Joshua 20–22

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua, saying, ²‘Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Give for you cities of refuge, as I have spoken unto you by the hand of Moses, ³for the fleeing thither of a man-slayer smiting life inadvertently, without knowledge; and they have been to you for a refuge from the redeemer of blood.

⁴‘When one hath fled unto one of these cities, and hath stood at the opening of the gate of the city, and hath spoken in the ears of the elders of that city his matter, then they have gathered him into the city unto them, and have given to him a place, and he hath dwelt with them.

⁵‘And when the redeemer of blood doth pursue after him, then they do not shut up the man-slayer into his hand, for without knowledge he hath smitten his neighbour, and is not hating him hitherto; ⁶and he hath dwelt in that city till his standing before the company for judgment, till the death of the chief priest who is in those days—then doth the man-slayer turn back and hath come unto his city, and unto his house, unto the city whence he fled.’

⁷And they sanctify Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kirjath-Arba (it is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah; ⁸and beyond the Jordan, at Jericho eastward, they have given Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain, out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹These have been cities of meeting for all the sons of Israel, and for a sojourner who is sojourning in their midst, for the fleeing thither of any one smiting life inadvertently, and he doth not die by the hand of the redeemer of blood till his standing before the company.

Chapter 21

¹And the heads of the fathers of the Levites draw nigh unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel, ²and they speak unto them in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, saying, ‘Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses to give to us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.’ ³And the sons of Israel give to the Levites, out of their inheritance, at the command of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs: ⁴And the lot goeth out for the families of the Kohathite, and there are for the sons of Aaron the priest (of the Levites), out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot thirteen cities, ⁵and for the sons of Kohath who are left, out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, by lot ten cities: ⁶And for the sons of Gershon are, out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, by lot, thirteen cities. ⁷For the sons of Merari, for their families, are, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. ⁸And the sons of Israel give to the Levites these cities and their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, by lot.

⁹And they give out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, these cities which are called by name; ¹⁰and they are for the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathite, of the sons of Levi, for theirs hath been the first lot; ¹¹and they give to them the city of Arba father of Anak (it is Hebron), in the hill-country of Judah, and its suburbs round about it; ¹²and the field of the city and its villages they have given to Caleb son of Jephunneh for his possession. ¹³And to the sons of Aaron the priest they have given the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Hebron and its suburbs, and Libnah and its suburbs, ¹⁴and Jattir and its suburbs, and Eshtemoa and its suburbs, ¹⁵and Holon and its suburbs, and Debir and its suburbs, ¹⁶and Ain and its suburbs, and Juttah and its suburbs, Beth-Shemesh and its suburbs; nine cities out of these two tribes. ¹⁷And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs, Geba and its suburbs, ¹⁸Anathoth and its suburbs, and Almon and its suburbs—four cities; ¹⁹all the cities of the sons of Aaron the priests, are thirteen cities and their suburbs. ²⁰And for the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, who are left of the sons of Kohath, even the cities of their lot are of the tribe of Ephraim; ²¹and they give to them the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Shechem and its suburbs, in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Gezer and its suburbs, ²²and Kibzaim and its suburbs, and Beth-Horon and its suburbs—four cities. ²³And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its suburbs, Gibbethon and its suburbs, ²⁴Aijalon and its suburbs, Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs—four cities. ²⁵And out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its suburbs, and Gath-Rimmon and its suburbs—two cities; ²⁶all the cities are ten and their suburbs, for the families of the sons of Kohath who are left. ²⁷And for the sons of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Golan in Bashan and its suburbs, and Beeshterah and its suburbs—two cities. ²⁸And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon and its suburbs, Dabarath and its suburbs, ²⁹Jarmuth and its suburbs, En-Gannim and its suburbs—four cities. ³⁰And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs, ³¹Helkath and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs—four cities. ³²And out of the tribe of Naphtali, the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Kedesh in Galilee and its suburbs, and Hammoth-Dor and its suburbs, and Kartan and its suburbs—three cities; ³³all the cities of the Gershonite, for their families, are thirteen cities and their suburbs. ³⁴And for the families of the sons of Merari, the Levites, who are left, are, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its suburbs, Kartah and its suburbs, ³⁵Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs—four cities. ³⁶And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its suburbs, and Jahazah and its suburbs, ³⁷Kedemoth and its suburbs, and Mephaath and its suburbs—four cities. ³⁸And out of the tribe of Gad, the city of refuge for the man-slayer, Ramoth in Gilead and its suburbs, and Mahanaim and its suburbs, ³⁹Heshbon and its suburbs, Jazer and its suburbs—in all four cities. ⁴⁰All the cities for the sons of Merari, for their families, who are left of the families of the Levites—their lot is twelve cities. ⁴¹All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel are forty and eight cities, and their suburbs. ⁴²These cities are each city and its suburbs round about it; so to all these cities.

⁴³And Jehovah giveth to Israel the whole of the land which He hath sworn to give to their fathers, and they possess it, and dwell in it; ⁴⁴and Jehovah giveth rest to them round about, according to all that which He hath sworn to their fathers, and there hath not stood a man in their presence of all their enemies, the whole of their enemies hath Jehovah given into their hand; ⁴⁵there hath not fallen a thing of all the good thing which Jehovah spake unto the house of Israel—the whole hath come.

Chapter 22

¹Then Joshua calleth for the Reubenite, and for the Gadite, and for the half of the tribe of Manasseh, ²and saith unto them, ‘Ye—ye have kept the whole of that which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, and ye hearken to my voice, to all that I have commanded you; ³ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, and have kept the charge—the command of Jehovah your God.

⁴‘And, now, Jehovah your God hath given rest to your brethren, as He spake to them; and now, turn ye, and go for yourselves to your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses, servant of Jehovah, hath given to you beyond the Jordan. ⁵Only, be very watchful to do the command and the law which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him, with all your heart, and with all your soul.’ ⁶And Joshua blesseth them, and sendeth them away, and they go unto their tents. ⁷And to the half of the tribe of Manasseh hath Moses given, in Bashan, and to its other half hath Joshua given with their brethren beyond the Jordan westward; and also when Joshua hath sent them away unto their tents, then he doth bless them, ⁸and speak unto them, saying, ‘With great riches turn ye back unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.’ ⁹And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, turn back and go from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, unto the land of their possession, in which they have possession, according to the command of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses.

¹⁰And they come in unto the districts of the Jordan, which are in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, build there an altar by the Jordan—a great altar for appearance. ¹¹And the sons of Israel hear, saying, ‘Lo, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, have built the altar over-against the land of Canaan, on the districts of the Jordan, at the passage of the sons of Israel.’ ¹²And the sons of Israel hear, and all the company of the sons of Israel is assembled at Shiloh, to go up against them to war; ¹³and the sons of Israel send unto the sons of Reuben, and unto the sons of Gad, and unto the half of the tribe of Manasseh—unto the land of Gilead—Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, ¹⁴and ten princes with him, one prince, one prince, for a house of a father, for all the tribes of Israel, and each of them a head of a house of their fathers, for…