descendants of Gershon acquired thirteen cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half of Manasseh located in Bashan. 7The descendants of Merari acquired twelve cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8So the Israelites gave these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites by lot, exactly as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
9They gave the following cities, identified here by name, from the tribe of the Judahites and the tribe of the Simeonites. 10The cities belonged to the descendants of Aaron, one of the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the lot had fallen to them first. 11They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the highlands of Judah and the pastures around it. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12But they had already given the fields of the city and its surrounding areas to Caleb, Jephunneh's son, as his property. 13To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave: Hebron, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; Libnah and its pastures; 14Jattir and its pastures; Eshtemoa and its pastures; 15Holon and its pastures; Debir and its pastures; 16Ain and its pastures; Juttah and its pastures; and Beth-shemesh and its pastures. Total from these two tribes: nine cities. 17From the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon and its pastures, Geba and its pastures, 18Anathoth and its pastures, and Almon and its pastures. In total: four cities. 19This is the total of all the cities of the priests descended from Aaron: thirteen cities with their pastures.
20Other clans from the levitical descendants of Kohath still remained from among the descendants of Kohath. Some of their allotted cities were from the tribe of Ephraim. 21They gave them: Shechem, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures in the highlands of Ephraim; Gezer and its pastures; 22Kibzaim and its pastures; and Beth-horon and its pastures; in total: four cities. 23From the tribe of Dan: Elteke and its pastures, Gibbethon and its pastures, 24Aijalon and its pastures, Gath-rimmon and its pastures; in total: four cities. 25From half the tribe of Manasseh: Taanach and its pastures, and Gath-rimmon and its pastures; in total: two cities. 26This is the total of all cities for the clans of the remaining descendants of Kohath: ten cities with their pastures.
27To the descendants of Gershon, one of the clans of the Levites, from half the tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; and Beeshterah and its pastures; in total: two cities. 28From the tribe of Issachar: Kishion and its pastures, Daberath and its pastures, 29Jarmuth and its pastures, En-gannim and its pastures; in total: four cities. 30From the tribe of Asher: Mishal and its pastures, Abdon and its pastures, 31Helkath and its pastures, and Rehob and its pastures; in total: four cities. 32From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, the refuge city for the killer, and its pastures; Hammoth-dor and its pastures; and Kartan and its pastures; in total: three cities. 33This is the total of all cities of the Gershonites for their clans: thirteen cities with their pastures.
34To the clans of the descendants of Merari, the rest of the Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam and its pastures, Kartah and its pastures, 35Dimnah and its pastures, Nahalal and its pastures; in total: four cities. 36From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer and its pastures, Jahaz and its pastures, 37Kedemoth and its pastures, and Mephaath and its pastures; in total: four cities.y 38From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead, the refuge city for a killer, and its pastures; Mahanaim and its pastures; 39Heshbon and its pastures; Jazer and its pastures; in total: four cities. 40As for the cities of the descendants of Merari for their clans, the remaining clans of the Levites, their total allotment was twelve cities.
41This is the total of all the cities of the Levites within the property of the Israelites: forty-eight cities with their pastures. 42Each of these cities had its pastures around it. This was the case for all these cities.
Summary of the conquest
43The LORD gave to Israel all the land he had pledged to give to their ancestors. They took it over and settled there. 44The LORD gave them rest from surrounding danger, exactly as he had pledged to their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies held out against them. The LORD gave all their enemies into their power. 45Not one of all the good things that the LORD had promised to the house of Israel failed. Every promise was fulfilled.
Eastern tribes go home
Joshua 22Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. 2He said to them, "You obeyed everything that Moses the LORD's servant commanded you. You have also obeyed me in everything that I have commanded you. 3During these many years, you never once deserted your fellow Israelites. You faithfully obeyed the command of the LORD your God. 4The LORD your God has now given rest to your fellow Israelites, exactly as he promised them. So turn around and go back home. Go to the land where you hold property, which Moses the LORD's servant gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5Just be very careful to carry out the commandment and Instruction that Moses the LORD's servant commanded you. Love the LORD your God. Walk in all his ways and obey his commandments. Hold on to him and serve him with all your heart and being."6Then Joshua blessed them. He sent them away, and they went home.
7Moses had provided for half of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. But Joshua provided for the other half on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites. When he sent them back home, Joshua also blessed them. 8He said to them, "Return home with great wealth and many cattle, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoil taken from your enemies among your own people."
Disagreement about an altar
9So the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh went back. They left the Israelites at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. They went to the land of Gilead, to the land that they owned. They had settled there at the LORD's command given by Moses. 10They came to the districtsz of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan. The people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, an altar that appeared to be immense. 11Then the Israelites heard a report: "Look. The people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the far edge of the land of Canaan. It lies in the districts of the Jordan on the Israelite side!"12When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go up to war against them.
13Then the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. 14They sent with him ten leaders, one leader from each important family among the tribes of Israel. Each was the head of an important family among the military units of Israel. 15They came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and spoke with them. 16They said, "Here is what the LORD's entire community says: 'What's this disrespectful thing that you've done to the God of Israel? Today you've turned away from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar as an act of rebellion against the LORD. 17Wasn't the offense of Peor enough for us? Even today we still haven't cleansed ourselves from that sin, when there was a plague on the LORD's community!18Today you are turning away from following the LORD. If you rebel against the LORD today, he will be angry with the entire community of Israel tomorrow. 19If your own property is unclean land, then cross over into the land of the LORD's property and settle among us. That's where the dwelling of the LORD stands. But don't rebel against the LORD. And don't involve us in rebelliona by building an altar for yourselves other than the altar of the LORD our God. 20Didn't Achan, Zerah's son, do such a disrespectful thing with the items reserved for God? Wrath came on the entire community of Israel. And he wasn't the only one to die for his crime.'"
21Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the military units of Israel: 22"The LORD is God of gods! The LORD is God of gods! He already knows, and now let