1Then the leaders of the family groups of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the family groups of the tribes of Israel.
2They spoke to them in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “Yahweh commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, along with their surrounding pasturelands for our livestock.”
3So the people of Israel, following Yahweh’s command, gave these cities with their surrounding pasturelands to the Levites out of their own inheritance.
4The Kohathite families received their land by drawing lots. Aaron's descendants, who were priests and Levites, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5The rest of the Kohathite descendants received ten cities by lot from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6The Gershonite descendants received thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7The Merarite descendants, according to their families, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8The people of Israel gave these cities and their surrounding lands to the Levites by drawing lots, just as Yahweh had commanded through Moses.
9From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they gave the following cities, which are listed by name:
10These cities were for the descendants of Aaron, from the families of the Kohathites, who were descendants of Levi, because their lot was drawn first.
11They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after Anak's father (also called Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pastures.
12However, they gave the fields and villages connected to the city to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as his property.
13To Aaron's descendants, the priests, they gave Hebron, a city of refuge for someone who accidentally killed another, along with its surrounding pastures; Libnah with its surrounding pastures;
14Jattir with its surrounding pastures; Eshtemoa with its surrounding pastures;
15Holon with its surrounding pastures; Debir with its surrounding pastures;
16Ain with its surrounding pastures; Juttah with its surrounding pastures; and Beth Shemesh with its surrounding pastures. This made a total of nine cities from those two tribes.
17From the tribe of Benjamin, they gave Gibeon with its surrounding pastures; Geba with its surrounding pastures;
18Anathoth with its surrounding pastures; and Almon with its surrounding pastures. This made a total of four cities.
19All the cities belonging to Aaron's descendants, the priests, totaled thirteen cities and their surrounding pastures.
20The families of the Kohathite descendants, the Levites—the rest of the Kohathites—received the cities from their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21They gave them Shechem with its surrounding pastures in the hill country of Ephraim, which was a city of refuge for someone who accidentally killed another; and Gezer with its surrounding pastures;
22Kibzaim with its surrounding pastures; and Beth Horon with its surrounding pastures. This made a total of four cities.
23From the tribe of Dan, they gave Elteke with its surrounding pastures; Gibbethon with its surrounding pastures;
24Aijalon and its surrounding areas, Gath Rimmon and its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
25From the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its surrounding areas, and Gath Rimmon and its surrounding areas: totaling two cities.
26All the cities with their surrounding areas for the families of the rest of Kohath's descendants were ten.
27They gave to Gershon's descendants, from the Levite families, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its surrounding areas, which was a safe city for someone who accidentally killed another person, and Be Eshterah with its surrounding areas: totaling two cities.
28From the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its surrounding areas, Daberath and its surrounding areas,
29Jarmuth and its surrounding areas, En Gannim and its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
30From the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its surrounding areas, Abdon and its surrounding areas,
31Helkath and its surrounding areas, and Rehob and its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
32From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its surrounding areas, which was a safe city for someone who accidentally killed another person, Hammothdor with its surrounding areas, and Kartan with its surrounding areas: totaling three cities.
33All the cities belonging to the Gershonites, according to their families, were thirteen cities with their surrounding areas.
34To the families of Merari's descendants, who were the remaining Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its surrounding areas, Kartah with its surrounding areas,
35Dimnah with its surrounding areas, and Nahalal with its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
36From the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its surrounding areas, Jahaz with its surrounding areas,
37Kedemoth with its surrounding areas, and Mephaath with its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
38From the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its surrounding areas, which was a safe city for someone who accidentally killed another person, and Mahanaim with its surrounding areas,
39Heshbon with its surrounding areas, Jazer with its surrounding areas: totaling four cities.
40All of these were the cities belonging to Merari's descendants according to their families, who were the rest of the Levite families. They received twelve cities.
41All the cities for the Levites among the possessions of the people of Israel were forty-eight cities with their surrounding areas.
42Each of these cities included the areas around them. This was true for all these cities.
43So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he promised to give to their ancestors. They took possession of it and lived in it.
44Yahweh gave them peace all around, just as he had promised their fathers. Not one of their enemies could stand against them. Yahweh handed all of their enemies over to them.
45None of the good things Yahweh had promised the people of Israel failed; everything came true.