ARKCODEX
Joshua
Ch. 19–21
The Territory Assigned to Simeon
1The second assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Simeon. Its territory extended into the land assigned to the tribe of Judah.
2It included Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,
3Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
4Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities, along with the towns around them.
7There were also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities, along with the towns around them.
8This included all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (or Ramah), in the south. This was the land which the families of the tribe of Simeon received as their possession.
9Since Judah's assignment was larger than was needed, part of its territory was given to the tribe of Simeon.
The Territory Assigned to Zebulun
10The third assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Zebulun. The land which they received reached as far as Sarid.
11From there the border went west to Mareal, touching Dabbesheth and the stream east of Jokneam.
12On the other side of Sarid it went east to the border of Chisloth Tabor, then to Daberath and up to Japhia.
13It continued east from there to Gath Hepher and Ethkazin, turning in the direction of Neah on the way to Rimmon.
14On the north the border turned toward Hannathon, ending at Iphtahel Valley.
15It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities, along with the towns around them.
16These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Zebulun received as their possession.
The Territory Assigned to Issachar
17The fourth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Issachar.
18Its area included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
19Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
20Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
21Remeth, Engannim, Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez.
22The border also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, ending at the Jordan. It included sixteen cities along with the towns around them.
23These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Issachar received as their possession.
The Territory Assigned to Asher
24The fifth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Asher.
25Its area included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
26Allam Melech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath.
27As it turned east, the border went to Bethdagon, touching Zebulun and Iphtahel Valley on the way north to Bethemek and Neiel. It continued north to Cabul,
28Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Sidon.
29The border then turned to Ramah, reaching the fortified city of Tyre; then it turned to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. It included Mahalab, Achzib,
30Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities, along with the towns around them.
31These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Asher received as their possession.
The Territory Assigned to Naphtali
32The sixth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Naphtali.
33Its border went from Heleph to the oak in Zaanannim, on to Adaminekeb and to Jamnia, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.
34There the border turned west to Aznoth Tabor, from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan on the east.
35The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
36Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor,
38Yiron, Migdalel, Horem, Bethanath, and Beth Shemesh: nineteen cities, along with the towns around them.
39These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Naphtali received as their possession.
The Territory Assigned to Dan
40The seventh assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Dan.
41Its area included Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,
42Shaalbim, Aijalon, Ithlah,
43Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45Jehud, Beneberak, Gathrimmon,
46Mejarkon, and Rakkon, as well as the territory around Joppa.
47When the people of Dan lost their land, they went to Laish and attacked it. They captured it, killed its people, and claimed it for themselves. They settled there and changed the name of the city from Laish to Dan, naming it after their ancestor Dan.
48These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Dan received as their possession.
The Final Assignment of the Land
49When the people of Israel finished dividing up the land, they gave Joshua son of Nun a part of the land as his own.
50As the Lord had commanded, they gave him the city he asked for: Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and settled there.
51Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the families of the tribes of Israel assigned these parts of the land by drawing lots to consult the Lord at Shiloh, at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence. In this way they finished dividing the land.
Joshua 20
The Cities of Refuge
1Then the Lord told Joshua
2to say to the people of Israel, “Choose the cities of refuge that I had Moses tell you about.
3If any of you accidentally kills someone, you can go there and escape the one who is looking for revenge.
4You can run away to one of these cities, go to the place of judgment at the entrance to the city, and explain to the leaders what happened. Then they will let you into the city and give you a place to live in, so that you can stay there.
5If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger.
6You may stay in the city until you have received a public trial and until the death of the man who is then the High Priest. Then you may go back home to your own town, from which you had run away.”
7So, on the west side of the Jordan they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.
8East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh.
9These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge; they could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.
Joshua 21
The Cities of the Levites
1The leaders of the Levite families went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel.
2There at Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we were to be given cities to live in, as well as pasture land around them for our livestock.”
3So in accordance with the Lord's command the people of Israel gave the Levites certain cities and pasture lands out of their own territories.
4The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5The rest of the clan of Kohath was assigned ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.
6The clan of Gershon was assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh.
7The families of the clan of Merari were assigned twelve cities from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8By drawing lots, the people of Israel assigned these cities and their pasture lands to the Levites, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9These are the names of the cities from the territories of Judah and Simeon which were given
10to the descendants of Aaron who were of the clan of Kohath, which was descended from Levi. Their assignment was the first to be made.
11They were given the city of Arba (Arba was Anak's father), now called Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasture land surrounding it.
12However, the fields of the city, as well as its towns, had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13In addition to Hebron (one of the cities of refuge), the following cities were assigned to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Libnah,
14Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15Holon, Debir,
16Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands: nine cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon.
17From the territory of Benjamin they were given four cities: Gibeon, Geba,
18Anathoth, and Almon, with their pasture lands.
19Thirteen cities in all, with their pasture lands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
20The other families of the Levite clan of Kohath were assigned some cities from the territory of Ephraim.
21They were given four cities: Shechem and its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim (one of the cities of refuge), Gezer,
22Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, with their pasture lands.
23From the territory of Dan they were given four cities: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24Aijalon, and Gathrimmon, with their pasture lands.
25From the territory of West Manasseh they were given two cities: Taanach and Gathrimmon, with their pasture lands.
26These families of the clan of Kohath received ten cities in all, with their pasture lands.
27Another group of Levites, the clan of Gershon, received from the territory of East Manasseh two cities: Golan in Bashan (one of the cities of refuge) and Beeshterah, with their pasture lands.
28From the territory of Issachar they received four cities: Kishion, Daberath,
29Jarmuth, and Engannim, with their pasture lands.
30From the territory of Asher they received four cities: Mishal, Abdon,
31Helkath, and Rehob, with their pasture lands.
32From the territory of Naphtali they received three cities: Kedesh in Galilee, with its pasture lands (one of the cities of refuge), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, with their pasture lands.
33The various families of the clan of Gershon received a total of thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
34The rest of the Levites, the clan of Merari, received from the territory of Zebulun four cities: Jokneam, Kartah,
35Dimnah, and Nahalal, with their pasture lands.
36From the territory of Reuben they received four cities: Bezer, Jahaz,
37Kedemoth, and Mephaath, with their pasture lands.
38From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with its pasture lands (one of the cities of refuge), Mahanaim,
39Heshbon, and Jazer, with their pasture lands.
40So the clan of Merari was assigned a total of twelve cities.
41-42From the land that the people of Israel possessed, a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasture lands around them, was given to the Levites.
Israel Takes Possession of the Land
43So the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he had solemnly promised their ancestors he would give them. When they had taken possession of it, they settled down there.
44The Lord gave them peace throughout the land, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies had been able to stand against them, because the Lord gave the Israelites the victory over all their enemies.
45The Lord kept every one of the promises that he had made to the people of Israel.
Psalms
Ch. 131
A Prayer of Humble Trust
1Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me.
2Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me.
3Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever!