The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Josue
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Chapter 21
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Meanwhile the heads of the Levite households approached the high priest Eleazar, and Josue the son of Nun, and the clan chiefs of Israel,
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all gathered there at Silo now that Chanaan was won. It was the Lord’s command to Moses, they said, that we should have cities to live in, with lands round them on which we could pasture our beasts.
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And so, in pursuance of the Lord’s command, cities and lands were granted to them by the sons of Israel.
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The lot fell first on the line of Caath. Among these, the family of the high priest Aaron were to receive thirteen cities from Juda, Simeon, and Benjamin;
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the rest of the Caathites, Levites that were not of the priestly family, ten cities from Ephraim, Dan, and the western half of Manasses.
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Issachar, Aser, Nephthali, and the eastern half of Manasses, in Basan, were to give the line of Gerson thirteen cities;
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Ruben, Gad, and Zabulon to give the line of Merari twelve cities.
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Thus was the command the Lord had given through Moses carried out, and the Israelites handed over to the Levites the cities and lands allotted to them.
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These are the names of the cities which Josue handed over in Juda and Simeon
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to the family of Aaron, whose lot came first among the descendants of Caath.
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One was Cariath-Arbe, called after the father of Enac; Hebron, that is, in the hill-country of Juda, with lands round it.
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(He had given the countryside, with the villages in it, to Caleb the son of Jephone as his portion;
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but Hebron itself, the city of refuge, with the lands close to it, he gave to the family of Aaron.) The others were Lobna, and the lands round Lobna,
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Jether, Esthemo,
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Holon, Dabir,
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Ain, Jeta, and Bethsames, with the lands round them; nine cities out of the two tribes aforesaid.
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From the lands of Benjamin he handed over Gabaon, Gabae,
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Anathoth and Almon, four city-enclosures.
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Thus Aaron’s family had thirteen city-enclosures in all;
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the Levites of Caath’s line
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received from Ephraim, one city of refuge, Sichem, and besides this, Gazer,
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Cibsaim and Bethoron, four city-enclosures.
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From Dan, Eltheco, Gabathon,
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Aialon, and Gethremmon, four city-enclosures.
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From western Manasses, Thanach and their own town of Gethremmon,✻ two city-enclosures.
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Thus there were ten city-enclosures to the Caathites of lower rank.
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The Levites of Gerson’s line received from eastern Manasses one city of refuge, Gaulon in Basan; and also Bosram; two city-enclosures. From Issachar,
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Cesion and Dabereth,
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Jaramoth and Engannim; four city-enclosures.
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From Aser, Masal, Abdon,
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Helcath and Rohob; four city-enclosures.
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From Nephthali, one city of refuge, Cedes in the pale of Nephthali; also Hammoth-Dor and Carthan; three city-enclosures.
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Thus there were thirteen city-enclosures granted to the Gersonites.
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The Merarites’ families, all Levites of lower rank, received from Zabulon Jecnam, Cartha,
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Damna and Naalol; four city-enclosures.
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From Ruben on the east side of Jordan, there was one city of refuge, Bosor out in the wilderness; and four other city-enclosures were also taken out, Misor, Jaser, Jethson and Mephaath.✻
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From Gad, one city of refuge, Ramoth in Galaad; also Manaim, Hesebon and Jaser, four city-enclosures;
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thus there were twelve city-enclosures granted to the families of Merari.
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Altogether, then, the Levites had forty-eight cities, distributed among the various possessions of Israel,
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and lands attached to them; each family among them had its own domain.
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Thus the Lord God made over to Israel the whole of the territory he had promised to their fathers; they had a home of their own to settle in,
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secure from attack by any of the nations which surrounded them, since these no longer ventured to offer resistance, but submitted to their rule.
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No word of the promises which the Lord had made to them remained unfulfilled.
