Study Desk

"Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders."

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali."

I gave the Reubenites and Gadites the land from Gilead down to the Brook Arnon, whose middle was the boundary, and as far as the Jabbok River, the boundary line of the People of Ammon. The western boundary was the Jordan River in the Arabah all the way from the Kinnereth (the Sea of Galilee) to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea or Dead Sea) at the base of the slopes of Mount Pisgah on the east.

They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hills of Naphtali, Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hills of Judah.

From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (an asylum-city for the unconvicted killer), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, with their pastures—three towns.

At the end of twenty years, having built the two buildings, The Temple of God and his personal palace, Solomon rewarded Hiram king of Tyre with a gift of twenty villages in the district of Galilee. Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and cypress and gold that he had wanted. But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn't like what he saw.

After Solomon had completed building The Temple of God and his own palace, all the projects he had set his heart on doing, God appeared to Solomon again, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And God said to him, "I've listened to and received all your prayers, your ever-so-passionate prayers. I've sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I've set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgments, then I'll back your kingly rule over Israel, make it a sure thing on a solid foundation. The same guarantee I gave David your father I'm giving you: ‘You can count on always having a descendant on Israel's throne.' "But if you or your sons betray me, ignoring my guidance and judgments, taking up with alien gods by serving and worshiping them, then the guarantee is off: I'll wipe Israel right off the map and repudiate this Temple I've just sanctified to honor my Name. And Israel will become nothing but a bad joke among the peoples of the world. And this Temple, splendid as it now is, will become an object of contempt; visitors will shake their heads, saying, ‘Whatever happened here? What's the story behind these ruins?' Then they'll be told, ‘The people who used to live here betrayed their God , the very God who rescued their ancestors from Egypt; they took up with alien gods, worshiping and serving them. That's what's behind this God -visited devastation.'" At the end of twenty years, having built the two buildings, The Temple of God and his personal palace, Solomon rewarded Hiram king of Tyre with a gift of twenty villages in the district of Galilee. Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and cypress and gold that he had wanted. But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn't like what he saw. He said, "What kind of reward is this, my friend? Twenty backwoods hick towns!" People still refer to them that way. This is all Hiram got from Solomon in exchange for four and a half tons of gold! This is the work record of the labor force that King Solomon raised to build The Temple of God , his palace, the defense complex (the Millo), the Jerusalem wall, and the fortified cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Pharaoh king of Egypt had come up and captured Gezer, torched it, and killed all the Canaanites who lived there. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, Solomon's wife. So Solomon rebuilt Gezer. He also built Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tamar in the desert, back-country storehouse villages, and villages for chariots and horses. Solomon built widely and extravagantly in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and wherever he fancied. The remnants from the original inhabitants of the land (Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—all non-Israelites), survivors of the holy wars, were rounded up by Solomon for his gangs of slave labor, a policy still in effect. But true Israelites were not treated this way; they were used in his army and administration—government leaders and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also the project managers responsible for Solomon's building operations—550 of them in charge of the workforce. It was after Pharaoh's daughter ceremonially ascended from the City of David and took up residence in the house built especially for her that Solomon built the defense complex (the Millo). Three times a year Solomon worshiped at the Altar of God , sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings, and burning incense in the presence of God . Everything that had to do with The Temple he did generously and well; he didn't skimp. And ships! King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, located near Elath in Edom on the Red Sea. Hiram sent seaworthy sailors to assist Solomon's men with the fleet. They embarked for Ophir, brought back sixteen tons of gold, and presented it to King Solomon.

After Solomon had completed building The Temple of God and his own palace, all the projects he had set his heart on doing, God appeared to Solomon again, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And God said to him, "I've listened to and received all your prayers, your ever-so-passionate prayers. I've sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I've set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgments, then I'll back your kingly rule over Israel, make it a sure thing on a solid foundation. The same guarantee I gave David your father I'm giving you: ‘You can count on always having a descendant on Israel's throne.' "But if you or your sons betray me, ignoring my guidance and judgments, taking up with alien gods by serving and worshiping them, then the guarantee is off: I'll wipe Israel right off the map and repudiate this Temple I've just sanctified to honor my Name. And Israel will become nothing but a bad joke among the peoples of the world. And this Temple, splendid as it now is, will become an object of contempt; visitors will shake their heads, saying, ‘Whatever happened here? What's the story behind these ruins?' Then they'll be told, ‘The people who used to live here betrayed their God , the very God who rescued their ancestors from Egypt; they took up with alien gods, worshiping and serving them. That's what's behind this God -visited devastation.'" At the end of twenty years, having built the two buildings, The Temple of God and his personal palace, Solomon rewarded Hiram king of Tyre with a gift of twenty villages in the district of Galilee. Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and cypress and gold that he had wanted. But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn't like what he saw. He said, "What kind of reward is this, my friend? Twenty backwoods hick towns!" People still refer to them that way. This is all Hiram got from Solomon in exchange for four and a half tons of gold! This is the work record of the labor force that King Solomon raised to build The Temple of God , his palace, the defense complex (the Millo), the Jerusalem wall, and the fortified cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Pharaoh king of Egypt had come up and captured Gezer, torched it, and killed all the Canaanites who lived there. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, Solomon's wife. So Solomon rebuilt Gezer. He also built Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tamar in the desert, back-country storehouse villages, and villages for chariots and horses. Solomon built widely and extravagantly in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and wherever he fancied.

During the reign of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser III king of Assyria invaded the country. He captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee—the whole country of Naphtali—and took everyone captive to Assyria.

And these are the places where the priestly families were assigned to live. The first assignment went by lot to the sons of Aaron of the Kohathite family; they were given Hebron in the land of Judah and all the neighboring pastures. Caleb the son of Jephunneh got the fields and villages around the city. The family of Aaron was also given the cities of refuge, with pastures included: Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh. They were also given Geba from the tribe of Benjamin, Alemeth, and Anathoth, all with pastures included. In all, thirteen cities were distributed among the Kohathite families. The rest of the Kohathites were given another ten cities, distributed by lot from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan. The sons of Merari, family by family, were assigned by lot twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. The sons of Israel gave the Levites both the cities and their pastures. They also distributed by lot cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Some of the Kohath families were given their cities from the tribe of Ephraim, cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth Horon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon—all with their pastures. The rest of the sons of Kohath were given Aner and Bileam with their pastures from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth; from the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem; from the tribe of Asher, Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob; from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim. The rest of the sons of Merari got Rimmono and Tabor from the tribe of Zebulun; Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath from the tribe of Reuben to the east of the Jordan; and Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer from the tribe of Gad. Pastures were included in all these towns.

But there'll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he'll make that whole area glorious— the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee.

Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."