Joshua:21-22

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* Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest , and unto Joshua the son of Nun , and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel ; * And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan , saying , The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in , with the suburbs thereof for our cattle . * And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance , at the commandment of the LORD , these cities and their suburbs . * And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites : and the children of Aaron the priest , which were of the Levites , had by lot out of the tribe of Judah , and out of the tribe of Simeon , and out of the tribe of Benjamin , thirteen cities . * And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim , and out of the tribe of Dan , and out of the half tribe of Manasseh , ten cities . * And the children of Gershon had by lot 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 , thirteen cities . * The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben , and out of the tribe of Gad , and out of the tribe of Zebulun , twelve cities . * And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs , as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses . * And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah , and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon , these cities which are here mentioned by name , * Which the children of Aaron , being of the families of the Kohathites , who were of the children of Levi , had : for theirs was the first lot . * And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak , which city is Hebron , in the hill country of Judah , with the suburbs thereof round about it . * But the fields of the city , and the villages thereof , gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession . * Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs , to be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Libnah with her suburbs , * And Jattir with her suburbs , and Eshtemoa with her suburbs , * And Holon with her suburbs , and Debir with her suburbs , * And Ain with her suburbs , and Juttah with her suburbs , and Bethshemesh with her suburbs ; nine cities out of those two tribes . * And out of the tribe of Benjamin , Gibeon with her suburbs , Geba with her suburbs , * Anathoth with her suburbs , and Almon with her suburbs ; four cities . * All the cities of the children of Aaron , the priests , were thirteen cities with their suburbs . * And the families of the children of Kohath , the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath , even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim . * For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim , to be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Gezer with her suburbs , * And Kibzaim with her suburbs , and Bethhoron with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the tribe of Dan , Eltekeh with her suburbs , Gibbethon with her suburbs , * Aijalon with her suburbs , Gathrimmon with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the half tribe of Manasseh , Tanach with her suburbs , and Gathrimmon with her suburbs ; two cities . * All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained . * And unto the children of Gershon , of the families of the Levites , out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs , to be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Beeshterah with her suburbs ; two cities . * And out of the tribe of Issachar , Kishon with her suburbs , Dabareh with her suburbs , * Jarmuth with her suburbs , Engannim with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the tribe of Asher , Mishal with her suburbs , Abdon with her suburbs , * Helkath with her suburbs , and Rehob with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the tribe of Naphtali , Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs , to be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Hammothdor with her suburbs , and Kartan with her suburbs ; three cities . * All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs . * And unto the families of the children of Merari , the rest of the Levites , out of the tribe of Zebulun , Jokneam with her suburbs , and Kartah with her suburbs , * Dimnah with her suburbs , Nahalal with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the tribe of Reuben , Bezer with her suburbs , and Jahazah with her suburbs , * Kedemoth with her suburbs , and Mephaath with her suburbs ; four cities . * And out of the tribe of Gad , Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs , to be a city of refuge for the slayer ; and Mahanaim with her suburbs , * Heshbon with her suburbs , Jazer with her suburbs ; four cities in all . * So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families , which were remaining of the families of the Levites , were by their lot twelve cities . * All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs . * These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them : thus were all these cities . * And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers ; and they possessed it , and dwelt therein . * And the LORD gave them rest round about , according to all that he sware unto their fathers : and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them ; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand . * There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel ; all came to pass . * Then Joshua called the Reubenites , and the Gadites , and the half tribe of Manasseh , * And said unto them , Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you , and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you : * Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day , but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God . * And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren , as he promised them : therefore now return ye , and get you unto your tents , and unto the land of your possession , which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan . * But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law , which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you , to love the LORD your God , and to walk in all his ways , and to keep his commandments , and to cleave unto him , and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul . * So Joshua blessed them , and sent them away : and they went unto their tents . * Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan : but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward . And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents , then he blessed them , * And he spake unto them , saying , Return with much riches 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 . * And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned , and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh , which is in the land of Canaan , to go unto the country of Gilead , to the land of their possession , whereof they were possessed , according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses . * And when they came unto the borders of Jordan , that are in the land of Canaan , the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan , a great altar to see to . * And the children of Israel heard say , Behold , the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan , in the borders of Jordan , at the passage of the children of Israel . * And when the children of Israel heard of it , the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh , to go up to war against them . * And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben , and to the children of Gad , and to the half tribe of Manasseh , into the land of Gilead , Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest , * And with him ten princes , of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel ; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel . * And they came unto the children of Reuben , and to the children of Gad , and to the half tribe of Manasseh , unto the land of Gilead , and they spake with them , saying , * Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD , What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel , to turn away this day from following the LORD , in that ye have builded you an altar , that ye might rebel this day against the LORD ? * Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us , from which we are not cleansed until this day , although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD , * But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD ? and it will be , seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD , that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel . * Notwithstanding , if the land of your possession be unclean , then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD , wherein the LORD 'S tabernacle dwelleth , and take possession among us : but rebel not against the LORD , nor rebel against us , in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God . * Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing , and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel ? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity . * Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered , and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel , * The LORD God of gods , the LORD God of gods , he knoweth , and Israel he shall know ; if it be in rebellion , or if in transgression against the LORD , (save us not this day ,) * That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD , or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering , or if to offer peace offerings thereon , let the LORD himself require it ; * And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing , saying , In time to come your children might speak unto our children , saying , What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel ? * For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you , ye children of Reuben and children of Gad ; ye have no part in the LORD : so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD . * Therefore we said , Let us now prepare to build us an altar , not for burnt offering , nor for sacrifice : * But that it may be a witness between us , and you , and our generations after us , that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings , and with our sacrifices , and with our peace offerings ; that your children may not say to our children in time to come , Ye have no part in the LORD . * Therefore said we , that it shall be , when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come , that we may say again , Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD , which our fathers made , not for burnt offerings , nor for sacrifices ; but it is a witness between us and you . * God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD , and turn this day from following the LORD , to build an altar for burnt offerings , for meat offerings , or for sacrifices , beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle . * And when Phinehas the priest , and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him , heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake , it pleased them . * And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben , and to the children of Gad , and to the children of Manasseh , This day we perceive that the LORD is among us , because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD : now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD . * And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest , and the princes , returned from the children of Reuben , and from the children of Gad , out of the land of Gilead , unto the land of Canaan , to the children of Israel , and brought them word again . * And the thing pleased the children of Israel ; and the children of Israel blessed God , and did not intend to go up against them in battle , to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt . * And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed : for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God . * And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about , that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age .

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