Old/New Testament

19 The second allotment went to the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan, and its inheritance lay within the lands of the people of Judah. ² Simeon had for its inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, ³ Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, ⁶ Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—13 cities with their surrounding villages; ⁷ also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four towns with their surrounding villages; ⁸ also all the villages surrounding these towns as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan. ⁹ The inheritance of the people of Simeon was taken from the people of Judah because the allotment of the people of Judah was too large for them. So the tribe of Simeon received an inheritance within Judah’s inheritance.

¹⁰ The third lot fell to the people of Zebulun, clan by clan. The boundary of its inheritance stretched as far as Sarid, ¹¹ then it climbed up westward to Maralah and brushed Dabbesheth, then on to the wadi that is east of Jokneam. ¹² From Sarid it turned in the other direction eastward toward the sunrise to the frontier of Chisloth-tabor; and from there it went to Daberath, then up to Japhia. ¹³ From there it went eastward to Gath-hepher, then Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon, it curved toward Neah. ¹⁴ Then on the north, the boundary curved toward Hannathon and ended at the valley of Iphtahel ¹⁵ with Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—12 cities with their surrounding villages. ¹⁶ This, then, was the land granted to the people of Zebulun, clan by clan: these cities with their surrounding villages.

¹⁷ The fourth lot went to the people of Issachar, clan by clan. ¹⁸ The territory that they inherited included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez. ²² The boundary extended up to Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan—16 cities with their surrounding villages. ²³ This, then, was the land granted to the tribe of the Issacharites, clan by clan: these cities with their surrounding villages.

²⁴ The fifth lot was drawn for the tribe of the Asherites, clan by clan. ²⁵ The boundary of its inheritance included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. It reached Carmel on the west and the brook Shihor-libnath, ²⁷ then it turned eastward toward Beth-dagon and brushed Zebulun and the valley of Iphtahel north to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it continued on north passing by Cabul on the left, ²⁸ to Ebron,^[a] Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as Sidon the Great. ²⁹ The border turned to Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre. Then it turned to Hosah and ended at the sea near the region of Achzib; ³⁰ also, Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—22 cities with their surrounding villages. ³¹ This, then, was the land allotted to the tribe of the Asherites, clan by clan: these cities and their surrounding villages.

³² The sixth lot was drawn for the people of the Naphtalites, clan by clan; ³³ and its boundary ran from Heleph and the oak in Zaanannim, with Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; it ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ The western boundary ran from Heleph to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, brushing the inheritance of Zebulun to the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan. ³⁵ The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, ³⁸ Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—19 cities in all with their surrounding villages. ³⁹ This, then, was the land granted to the tribe of the Naphtalites, clan by clan: these cities with their surrounding villages.

⁴⁰ The seventh lot fell to the tribe of the Danites, clan by clan; ⁴¹ and the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ and Me-jarkon and Rakkon on the border opposite Joppa. ⁴⁷ The people of Dan had a difficult time subduing their allotted territory so they went up and attacked Leshem, and when they had captured it and killed its inhabitants, they settled there, renaming Leshem “Dan,” after their ancestor. ⁴⁸ This, then, was the land granted to the tribe of the Danites, clan by clan: these cities with their surrounding villages.

⁴⁹ When at last they had finished distributing the territories of the land as inheritances, the Israelites gave Joshua, son of Nun, a special inheritance among them. ⁵⁰ As the Eternal had commanded, they gave Joshua the town he had asked for, Timnath-serah in the highlands of Ephraim. So he built a city and settled there.

⁵¹ These, then, are the inheritances that the priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the heads of the leaders of the Israelite tribes distributed by drawing lots at Shiloh. All this was done in the presence of the Eternal at the entrance of the congregation tent. And the division of the land was complete.

20 Then the Eternal One spoke to Joshua.

⁷ So they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee (in the hill country of Naphtali), Shechem (in the hill country of Ephraim), and Kiriath-arba (Hebron, in the hill country of Judah). ⁸ Beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer (in the desert plateau from the tribe of Reuben), Ramoth in Gilead (from the tribe of Gad), and Golan in Bashan (from the tribe of Manasseh). ⁹ These, then, were the cities set aside to be sanctuaries for all the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who killed a person accidentally could flee there and not die at the hands of someone seeking blood revenge until there was a trial before the congregation.

