Old/New Testament

Chapter 19

The Tribe of Simeon.^{[a] 1} The second lot chosen was for Simeon, the tribe of the Simeonites, divided according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the inheritance of the Judahites. ² Their inheritance included: Beer-sheba (that is, Sheba), Moladah, ³ Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, ⁶ Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen. There were thirteen of these cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ⁷ There were also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. There were four of these cities, along with the towns dependent upon them. ⁸ There were also all of the villages around these cities up to Baalath-beer (that is, Ramoth-negeb). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, divided according to its clans. ⁹ The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the portion allotted to the Judahites, for Judah’s portion was too large for what they needed. Therefore, the Simeonites received their portion inside of their inheritance.

¹⁰ The Tribe of Zebulun. The third lot chosen was for the Zebulunites, divided according to its clans. The boundary of their inheritance extended to Sarid. ¹¹ It ran westward to Mareal up to Dabbesheth, extending up to the river in front of Jokneam. ¹² Going eastward from Sarid, in the direction of the sunrise, it ran to the territory of Chisloth-tabor and then went on to Daberath, arriving in Japhia. ¹³ From there it continued eastward to Gath-hepher and Eth-kazim. It went out to Rimmon and turned toward Neah. ¹⁴ There the boundary went around the north side of Hannathon, ending in the Valley of Iphtahel. ¹⁵ It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ¹⁶ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the Zebulunites, divided according to its clans.

¹⁷ The Tribe of Issachar. The fourth lot chosen was for the Issacharites, divided according to its clans. ¹⁸ Within their boundaries were: Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. ²² The boundary passed Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ²³ These cities and these villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, divided according to its clans.

²⁴ The Tribe of Asher. The fifth lot chosen was for the Asherites. ²⁵ Within their boundaries were: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On its western side the boundary passed Carmel and Shihor-libnath. ²⁷ It turned toward the sunrise, passing Beth-dagon, arriving at Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel. From there it went north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing by Cabul on the left. ²⁸ It ran on to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, extending to Greater Sidon. ²⁹ The boundary then turned toward Ramah, and ran to the fortified city of Tyre. It turned toward Hosah, ending at the sea in the area around Achzib. ³⁰ It included Ummah, Acco, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ³¹ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, divided according to its clans.

³² The Tribe of Naphtali. The sixth lot chosen was for the Naphtalites, divided according to its clans. ³³ Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree at Zaanannim to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ To the west it went through Aznoth-tabor, arriving at Hukkok. It passed Zebulun on its southern side, Asher on its western side, and the Jordan in the direction of the sunrise. ³⁵ Its fortified cities included: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, ³⁸ Yiron, Migdalel, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ³⁹ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, divided according to its clans.

⁴⁰ The Tribe of Dan. The seventh lot chosen was for the Danites, divided according to its clans. ⁴¹ Within the boundaries of their inheritance were: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekoh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, along with the area in front of Joppa. ⁴⁷ (But the territory of the Danites was outside of this area. The Danites went up to fight against Leshem. They conquered it and put it to the sword. They took possession of it and dwelt there. They renamed Leshem Dan after the name of Dan, their forefather.) ⁴⁸ These were the cities and the villages of the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, divided according to its clans.

^49 [b]When they finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave an inheritance among themselves to Joshua, the son of Nun ⁵⁰ as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the city he had requested: Timnah-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built a city and settled there.

⁵¹ These are the inheritances that were divided up by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting by Eleazar, the priest, by Joshua, the son of Nun, and by the leaders of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites. This concluded the process of dividing up the land.

Chapter 20

The Cities of Refuge.^{[c] 1} The Lord then said to Joshua, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Choose refuge cities for yourselves, just as I told you to do through Moses. ³ This way anyone who kills another accidentally or unintentionally can flee there and take refuge from the relative who seeks blood vengeance. ⁴ When he flees to one of those cities, he is to stand at the entrance to the city gate and state his case in the hearing of the elders of the city. They will then let him enter the city, and they are to give him a place where he can live with them. ⁵ If the relative who seeks blood vengeance pursues him, they are not to surrender the man who killed another into his hands, for he killed his neighbor unintentionally and he had not previously shown him any enmity. ⁶ He will continue to live in that city until he stands trial before the assembly, and until the death of the high priest who is then in office. At that point the man who killed another can go back to his own city, to his home, to the city from which he had fled.’ ”

⁷ So they set apart Kadesh 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. ⁸ On the other side of the Jordan, to the east of Jericho, they set aside Bezer in the wilderness upon the plateau of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead among the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan among the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These cities were designated so that any Israelite or foreigner who lived among them and who accidentally killed another person might flee there, so that he would not be killed by the relative who seeks blood vengeance before he could stand trial before the assembly.

