Allotment for Simeon^(A)

19 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.^{(B) 2} It included:

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans. ⁹ The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah,^(M) because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.^(N)

Allotment for Zebulun

¹⁰ The third lot came up for Zebulun^(O) according to its clans:

¹⁶ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun,^(Z) according to its clans.^(AA)

Allotment for Issachar

¹⁷ The fourth lot came out for Issachar^(AB) according to its clans. ¹⁸ Their territory included:

²³ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar,^(AI) according to its clans.^(AJ)

Allotment for Asher

²⁴ The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher^(AK) according to its clans. ²⁵ Their territory included:

³¹ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher,^(BD) according to its clans.

Allotment for Naphtali

³² The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:

³⁹ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.^(BQ)

Allotment for Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans. ⁴¹ The territory of their inheritance included:

⁴⁷ (When the territory of the Danites was lost to them,^(BZ) they went up and attacked Leshem^(CA), took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named^(CB) it Dan after their ancestor.)^(CC)

⁴⁸ These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan,^(CD) according to its clans.

Allotment for Joshua

⁴⁹ When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, ⁵⁰ as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah^[d](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.

⁵¹ These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing^(CF) the land.^(CG)

Cities of Refuge^(CH)

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally^(CI) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.^{(CJ) 4} When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate^(CK) and state their case before the elders^(CL) of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. ⁵ If 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. ⁶ They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly^(CM) 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.”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh^(CN) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^(CO) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba^(CP) (that is, Hebron^(CQ)) in the hill country of Judah.^{(CR) 8} East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer^(CS) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead^(CT) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan^(CU) in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally^(CV) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.^(CW)

Towns for the Levites^(CX)

21 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel^{(CY) 2} at Shiloh^(CZ) in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns^(DA) to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”^{(DB) 3} So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴ The first lot came out for the Kohathites,^(DC) 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.^{(DD) 5} The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.^(DE)

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

⁷ The descendants of Merari,^(DI) according to their clans, received twelve^(DJ) towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.^(DK)

⁸ So the Israelites 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 (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):

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

²⁰ The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

²⁶ All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.^(EK)

²⁷ The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

²⁸ from the tribe of Issachar,^(EN)

³⁰ from the tribe of Asher,^(ES)

³² from the tribe of Naphtali,

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

³⁴ The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

³⁶ from the tribe of Reuben,

³⁸ from the tribe of Gad,

⁴⁰ The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.^(FJ)

⁴¹ The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.^{(FK) 42} 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 ancestors,^(FL) and they took possession^(FM) of it and settled there.^{(FN) 44} The Lord gave them rest^(FO) on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies^(FP) withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies^(FQ) into their hands.^{(FR) 45} Not one of all the Lord’s good promises^(FS) to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)

8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.^(B) The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)^(C) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s^(D) household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

⁴ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(E)

⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,^(F) but to others I speak in parables, so that,

¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.^{(H) 12} Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.^{(I) 14} The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches^(J) and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

A Lamp on a Stand

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.^{(K) 17} For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.^{(L) 18} Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”^(M)

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers^(N)

¹⁹ Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers^(O) are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

²¹ He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”^(P)

Jesus Calms the Storm^(Q)(R)

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master,^(S) we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked^(T) the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.^{(U) 25} “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”