21 It was at this time that the heads of the leaders of the Levites came before the priest Eleazar and Joshua, son of Nun, and the other leaders of the tribes of the Israelites ² at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

³ So in obedience to the Eternal’s command, the Israelites allotted to the Levites towns with their surrounding pasturelands, from out of their inheritances, ⁴ and lots were drawn for the clans of the descendants of Kohath. To those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest went 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The other descendants of Kohath were given 10 towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. ⁶ The descendants of Gershon were allotted 13 towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that lived in Bashan. ⁷ The descendants of Merari and their clans were granted 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁸ This, then, was the land granted by drawing lots for the Levites, by the other people of Israel as the Eternal had commanded through Moses—these towns with their surrounding pastures. ⁹ From the tribes of the Judahites and the Simeonites came the following towns mentioned by name, ¹⁰ which were granted to the descendants of Aaron, of the clans of the descendants of Kohath who were Levites, since they were chosen first: ¹¹ the city of Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the highlands of Judah, as well as the pasturelands around it. ¹² The fields and villages of the town had already been granted to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, for his inheritance.

^13-16 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for a slayer, and Libnah; Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, all with their villages—9 cities with their pastures given by these two tribes.

^17-19 These cities were given by the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, all with their villages—4 cities. So the cities granted to the descendants of Aaron—the priests—totaled 13, with their pastures and their villages.

^20-22 As for the remaining clans of the people of Kohath of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were given by the tribe of Ephraim: Shechem (the city of refuge in the highlands of Ephraim) Gezer, Kibzaim, and Beth-horon, all with their villages—4 cities with their pastures. ^23-24 Out of the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon, all with their pasturelands—4 cities. ²⁵ And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach with its villages and Gath-rimmon with its villages and their pastures—2 cities. ²⁶ So the cities given to the clans of the rest of the Kohathites totaled 10, with their pasturelands.

²⁷ The Gershonites, another of the clans of the Levites, received from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (the city of refuge), with its villages and pastures, and Beeshterah with its villages and pastures—2 cities. ^28-29 From the tribe of Issachar they received Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En-gannim, all with their villages—4 cities.

^30-31 From the tribe of Asher came Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob, all with their villages and pastures—4 cities. ³² From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (the city of refuge), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan, all with their villages and their pastures—3 cities. ³³ In all, the cities granted to the clans of the Gershonites totaled 13, along with their villages and their pastures.

^34-35 The rest of the Levites—the clans of the Merarites—received from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, all with their villages and pastures—4 cities. ^36-37 From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath, all with their villages and their pastures—4 cities. ^38-39 From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead (the city of refuge), Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, all with their villages and their pastures—4 cities in all. ⁴⁰ So the cities of the Merarite clans, that is, the remaining clans of Levi, totaled 12. ⁴¹ The Levites were granted 48 cities, each with villages around them and the pasturelands, within the holdings of the Israelites. ⁴² So it was that they received these cities, their villages, and their pastures.

⁴³ That is how the Eternal gave to the people of Israel all the land He had promised to their ancestors; and when they had taken possession of the land, the Israelites settled upon it. ⁴⁴ So He gave them rest from war on every side as He had sworn to their ancestors; none of their enemies still stood against them, for the Eternal had delivered them all into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not a single one of all the good promises that He had made to the house of Israel went unfulfilled; all of them came to pass.

²⁵ While fulfilling these sacred obligations at the temple, they encountered a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a just and pious man, anticipating the liberation of Israel from her troubles. He was a man in touch with the Holy Spirit. ²⁶ The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Anointed One. ²⁷ The Spirit had led him to the temple that day, and there he saw the child Jesus in the arms of His parents, who were fulfilling their sacred obligations. ²⁸ Simeon took Jesus into his arms and blessed God.

³³ His father and mother were stunned to hear Simeon say these things. ³⁴ Simeon went on to bless them both, and to Mary in particular he gave predictions.

³⁶ At that very moment, an elderly woman named Anna stepped forward. Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for seven years before her husband died ³⁷ and a widow to her current age of 84 years. She was deeply devoted to the Lord, constantly in the temple, fasting and praying. ³⁸ When she approached Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, she began speaking out thanks to God, and she continued spreading the word about Jesus to all those who shared her hope for the rescue of Jerusalem.

³⁹ After fulfilling their sacred duties according to the law of the Lord, Mary and Joseph returned with Jesus to their own city of Nazareth in the province of Galilee. ⁴⁰ There Jesus grew up, maturing in physical strength and increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God rested on Him.

⁴¹ Every year during Jesus’ childhood, His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. ⁴² When Jesus was 12, He made the journey with them. ⁴³ They spent several days there, participating in the whole celebration. When His parents left for home, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, but Joseph and Mary were not aware. ⁴⁴ They assumed Jesus was elsewhere in the caravan that was traveling together. After they had already traveled a full day’s journey toward home, they began searching for Him among their friends and relatives. ⁴⁵ When no one had seen the boy, Mary and Joseph rushed back to Jerusalem and searched for Him.

⁴⁶ After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers. ⁴⁷ Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom.

⁴⁸ His parents, of course, had a different reaction.

⁵⁰ Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this. ⁵¹ Jesus went back to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother continued to store these memories like treasures in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.