2. There at Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we were to be given cities to live in, as well as pasture land round them for our livestock.”
3. So in accordance with the Lord's command the people of Israel gave the Levites certain cities and pasture lands out of their own territories.
4. The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5. The rest of the clan of Kohath was assigned ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.
6. The clan of Gershon was assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh.
7. The families of the clan of Merari were assigned twelve cities from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8. By drawing lots, the people of Israel assigned these cities and their pasture lands to the Levites, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9. These are the names of the cities from the territories of Judah and Simeon which were given
10. to the descendants of Aaron who were of the clan of Kohath, which was descended from Levi. Their assignment was the first to be made.
11. They were given the city of Arba (Arba was Anak's father), now called Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasture land surrounding it.
12. However, the fields of the city, as well as its towns, had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13. In addition to Hebron (one of the cities of refuge), the following cities were assigned to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Libnah,
14. Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15. Holon, Debir,
16. Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands: nine cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon.
17. From the territory of Benjamin they were given four cities: Gibeon, Geba,
18. Anathoth, and Almon, with their pasture lands.