Chapter 20 – Chapter 22

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

1 And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

2 Address the children of Israel in these words, Give cities of refuge of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses;

3 That the homicide, who has taken away a life through mistake, not knowingly, may flee thither: and they will be to you for a refuge from the kinsman of blood.

4 And he shall fly to one of those cities, and shall stand at the door of the gate of the city, and speak his words in the ears of the elders of the city itself, and they will receive him into the city, and give him a place, and he shall dwell with them.

5 And when the kinsman of blood shall have pursued him, they shall not deliver up the homicide into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unknowingly, and had no hatred to him in time past, (yesterday and the day before yesterday.)

6 And he will dwell in that city until he stand before the assembly for judgment, even until the high priest, who shall be in those days, shall die: for then the homicide will return, and come to his city, and to his house, to the city whence he had fled.

7 And they assigned Cedes in Galilee, in mount Naphtali, and Sechem in mount Ephraim, and Ciriath-arba (the same is Hebron) in mount Judah.

8 And from beyond the Jordan of Jericho on the east, they gave Beser, in the desert in the plain, of the tribe of Reuben: and Ramoth in Gilead of the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Basan, of the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Those were the cities of convention to all the children of Israel, and to the stranger sojourning in the midst of them, that whosoever had slain any one by mistake might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the kinsman of blood before he had stood before the assembly.

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

1 And the princes of the fathers of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

2 And spoke to them in Silo, in the land of Canaan, saying, Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses, that you should give us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our cattle.

3 Therefore the children of Israel gave to the Levites of their inheritance, according to the word of Jehovah, those cities and their suburbs.

4 And the lot fell out by the families of the Ceathites, and there were to the children of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, of the tribe of Judah, and of the tribe of Simeon, and of the tribe of Benjamin, by lot, thirteen cities.

5 And to the remaining sons of Ceath, of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and of the tribe of Dan, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.

6 But to the sons of Gerson, of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and of the tribe of Aser, and of the tribe of Naphtali, and of the half tribe of Manasseh in Basan, by lot, thirteen cities.

7 To the children of Merari by their families, of the tribe of Reuben, and of the tribe of Gad, and of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve cities.

8 The children of Israel, I say, gave to the Levites those cities and their suburbs, by lot, as Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses.

9 They gave therefore of the tribe of the children of Judah, and of the tribe of the children of Simeon, those cities which he called by name.

10 And they were to the sons of Aaron, of the families of Ceath, of the sons of Levi; for theirs was the first lot:

11 And they gave to them Ciriath-arba of the father of Anac, (the same is Hebron,) in mount Judah, and its suburbs round about it.

12 But the field of that city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, for his possession.

13 To the sons of Aaron the priest, I say, they gave the city of refuge, for the homicide, Hebron and its suburbs, and Libna and its suburbs.

14 And Jathir and its suburbs, and Esthemoa and its suburbs,

15 Holon and its suburbs, and Debir and its suburbs,

16 And Ain and its suburbs, and Juttah and its suburbs, and Beth-semes and its suburbs: nine cities of those two tribes.

17 And of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs, and Geba and its suburbs,

18 Anathoth and its suburbs, Almon and its suburbs: four cities.

19 All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

20 But to the families of the sons of Cahath, Levites who remained of the sons of Cahath, (now the cities of their lot were of the tribe of Ephraim.)

21 They gave to them, I say, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Sechem and its suburbs, in mount Ephraim, and Geser and its suburbs,

22 And Cibsaim and its suburbs, and Beth-boron and its suburbs: four cities.

23 And of the tribe of Dan, Elthece and its suburbs, and Gibbethon and its suburbs,

24 And Ajalon and its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon and its suburbs: four cities.

25 And of the half tribe of Manasseh, Thaanach and its suburbs, Gath-rimmon and its suburbs: two cities.

26 All the ten cities and their suburbs, to the remaining families of the sons of Cahath.

27 Moreover, to the sons of Gerson of the families of the Levites, from the half tribe of Manasseh, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Golan in Basan and its suburbs, Beesthera and its suburbs: two cities.

28 Of the tribe of Issachar, Cision and its suburbs, Dabrath and its suburbs,

29 Jarmuth and its suburbs, Engannim and its suburbs: four cities.

30 And of the tribe of Aser, Misal and its suburbs, Abdon and its suburbs,

31 Helcath and its suburbs, and Rehob and its suburbs: four cities.

32 And of the tribe of Naphtali, as a city of refuge for the homicide, Cedes in Galilee and its suburbs, and Hamath-Dor and its suburbs, and Carthan and its suburbs: three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gersonites, by their families, were thirteen cities and their suburbs.

34 And to the families of the sons of Merari remaining of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zabulon, Jocnea and its suburbs, Cartha and its suburbs,

35 Dimnah and its suburbs, Nahalal and its suburbs: four cities.

36 And of the tribe of Reuben, Beser and its suburbs, and Jehasa and its suburbs,

37 Cedemoth and its suburbs, Mephaath and its suburbs: four cities.

38 And of the tribe of Gad, as a city of refuge from the homicide, Ramoth in Gileath and its suburbs,

39 Hesbon and its suburbs, Jazer and its suburbs: four cities.

40 All the cities of the sons of Merari by their families which remained of the families of the Levites, as was their lot, were twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel, were eighty-four cities and their suburbs.

