Meditate

Joshua 21

21. Towns for Levites

¹ Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel ² at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.” ³ So, as the LORD had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

    ⁴ The first lot came out for the Kohathites, according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

    ⁶ The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

    ⁷ The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

    ⁸ So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

    ⁹ From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name ¹⁰ (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):

    ¹¹ They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) ¹² But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

    ¹³ So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, ¹⁴ Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵ Holon, Debir, ¹⁶ Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

    ¹⁷ And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸ Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

    ¹⁹ The total number of towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

    ²⁰ The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

    ²¹ In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, ²² Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

    ²³ Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, ²⁴ Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

    ²⁵ From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

    ²⁶ All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

    ²⁷ The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

   from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

   Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

    ²⁸ from the tribe of Issachar,

   Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹ Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

    ³⁰ from the tribe of Asher,

   Mishal, Abdon, ³¹ Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

    ³² from the tribe of Naphtali,

   Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

    ³³ The total number of towns of the Gershonite clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

    ³⁴ The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

   from the tribe of Zebulun,

   Jokneam, Kartah, ³⁵ Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

    ³⁶ from the tribe of Reuben,

   Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷ Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

    ³⁸ from the tribe of Gad,

   Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, ³⁹ Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

    ⁴⁰ The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.

    ⁴¹ The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. ⁴² Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

    ⁴³ So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Luke 16:16-18

16. Additional Teachings

¹⁶ “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. ¹⁷ It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

   ¹⁸ “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

   

Psalm 80

80. Psalm 80

¹ Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
   you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
   shine forth ² before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
   come and save us.

    ³ Restore us, O God;
   make your face shine on us,
   that we may be saved.

    ⁴ How long, LORD God Almighty,
   will your anger smolder
   against the prayers of your people?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears;
   you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
⁶ You have made us an object of derision Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text contention to our neighbors,
   and our enemies mock us.

    ⁷ Restore us, God Almighty;
   make your face shine on us,
   that we may be saved.

    ⁸ You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
   you drove out the nations and planted it.
⁹ You cleared the ground for it,
   and it took root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade,
   the mighty cedars with its branches.
¹¹ Its branches reached as far as the Sea, Probably the Mediterranean
   its shoots as far as the River. That is, the Euphrates

    ¹² Why have you broken down its walls
   so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
¹³ Boars from the forest ravage it,
   and insects from the fields feed on it.
¹⁴ Return to us, God Almighty!
   Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine,
    ¹⁵ the root your right hand has planted,
   the son Or branch you have raised up for yourself.

    ¹⁶ Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
   at your rebuke your people perish.
¹⁷ Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
   the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you;
   revive us, and we will call on your name.

    ¹⁹ Restore us, LORD God Almighty;
   make your face shine on us,
   that we may be saved.