1The leaders of the Levite family groups approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. They also approached the leaders of the family groups of Israel’s other tribes.2They went to all of them at Shiloh in Canaan. They said to them, ‘Give us towns to live in. Also give us grasslands for our livestock. That’s what the LORD commanded through Moses.’3So the Israelites gave the Levites towns and grasslands out of their own shares of land. They did what the LORD had commanded. Here are the towns the Levites were given.4The first lot drawn out was for the people of Kohath, according to their family groups. Some of the Levites came from the family line of Aaron the priest. They were given 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.5The rest of Kohath’s family groups were given ten towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and half of the tribe of Manasseh.6The family groups of Gershon were given 13 towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali and half of the tribe of Manasseh. That part of Manasseh was in the land of Bashan.7The family groups of Merari received 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. Each family group received its share.8So the Israelites gave those towns and their grasslands to the Levites. They did what the LORD had commanded through Moses.9Some towns were given from the territories of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.10The Israelites gave them to the members of the family line of Aaron. The towns were given to the family groups of Kohath. They were Levites. The first lot drawn out was for them. Here are the towns the family groups of Kohath were given.11The Israelites gave them Kiriath Arba and the grasslands around it. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. It’s in the hill country of Judah. Anak came from the family line of Arba.12But Israel had already given away the fields and villages around the city. They had given them to Caleb as his share. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh.13So they gave Hebron to the members of the family line of Aaron the priest. Hebron was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also gave them Libnah,14Jattir, Eshtemoa,15Holon, Debir,16Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh. They gave those towns and their grasslands to the family groups of Kohath. The total number of towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon came to nine.17The Israelites gave some towns from the tribe of Benjamin to the family groups of Kohath. The towns were Gibeon, Geba,18Anathoth and Almon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.19So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the priests in Aaron’s family line came to 13.20There were other family groups of Kohath among the Levites. They were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim. Here are the towns those other family groups of Kohath were given.21In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem. It was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They were also given Gezer,22Kibzaim and Beth Horon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.23From the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,24Aijalon and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.25From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two.26So all these ten towns and their grasslands were given to the other family groups of Kohath.27Here are the towns given to the family groups of Gershon among the Levites. From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in the land of Bashan. Golan was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Be Eshterah. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two.28From the tribe of Issachar they received Kishion, Daberath,29Jarmuth and En Gannim. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.30From the tribe of Asher they received Mishal, Abdon,31Helkath and Rehob. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.32From the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee. Kedesh was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Hammoth Dor and Kartan. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to three.33So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the family groups of Gershon came to 13.34The rest of the Levites were from the family groups of Merari. Here are the towns they were given. From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah,35Dimnah and Nahalal. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.36From the tribe of Reuben they received Bezer, Jahaz,37Kedemoth and Mephaath. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.38From the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead. Ramoth was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Mahanaim,39Heshbon and Jazer. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.40So the total number of towns given to the family groups of Merari came to 12. That concludes the list of towns the rest of the Levites received.41The total number of Levite towns and their grasslands in the territory given to Israel came to 48.42Each of those towns had grasslands around it. That was true of all of them.43So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Israel took it over. Then they made their homes there.44The LORD gave them peace and rest on every side. He had promised their people of long ago that he would do that. Not one of Israel’s enemies was able to fight against them and win. The LORD handed all their enemies over to them.45The LORD kept all the good promises he had made to the Israelites. Every one of them came true.
1-2In Schilo im Land Kanaan kamen die Sippenoberhäupter des Stammes Levi zum Priester Eleasar, zu Josua und zu den Oberhäuptern der Stämme Israels und sagten zu ihnen: »Der HERR hat durch Mose befohlen, uns Städte zu geben, in denen wir wohnen können, und dazu das Weideland ringsum für unser Vieh.« (Nu 35:2; Jos 14:1; Jos 18:1)3Da traten ihnen die Israeliten von ihrem Erbbesitz bestimmte Städte und Weideflächen ab, wie der HERR es angeordnet hatte.4Bei der Verlosung erhielt zuerst die Gruppe Kehat ihren Anteil, und zwar fielen der Sippe des Priesters Aaron dreizehn Städte im Gebiet der Stämme Juda, Simeon und Benjamin zu; (Nu 3:19; Nu 3:27)5die übrigen Sippen bekamen zehn Städte im Gebiet der Stämme Efraïm, Dan und West-Manasse.6Der Gruppe Gerschon fielen dreizehn Städte im Gebiet der Stämme Issachar, Ascher, Naftali und Ost-Manasse zu, (Nu 3:18; Nu 3:21)7der Gruppe Merari zwölf Städte im Gebiet der Stämme Ruben, Gad und Sebulon. (Nu 3:20; Nu 3:33)8Diese Städte und das zugehörige Weideland teilten die Israeliten durchs Los den Nachkommen Levis zu, wie der HERR es durch Mose angeordnet hatte.
