel; and it went out to Cabul on the left hand, 28 and Ebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even to great Sidon. 29 The border turned to Ramah, and to the fortified city of Tyre, and the border turned to Hosah; and it ended at the sea by the region of Achzib; 30 Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities with their villages.
31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
32 The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami Nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakkum; and it ended at the Jordan. 34 The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok; and it reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. 41 The border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Irshemesh, 42 and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Ithlah, 43 and Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron, 44 and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, 45 and Jehud, and Bene Berak, and Gath Rimmon, 46 and Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border opposite Joppa. 47 The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived in it, and called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
49 So they finished distributing the land for inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them. 50 According to the commandment of Yahweh, they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim; and he built the city, and lived in it.
51 These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
Joshua 20
1 Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses, 3 that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally and without premeditation may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 “‘He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer up into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before. 6 He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days. Then the manslayer shall return, and come to his own city, and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’”
7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the foreigner who lived among them, that whoever killed any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.
Joshua 21
1 Then the heads of fathers’ households of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers’ households of the tribes of the children of Israel. 2 They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “Yahweh commanded through Moses that we should be given cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for our livestock.”
3 The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their pasture lands.
4 The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. The children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
5 The rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
6 The children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
7 The children of Merari according to their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
8 The children of Israel gave these cities by lot to the Levites, as Yahweh commanded through Moses.
9 They gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are mentioned by name: 10 and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot. 11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, with its pasture lands around it. 12 But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13 To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah with its pasture lands, 14 Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, 15 Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, 16 Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth Shemesh with its pasture lands; nine cities out of those two tribes. 17 Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands, Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands; four cities. 18 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
20 The families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. 21 They gave them Shechem with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its pasture lands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth Horon with its pasture lands; four cities. 23 Out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, 24 Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands; four cities. 25 Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasture lands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands; two cities. 26 All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their pasture lands.
27 To the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be Eshterah with its pasture lands; two cities. 28 Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, En Gannim with its pasture lands; four cities. 30 Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, 31 Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands; four cities. 32 Out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth Dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
34 To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands, and Kartah with its pasture lands, 35 Dimnah with its pasture lands, Nahalal with its pasture lands; four cities. 36 Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands; four cities. 38 Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its pasture lands; four cities in all. 40 All the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. 42 Every one of these cities had its pasture lands around it. It was this way with all these cities.
43 So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it. 44 Yahweh gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not one good promise which Yahweh had made to the house of Israel failed. All came to pass.
Scripture: World English Bible (WEB), public domain.
