Read the Bible

¹ Then the family heads of the Levites came to Eleazar the religious leader, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the family groups of Israel. ² They said to them at Shiloh in Canaan, "The Lord said through Moses to give us cities to live in, as well as fields around them for our cattle." ³ So the sons of Israel gave these cities and fields of their land to the Levites, as the Lord had said. ⁴ The name drawn first was for the families of the Kohathites. The Levites who were children of Aaron the religious leader received thirteen cities from the families of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of the sons of Kohath by drawing names received ten cities from the families of Ephraim and Dan and the half-family group of Manasseh. ⁶ The sons of Gershon by drawing names received thirteen cities from the families of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-family group of Manasseh in Bashan. ⁷ The sons of Merari received twelve cities from the families of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. ⁸ The sons of Israel by drawing names gave these cities with their fields to the Levites, as the Lord had said through Moses.

⁹ They gave from the families of Judah and Simeon the cities given here by name. ¹⁰ They were for the sons of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi. For their name was drawn first. ¹¹ They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) with the fields around it in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹² But the city's fields and towns had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his own.

¹³ So to the sons of Aaron the religious leader they gave Hebron and Libnah with their fields. Hebron was the city where one who killed a man could go to be safe. ¹⁴ And they gave them Jattir with its fields, Eshtemoa with its fields, ¹⁵ Holon with its fields, Debir with its fields, ¹⁶ Ain with its fields, Juttah with its fields, and Bethshemesh with its fields. There were nine cities from these two family groups. ¹⁷ From the family of Benjamin were given Gibeon with its fields, Geba with its fields, ¹⁸ Anathoth with its fields, and Almon with its fields, four cities. ¹⁹ For the sons of Aaron, the religious leaders, there were thirteen cities in all, with their fields.

²⁰ Then cities from the family of Ephraim were given to the rest of the families of the people of Kohath, the Levites. ²¹ They gave them Shechem with its fields in the hill country of Ephraim. A man who killed another person could run to Shechem to be safe. And they gave them Gezer with its fields, ²² Kibzaim with its fields, and Beth-horon with its fields, four cities. ²³ From the family of Dan were given Eletke with its fields, Gibbethon with its fields, ²⁴ Aijalon with its fields, and Gath-rimmon with its fields, four cities. ²⁵ From the half-family group of Manasseh were given Taanach with its fields, and Gathrimmon with its fields, two cities. ²⁶ There were ten cities in all, with their fields, for the rest of the families of the Kohathites.

²⁷ From the half-family group of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan and Be-eshterah and their fields to the sons of Gershon, one of the Levite families. A man who killed another person could run to Golan in Bashan to be safe. They were given two cities. ²⁸ From the family of Issachar were given Kishion with its fields, Daberath with its fields, ²⁹ Jarmuth with its fields, and Engannim with its fields, four cities. ³⁰ From the family of Asher were given Mishal with its fields, Abdon with its fields, ³¹ Helkath with its fields, and Rehob with its fields, four cities. ³² From the family of Naphtali were given Kedesh in Galilee with its fields, Hammoth-dor with its fields, and Kartan with its fields, three cities. A man who killed another man could run to Kedesh to be safe. ³³ The cities for the families of the Gershonites were thirteen in all, with their fields.

³⁴ They gave cities to the families of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the family of Zebulun. They gave them Jokneam with its fields, Kartah with its fields, ³⁵ Dimnah with its fields, and Nahalal with its fields, four cities. ³⁶ From the family of Reuben were given Bezer with its fields, Jahaz with its fields, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its fields, and Mephaath with its fields, four cities. ³⁸ From the family of Gad was given Ramoth in Gilead with its fields. A man who killed another person could run to Ramoth in Gilead to be safe. And they gave them Mahanaim with its fields, ³⁹ Heshbon with its fields, and Jazer with its fields, four cities in all. ⁴⁰ There were twelve cities in all given to the families of the people of Merari, the rest of the families of the Levites.

⁴¹ The cities of the Levites among the land of the people of Israel were forty-eight cities in all, with their fields. ⁴² Each one of these cities had its fields around it. So it was with all these cities.

⁴³ The Lord gave Israel all the land He had promised to give to their fathers. They took it for their own, and lived in it. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them peace on every side, just as He had promised their fathers. Not one of all those who hated them could stand in front of them. The Lord gave all those who hated them into their hand. ⁴⁵ Every good promise which the Lord had made to the people of Israel came true.