Städte der Nachkommen Kehats
9-10Als erste erhielt die Sippe der Nachkommen Aarons aus der Gruppe Kehat ihre Städte durch das Los zugeteilt. Sie bekam vom Gebiet der Stämme Juda und Simeon die im Folgenden namentlich aufgezählten Städte:11zuerst Hebron im Bergland von Juda mit seinem Weideland, die ehemalige Stadt Arbas,[1] des Stammvaters der Anakiter.12Das Ackerland der Stadt und die Dörfer der Umgebung hatten die Israeliten jedoch schon Kaleb, dem Sohn von Jefunne, als Erbbesitz gegeben.13-16Hebron war zugleich zur Asylstadt für Totschläger bestimmt worden. Weiter erhielten die Nachkommen Aarons folgende Städte, jeweils mit dem zugehörigen Weideland: Libna, Jattir, Eschtemoa, Holon, Debir, Aschan,[2] Jutta und Bet-Schemesch. Das waren neun Städte aus diesen beiden Stämmen.17Dazu kamen aus dem Gebiet des Stammes Benjamin die vier Städte Gibeon, Geba,18Anatot und Alemet.19Die Nachkommen des Priesters Aaron hatten damit insgesamt dreizehn Städte mit zugehörigem Weideland erhalten.20-22Die übrigen Sippen der Levitengruppe Kehat bekamen vier Städte vom Gebiet des Stammes Efraïm: Sichem im Bergland von Efraïm, zugleich eine Asylstadt für Totschläger, Geser, Kibzajim und Bet-Horon,23-24außerdem vom Gebiet des Stammes Dan die vier Städte Elteke, Gibbeton, Ajalon und Gat-Rimmon25und vom Gebiet des Stammes West-Manasse die beiden Städte Taanach und Jibleam.[3]26Das macht insgesamt zehn Städte mit zugehörigem Weideland.
Städte der Nachkommen Gerschons
27Die Leviten aus der Gruppe Gerschon bekamen zwei Städte vom Gebiet des Stammes Ost-Manasse: Golan in der Landschaft Baschan, zugleich eine Asylstadt für Totschläger, und Aschtarot,28-29dazu vom Gebiet des Stammes Issachar die vier Städte Kischjon, Daberat, Jarmut und En-Gannim30-31und vom Gebiet des Stammes Ascher die vier Städte Mischal, Abdon, Helkat und Rehob,32außerdem drei Städte im Gebiet des Stammes Naftali: Kedesch in Galiläa, eine Asylstadt für Totschläger, Hammot-Dor und Kartan.33Das macht insgesamt dreizehn Städte mit zugehörigem Weideland.
Städte der Nachkommen Meraris
34-35Die übrigen Leviten, die Sippen der Gruppe Merari, bekamen vom Gebiet des Stammes Sebulon die vier Städte Jokneam, Karta, Rimmon[4] und Nahalal,36-37dazu östlich des Jordans vom Gebiet des Stammes Ruben die vier Städte Bezer im Steppenhochland, zugleich eine Asylstadt für Totschläger, Jahaz, Kedemot und Mefaat38-39und vom Gebiet des Stammes Gad die vier Städte Ramot in Gilead, eine Asylstadt für Totschläger, Mahanajim, Heschbon und Jaser.40Das macht insgesamt zwölf Städte mit zugehörigem Weideland.41-42Alles in allem bekamen die Nachkommen Levis mitten im Gebiet der Israeliten achtundvierzig Städte mit ihren Weidegebieten.
Gott hat sein Versprechen gehalten
43Der HERR gab den Israeliten das ganze Land, das er ihren Vorfahren mit einem Eid zugesagt hatte. Sie nahmen es in Besitz und besiedelten es. (Ge 12:7)44Der HERR verschaffte ihnen Ruhe und Frieden an allen Grenzen, wie er es ihren Vorfahren versprochen hatte. Niemand konnte sich gegen sie behaupten; alle Feinde gab er in ihre Hand. (Jos 1:5; Heb 4:8)45So hatte der HERR nun alle seine Zusagen erfüllt; nichts war ausgeblieben von all dem Guten, das er seinem Volk Israel versprochen hatte. Es war alles eingetroffen. (Jos 23:14)