42 Those were single cities, and their suburbs were round about them; so was it with all those cities,

43 Jehovah, therefore, gave to Israel the whole land, of which he had sworn that he would give it to their fathers; and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

44 Jehovah also gave them rest round about, exactly as Jehovah had sworn to their fathers; nor was there any one of all their enemies who could resist them; Jehovah delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45 Not a word failed of all the good word which Jehovah had spoken to the house of Israel; all things were fulfilled.

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

2 And said to them, you have kept all things which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all things which I have commanded you.

3 You have not deserted your brethren now for many days, even to this day, but you have carefully observed the command of Jehovah your God.

4 And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brethren, as he had said to them; now, therefore, return and set out to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan.

5 Only observe carefully to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and walk in all his ways, and observe his precepts, and adhere to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.

6 And Joshua blessed them, and discharged them, and they went away to their tents.

7 Now, to the half tribe of Manasseh Moses had given (an inheritance) in Basan; and to the other half, Joshua gave (an inheritance) with their brethren beyond Jordan on the west. And also when Joshua was dismissing them to their tents, and had blessed them,

8 Then he spoke to them, saying, Return with much riches to your tents, and with very much property, with silver, and gold, and brass, and iron, and very much raiment; divide the spoils of your enemies with your brethren.

9 Accordingly, both the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and went away from the children of Israel, from Silo, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, in which they had received a possession, according to the word of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses.

10 And they came to the limits of the Jordan, which were in the land of Canaan, and the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, built there an altar near the Jordan, an altar of conspicuous appearance.

11 And the children of Israel heard it said, 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, on the confines of the Jordan, at the crossing of the children of Israel.

12 The children of Israel, I say, heard, and the whole body of the children of Israel assembled in Silo, to go up against them to battle.

13 And the children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest,

14 And ten princes with him, a single prince for each house, selected from all the tribes of Israel; for there were single princes of the families of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

15 They came, therefore, to the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and spoke with them, saying,

16 Thus says the whole congregation of Jehovah, What falsehood is this which you have devised against the God of Israel, in turning away this day from going after Jehovah, by building an altar for yourselves to rebel this day against Jehovah?

17 Is it little for us to have been involved in the iniquity of Peor, from which we are not yet cleansed even at the present day, and yet there was a plague in the congregation of Jehovah?

18 Now you are turning aside this day from going after Jehovah, and it will be that you will rebel this day against Jehovah, and to-morrow he will be wroth against the whole congregation of Israel;

19 And, indeed, if the land of your possession is impure, pass over to the land of the possession of Jehovah, in which the tabernacle of Jehovah dwells, and receive possessions in the midst of us, and rebel not against Jehovah, nor revolt from us by building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of Jehovah our God.

20 Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, sin grossly in the anathema, and was (there not) anger against the whole congregation of Israel? That man did not die alone on account of his iniquity.

21 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke with the princes of the thousands of Israel.

22 Jehovah, God of gods, Jehovah, God of gods, himself knoweth, and Israel will know; if it be through rebellion, if it be through falsehood, against Jehovah, save us not this day.

23 If we have thought to build for us an altar, to turn away from going after Jehovah; if to sacrifice upon it burnt-offerings and sacrifice; and if to make upon it sacrifices of prosperity, let Jehovah himself inquire:

24 And if we have not rather done it from a fear of this thing, saying, Your children will to-morrow speak unto our children, saying, What have you to do with Jehovah the God of Israel?

25 For Jehovah has put the Jordan as a boundary between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no portion in Jehovah; and your children will make our children desist from fearing Jehovah.

26 And we said, Let us now give our endeavor to build an altar, neither for burnt-offerings nor for sacrifice;

27 But that it may be a witness betwixt us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may diligently serve Jehovah before him in our burnt-offerings, and our sacrifices, and our offerings of prosperity; and lest your children may to-morrow say to our children, You have no part in Jehovah.

28 We said therefore, And it shall be, if they say to us or to our generations to-morrow, then shall we say, You see the likeness of an altar to Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.

29 Far be it from us to rebel against Jehovah, and to turn away this day from going after Jehovah, by building an altar for a burnt-offering, for oblation, and for sacrifice, beyond the altar of Jehovah our God, which is before his tabernacle.

30 Moreover, when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, had heard the words which the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh had spoken, it was pleasing in their eyes.

31 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that Jehovah is in the midst of us, in that you have not sinned that sin against Jehovah; then you have freed the children of Israel from the hand of Jehovah.

32 Therefore Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and those princes returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the other children of Israel, and reported the matter to them.

33 And the thing was pleasing in the eyes of the children of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God, and did not determine to go up against them to battle, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad were dwelling.

34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Hed, saying, For it will be a witness between us that Jehovah is God.