Joshua 20-21

New International Version

Cities of Refuge^(A)

20 Then 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^(B) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.^(C) ⁴When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate^(D) and state their case before the elders^(E) 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^(F) 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^(G) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^(H) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba^(I) (that is, Hebron^(J)) in the hill country of Judah.^(K) ⁸East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer^(L) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead^(M) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan^(N) in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally^(O) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.^(P)

Towns for the Levites^(Q)

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^(R) ²at Shiloh^(S) in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns^(T) to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”^(U) 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,^(V) 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.^(W) ⁵The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.^(X)

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

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

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^(AE) (that is, Hebron^(AF)), 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.^(AG)

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge^(AH) for one accused of murder), Libnah,^(AI) ¹⁴Jattir,^(AJ) Eshtemoa,^(AK) ¹⁵Holon,^(AL) Debir,^(AM) ¹⁶Ain,^(AN) Juttah^(AO) and Beth Shemesh,^(AP) together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

¹⁷And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon,^(AQ) Geba,^(AR) ¹⁸Anathoth^(AS) and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

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

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^(AV) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,^(AW) ²²Kibzaim and Beth Horon,^(AX) together with their pasturelands—four towns.^(AY)

²³Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,^(AZ) ²⁴Aijalon^(BA) and Gath Rimmon,^(BB) together with their pasturelands—four towns.

²⁵From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach^(BC) 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.^(BD)

²⁷The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan^(BE) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder^(BF)) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

²⁸from the tribe of Issachar,^(BG)

Kishion,^(BH) Daberath,^(BI) ²⁹Jarmuth^(BJ) and En Gannim,^(BK) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁰from the tribe of Asher,^(BL)

Mishal,^(BM) Abdon,^(BN) ³¹Helkath and Rehob,^(BO) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³²from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh^(BP) in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder^(BQ)), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

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

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

from the tribe of Zebulun,^(BS)

Jokneam,^(BT) Kartah, ³⁵Dimnah and Nahalal,^(BU) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁶from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer,^(BV) Jahaz,^(BW) ³⁷Kedemoth and Mephaath,^(BX) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁸from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth^(BY) in Gilead^(BZ) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,^(CA) ³⁹Heshbon and Jazer,^(CB) 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.^(CC)

⁴¹The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.^(CD) 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,^(CE) and they took possession^(CF) of it and settled there.^(CG) ⁴⁴The Lord gave them rest^(CH) on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies^(CI) withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies^(CJ) into their hands.^(CK) ⁴⁵Not one of all the Lord’s good promises^(CL) to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.