Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
(Numbers 35:1–8; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81)

1Then came the principall fathers of the Leuites vnto Eleazar the Priest, and vnto Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and vnto the chiefe fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, 2And spake vnto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The Lorde commanded by the hande of Moses, to giue vs cities to dwell in, with the suburbes thereof for our cattell. 3So the children of Israel gaue vnto the Leuites, out of their inheritance at the commaundement of the Lord these cities with their suburbes. 4And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron ye Priest, which were of the Leuites, had by lot, out of the tribe of Iudah, & out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Beniamin thirteene cities.

5And 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 halfe tribe of Manasseh, tenne cities.

6Also the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, & out of the tribe of Asher, and out of ye tribe of Naphtali, and out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteene cities.

7The children of Merari according to their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelue cities.

8So the children of Israel gaue by lot vnto the Leuites these cities with their suburbes, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.

9And they gaue out of the tribe of the children of Iudah, & out of the tribe of the children of Simeo, these cities which are here named. 10And they were the childrens of Aaron being of the families of the Kohathites, and of the sonnes of Leui, (for theirs was the first lot) 11So they gaue them Kiriath-arba of the father of Anok (which is Hebron) in the mountaine of Iudah, with the suburbes of the same round about it. 12(But the lande of the citie, and the villages thereof, gaue they to Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh to be his possession)

13Thus they gaue to the children of Aaron the Priest, a citie of refuge for the slaier, euen Hebron with her suburbes, and Libnah with her suburbes, 14And Iattir with her suburbes, and Eshtemoa, and her suburbes, 15And Holon with her suburbes, and Debir with her suburbes, 16And Ain with her suburbes, and Iuttah with her suburbes, Beth-shemesh with her suburbes: nine cities out of those two tribes. 17And out of the tribe of Beniamin they gaue Gibeon with her suburbes, Geba with her suburbes, 18Anathoth with her suburbes, and Almon with her suburbes: foure cities. 19All the cities of the children of Aaron Priests, were thirteene cities with their suburbes.

20But to the families of the children of Kohath of the Leuites, which were the rest of the children of Kohath (for the cities of their lot were out of the tribe of Ephraim) 21They gaue them the citie of refuge for the slaier, Shechem with her suburbes in mount Ephraim, and Gezer with her suburbes, 22And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbes: foure cities. 23And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbes, Gibethon with her suburbes, 24Aiialon with her suburbes, Gath-rimmon with her suburbes: foure cities. 25And out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbes, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbes: two cities. 26All the cities for the other families of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbes.

27Also vnto the children of Gershon of the families of the Leuites, they gaue out of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, the citie of refuge for the slaier, Golan in Bashan with her suburbes, and Beeshterah with her suburbes: two cities. 28And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbes, Dabereh with her suburbes, 29Iarmuth with her suburbes, En-gannim with her suburbes: foure cities. 30And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbes, Abdon with her suburbes, 31Helkah with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbes: foure cities. 32And out of the tribe of Naphtali, the citie of refuge for the slaier, Kedesh in Galil with her suburbes, and Hammoth-dor with her suburbes, and Kartan with her suburbes: three cities. 33Al the cities of the Gershonites according to their families, were thirteene cities with their suburbes.

34Also vnto the families of the children of Merari the rest of the Leuites, they gaue out of the tribe of Zebulun, Iokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbes, 35Dimnah with her suburbes, Nahalal, with her suburbes: foure cities. 36And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Iahazah with her suburbs, 37Kedemoth with her suburbes, and Mephaath with her suburbes: foure cities. 38And out of the tribe of Gad they gaue for a citie of refuge for the slaier, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbes, and Mahanaim with her suburbes, 39Heshbon with her suburbs, and Iazer with her suburbes: foure cities in all. 40So all the cities of the children of Merari according to their families (which were the rest of the families of the Leuites) were by their lot, twelue cities.

41And all the cities of the Leuites within the possession of the children of Israel, were eight and fourtie with their suburbes. 42These cities lay euery one seuerallie with their suburbes round about them: so were all these cities.

43So the Lord gaue vnto Israel all ye land, which hee had sworne to giue vnto their fathers: and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44Also the Lorde gaue them rest rounde about according to all that hee had sworne vnto their fathers: and there stoode not a ma of all their enemies before them: for the Lorde deliuered all their enemies into their hand. 45There failed nothing of all the good things, which the Lord hath sayde vnto the house of Israel, but all came to passe.