1. The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders
2. in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us cities in which to live along with the grazing areas for our cattle.”
3. So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings, as the Lord had instructed.
4. The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5. The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6. Gershon’s descendants were allotted thirteen cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7. Merari’s descendants by their clans were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8. So the Israelites assigned to the Levites by lot these cities and their grazing areas, as the Lord had instructed Moses.
9. They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.