Chronological Plan

¹The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of his descendants by their clans, but their inheritance was within the inheritance given to Judah’s descendants.

²Their inheritance included Beer-sheba (or Sheba ), Moladah,

³Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

⁴Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

⁵Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

⁶Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen — thirteen cities, with their settlements;

⁷Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan — four cities, with their settlements;

⁸and all the settlements surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah in the south ). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon’s descendants by their clans.

⁹The inheritance of Simeon’s descendants was within the territory of Judah’s descendants, because the share for Judah’s descendants was too large. So Simeon’s descendants received an inheritance within Judah’s portion.

¹⁰The third lot came up for Zebulun’s descendants by their clans. The territory of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid;

¹¹their border went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.

¹²From Sarid, it turned due east along the border of Chisloth-tabor, went to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

¹³From there, it went due east to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon, curving around to Neah.

¹⁴The border then circled around Neah on the north to Hannathon and ended at Iphtah-el Valley,

¹⁵along with Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem — twelve cities, with their settlements.

¹⁶This was the inheritance of Zebulun’s descendants by their clans, these cities, with their settlements.

¹⁷The fourth lot came out for the tribe of Issachar’s descendants by their clans.

¹⁸Their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem,

¹⁹Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

²⁰Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

²¹Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez.

²²The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan — sixteen cities, with their settlements.

²³This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar’s descendants by their clans, the cities, with their settlements.

²⁴The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher’s descendants by their clans.

²⁵Their boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

²⁶Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal and reached westward to Carmel and Shihor-libnath.

²⁷It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, reached Zebulun and Iphtah-el Valley, north toward Beth-emek and Neiel, and went north to Cabul,

²⁸Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as greater Sidon.

²⁹The boundary then turned to Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre; it turned back to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea, including Mahalab, Achzib,

³⁰Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob — twenty-two cities, with their settlements.

³¹This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher’s descendants by their clans, these cities with their settlements.

³²The sixth lot came out for Naphtali’s descendants by their clans.

³³Their boundary went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.

³⁴To the west, the boundary turned to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east.

³⁵The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

³⁶Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

³⁷Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

³⁸Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh — nineteen cities, with their settlements.

³⁹This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali’s descendants by their clans, the cities with their settlements.

⁴⁰The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan’s descendants by their clans.

⁴¹The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

⁴²Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

⁴³Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

⁴⁴Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

⁴⁵Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

⁴⁶Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa.

⁴⁷When the territory of the descendants of Dan slipped out of their control, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and struck it down with the sword. So they took possession of it, lived there, and renamed Leshem after their ancestor Dan.

⁴⁸This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan’s descendants by their clans, these cities with their settlements.

⁴⁹When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them.

⁵⁰By the LORD’s command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.

⁵¹These were the portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the LORD’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Joshua,

²“Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

³so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁴When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.

⁵And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.

⁶He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”

⁷So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

⁸Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.

⁹These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.

¹The Levite family heads approached the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes.

²At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.”

³So the Israelites, by the LORD’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance.

⁴The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of the priest Aaron received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁵The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

⁶Gershon’s descendants received thirteen cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷Merari’s descendants received twelve cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸The Israelites gave these cities with their pasturelands around them to the Levites by lot, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

⁹The Israelites gave these cities by name from the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon

¹⁰to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because they received the first lot.

¹¹They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the father of Anak) with its surrounding pasturelands in the hill country of Judah.

¹²But they gave the fields and settlements of the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

¹³They gave to the descendants of the priest Aaron: Hebron, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,

¹⁴Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,

¹⁵Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,

¹⁶Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands — nine cities from these two tribes.

¹⁷From the tribe of Benjamin they gave: Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,

¹⁸Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands — four cities.

¹⁹All thirteen cities with their pasturelands were for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

²⁰The allotted cities to the remaining clans of Kohath’s descendants, who were Levites, came from the tribe of Ephraim.

²¹The Israelites gave them: Shechem, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,

²²Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth-horon with its pasturelands — four cities.

²³From the tribe of Dan they gave: Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,

²⁴Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands — four cities.

²⁵From half the tribe of Manasseh they gave: Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands — two cities.

²⁶All ten cities with their pasturelands were for the clans of Kohath’s other descendants.

²⁷From half the tribe of Manasseh, they gave to the descendants of Gershon, who were one of the Levite clans: Golan, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in Bashan, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands — two cities.

²⁸From the tribe of Issachar they gave: Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,

²⁹Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En-gannim with its pasturelands — four cities.

³⁰From the tribe of Asher they gave: Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,

³¹Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands — four cities.

³²From the tribe of Naphtali they gave: Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands — three cities.

³³All thirteen cities with their pasturelands were for the Gershonites by their clans.

³⁴From the tribe of Zebulun, they gave to the clans of the descendants of Merari, who were the remaining Levites: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,

³⁵Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands — four cities.

³⁶From the tribe of Reuben they gave: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahzah with its pasturelands,

³⁷Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands — four cities.

³⁸From the tribe of Gad they gave: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

³⁹Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands — four cities in all.

⁴⁰All twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari’s descendants, the remaining Levite clans.

⁴¹Within the Israelite possession there were forty-eight cities in all with their pasturelands for the Levites.

⁴²Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.

⁴³So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there.

⁴⁴The LORD gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the LORD handed over all their enemies to them.

⁴⁵None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.