Study Desk

"Command the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, that is, the land of Canaan according to its borders.

'Your southern region shall extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward.

'Then your border shall change direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be to the south of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall reach Hazaraddar and continue to Azmon.

'Then the border shall change direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.

'As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your western border.

'And this shall be your northern border: you shall draw your boundary from the Great Sea to Mount Hor.

'You shall draw a boundary from Mount Hor to the Lebo-hamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad;

and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.

'For your eastern border you shall also draw a boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham,

and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth.

'And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders on all sides.'"

"These are the names of the men who shall assign the land to you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.

"And you shall take one leader of each tribe to assign the land as an inheritance.

"Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.

"The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their equipment and for all their other animals.

"The pasture lands of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around.

"You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

"The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.

"The total number of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands.

"As for the cities which you shall give them from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger, and you shall take fewer from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his inheritance which he possesses."