Joshua 20–22

Chapter 20

And the Lord spoke to Josue, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them:

²Appoint cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses:

³That whosoever shall kill a person unawares may flee to them, and may escape the wrath of the kinsman, who is the avenger of blood.

⁴And when he shall flee to one of these cities: he shall stand before the gate of the city, and shall speak to the ancients of that city, such things as prove him innocent: and so shall they receive him, and give him a place to dwell in.

⁵And when the avenger of blood shall pursue him, they shall not deliver him into his hands, because he slew his neighbour unawares, and is not proved to have been his enemy two or three days before,

⁶And he shall dwell in that city, till he stand before judgment to give an account of his fact, and till the death of the high priest, who shall be at that time: then shall the manslayer return, and go into his own city and house from whence he fled.

⁷And they appointed Cedes in Galilee of mount Nephtali, and Sichem in mount Ephraim, and Cariath-Arbe, the same is Hebron in the mountain of Juda.

⁸And beyond the Jordan to the east of Jericho, they appointed Bosor, which is upon the plain of the wilderness of the tribe of Ruben, and Ramoth in Galaad of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in Basan of the tribe of Manasses.

⁹These cities were appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the strangers, that dwelt among them, that whosoever had killed a person unawares might flee to them, and not die by the hand of the kinsman, coveting to revenge the blood that was shed, until he should stand before the people to lay open his cause.

Chapter 21

Then the princes of the families of Levi came to Eleazar the priest, and to Josue the son of Nun, and to the princes of the kindreds of all the tribes of the children of Israel

²And they spoke to them in Silo in the land of Chanaan, and said: The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, that cities should be given us to dwell in, and their suburbs to feed our cattle.

³And the children of Israel gave out of their possessions according to the commandment of the Lord, cities and their suburbs.

⁴And the lot came out for the family of Caath of the children of Aaron the priest out of the tribes of Juda, and of Simeon, and of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

⁵And to the rest of the children of Caath, that is, to thee Levites, who remained, out of the tribes of Ephraim, and of Dan, and the half tribe of Manasses, ten cities.

⁶And the lot came out to children of Gerson, that they should take of the tribes of Issachar and of Aser and of Nephtali, and of the half tribe of Manasses in Basan, thirteen cities.

⁷And to the sons of Merari by their kindreds, of the tribes of Ruben and of Gad and of Zabulon, twelve cities.

⁸And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, giving to every one by lot.

⁹Of the tribes of the children of Juda and of Simeon Josue gave cities: whose names are these,

¹⁰To the sons of Aaron, of the families of Caath of the race of Levi (for the first lot came out for them)

¹¹The city of Arbe the father of Enac, which is called Hebron, in the mountain of Juda, and the suburbs thereof round about.

¹²But the fields and the villages thereof he had given to Caleb the son of Jephone for his possession.

¹³He gave therefore to the children of Aaron the priest, Hebron a city of refuge, and the suburbs thereof, and Lebna with the suburbs thereof,

¹⁴And Jether and Estemo,

¹⁵And Holon, and Dabir,

¹⁶And Ain, and Jeta, and Bethsames, with their suburbs: nine cities out of the two tribes, as hath been said.

¹⁷And out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, Gabaon, and Gabae,

¹⁸And Anathoth and Almon, with, their suburbs: four cities.

¹⁹All the cities together of the children of Aaron the priest, were thirteen, with their suburbs,

²⁰And to the rest of the families of the children of Caath of the race of Levi was given this possession.

²¹Of the tribe of Ephraim, Sichem one of the cities of refuge, with the suburbs thereof in mount Ephraim, and Gazer,

²²And Cibsaim, and Beth-horon, with their suburbs, four cities.

²³And of he tribe of Dan, Eltheco and Gabathon,

²⁴And Aialon and Gethremmon, with their suburbs, four cities.

²⁵And of the half tribe of Manasses, Thanac and Gethremmon, with their suburbs, two cities.

²⁶All the cities were ten, with their suburbs, which were given to the children of Caath, of the inferior degree.

²⁷To the children of Gerson also of the race of Levi out of the half tribe of Manasses, Gaulon in Basan, one of the cities of refuge, and Bosra, with their suburbs, two cities.

²⁸And of the tribe of Issachar, Cesion, and Dabereth,

²⁹And Jaramoth, and Engannim, with their suburbs, four cities.

³⁰And of the tribe of Aser, Masal and Abdon,

³¹And Helcath, and Rohob, with their suburbs, four cities.

³²Of the tribe also of Nephtali, Cedes in Galilee, one of the cities of refuge: and Hammoth Dor, and Carthan, with their suburbs, three cities.

³³All the cities of the families of Gerson, were thirteen, with their suburbs.

³⁴And to the children of Merari, Levites of the inferior degree, by their families were given of the tribe of Zabulon, Jecnam and Cartha,

³⁵And Damna and Naalol, four cities with their suburbs.

³⁶Of the tribe of Ruben beyond the Jordan over against Jericho, Bosor in the wilderness, one of the cities of refuge, Misor and Jaser and Jethson and Mephaath, four cities with their suburbs.

³⁷Of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Galaad, one of the cities of refuge, and Manaim and Hesebon and Jaser, four cities with their suburbs,

³⁸All the cities of the children of Merari by their families and kindreds, were twelve.

³⁹So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight,

⁴⁰With their suburbs, each distributed by the families.

⁴¹And the Lord God gave to Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers: and they possessed it, and dwelt in it.

⁴²And he gave them peace from all nations round about: and none of their enemies durst stand against them, but were brought under their dominion.

⁴³Not so much as one word, which he had promised to perform unto them, was made void, but all came to pass.

Chapter 22

At the same time Josue called the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasses,

²And said to them: You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: you have also obeyed me in all things,

³Neither have you left your brethren this long time, until this present day, keeping the commandment of the Lord your God.

⁴Therefore as the Lord your God hath given your brethren rest and peace, as he promised: return, and go to your dwellings, and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan:

⁵Yet so that you observe attentively, and in work fulfil the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cleave to him, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul.

⁶And Josue blessed them, and sent them away, and they returned to their dwellings.

⁷Now to half the tribe of Manasses, Moses had given a possession in Basan: and therefore to the half that remained, Josue gave a lot among the rest of their brethren beyond the Jordan to the west. And when he sent them away to their dwellings and had blessed them,

⁸He said to them: With much substance and riches, you return to your settlements, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and variety of raiment: divide the prey of your enemies with your brethren.

⁹So the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses returned, and parted from the children of Israel in Silo, which is in Chanaan, to go into Galaad the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

¹⁰And when they were come to the banks of the Jordan, in the land of Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.

¹¹And when the children of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers brought them an account that the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses had built an altar in the land of Chanaan, upon the banks of the Jordan, over against the children of Israel:

¹²They all assembled in Silo, to go up and fight against them.

¹³And in the mean time they sent to them into the land of Galaad, Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest,

¹⁴And ten princes with him, one of every tribe.

¹⁵Who came to the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses, into the land of Galaad, and said to them:

¹⁶Thus saith all the people of the Lord: What meaneth this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord the God of Israel, building a sacrilegious altar, and revolting from the worship of him?

¹⁷Is it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the people perished.

¹⁸And you have forsaken the Lord to day, and to morrow his wrath will rage against all Israel.

¹⁹But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pass over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an altar beside the altar of the Lord our God.

²⁰Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but one man, and would to God he alone had perished in his wickedness.

²¹And the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasses answered the princes of the embassage of Israel:

²²The Lord the most mighty God, the Lord the most mighty God, he knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of transgression we…