Chapter 21

The Levitical Cities. ¹ Now the leaders of the ancestral clans of the Levites came to Eleazar, the priest, Joshua, the son of Nun, and the leaders of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites ² at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and they said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us cities in which we can live and have pastures for our cattle.”^{[d] 3} So the Israelites gave the Levites cities and pastures out of their own inheritance as the Lord had commanded. ⁴ The first lot chosen was for the Kohathites, divided according to its families. Now the Levites were the descendants of Aaron the priest, and they were allotted thirteen cities out of the inheritance of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of the descendants of Kohath were allotted ten cities from the inheritance of the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh. ⁶ The descendants of Gershom were allotted thirteen cities from the inheritance of the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh that was living in Bashan. ⁷ The descendants of Merari, divided according to its families, were allotted twelve cities from the inheritance of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁸ This is how the Israelites gave the Levites their cities with their pastures, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹ These are the names of the cities that were given from the tribe of the Judahites and the tribe of the Simeonites. ¹⁰ (These cities were given to the descendants of Aaron who came from the Kohathite clan because their lot was the first chosen.) ¹¹ They were given Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the forefather of Anak) and its surrounding pastures in the hill country of Judah, ¹² but the fields belonging to the city and the towns surrounding it had already been given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as his possession. ¹³ So the descendants of Aaron the priest were given Hebron (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another person) and its pastures, Libnah and its pastures, ¹⁴ Jattir and its pastures, Eshtemoa and its pastures, ¹⁵ Holon and its pastures, Debir and its pastures, ¹⁶ Ain and its pastures, Juttah and its pastures, and Beth-shemesh and its pastures. Thus, there were nine cities from those two tribes. ¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon and its pastures, Geba and its pastures, ¹⁸ Anathoth and its pastures, and Almon and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ¹⁹ In total, there were thirteen cities with their pastures for the descendants of Aaron the priest.

²⁰ Cities of the Other Kohathites. As for the rest of the Kohathite families of the Levites, these Kohathites were allotted cities out of the inheritance of Ephraim. ²¹ In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another person) and its pastures, Gezer and its pastures, ²² Kibzaim with its pastures, and Beth-horon with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ²³ From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke and its pastures, Gibbethon and its pastures, ²⁴ Aijalon with its pastures, and Gath-rimmon with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities.

²⁵ From one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach with its pastures, and Gath-rimmon with its pastures. Thus, there were two cities. ²⁶ In total, there were ten cities with their pastures that were given to the rest of the Kohathites.

²⁷ The Cities of the Gershonites. The Levite’s clans of the Gershonites were given from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, and Ashtaroth and its pastures. Thus, there were two cities. ²⁸ From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion and its pastures, Daberath and its pastures, ²⁹ Jarmuth and its pastures, and En-gannim and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁰ From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal with its pastures, Abdon with its pastures, ³¹ Helkath with its pastures, and Rehob with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³² From the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, Hammath and its pastures, and Kartan and its pastures. Thus, there were three cities. ³³ In total, there were thirteen cities with their pastures for the Gershonite families.

³⁴ The Cities of the Merarites. The Merarite families (the rest of the Levites) were given from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pastures, Kartah with its pastures, ³⁵ Dimnah with its pastures, and Nahalal with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁶ From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer with its pastures, Jahaz with its pastures, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its pastures, and Mephaath and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁸ From the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, Mahanaim and its pastures, ³⁹ Heshbon and its pastures, and Jazer with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ⁴⁰ In total, there were twelve cities allotted to the families of the Merarites (the rest of the Levites).

⁴¹ In all, there were forty-eight cities together with their pastures for the Levites within the land in the possession of the Israelites. ⁴² Each of these cities has pastures surrounding it; this was true of all of the cities.

^43 [e]Thus the Lord gave Israel the entire land that he had promised to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and dwelt there. ⁴⁴ The Lord then gave them rest on every side, just as he had promised their fathers. Not one of their enemies could stand up to them. The Lord had delivered all of their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ None of the good things that the Lord had promised to the house of Israel failed to take place. It all came true.

²⁵ The Prophecy of Simeon. At that time, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This upright and devout man was awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not experience death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

²⁷ Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was required by the Law, ²⁸ he took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

³³ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: “This child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, ³⁵ so that the secret thoughts of many will be revealed, and you yourself a sword will pierce.”

³⁶ The Witness of Anna. There was also present a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in years, having lived with her husband for seven years after their marriage, ³⁷ and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ At that moment, she came forward and began to praise God, while she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

³⁹ The Return to Nazareth. When they had fulfilled everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was upon him.

⁴¹ The Boy Jesus in the Temple.^[a] Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. ⁴² And when Jesus was twelve years old, they made the journey as usual for the feast. ⁴³ When the days of the feast were over and they set off for home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents were not aware of this. ⁴⁴ Assuming that he was somewhere in the group of travelers, they journeyed for a day. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends, ⁴⁵ but when they failed to find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, where he was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and his answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you with great anxiety.” ⁴⁹ Jesus said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not comprehend what he said to them.

⁵¹ Jesus Grows in Wisdom and Grace. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he was obedient to them. His mother pondered all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in age and in grace with God and men.