Ezekiel 45:1-8
“ When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance, you must set aside a donation to the Lord, a holy portion of the land, 8 1/3 miles long and 6 2/3 miles wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.In this area there will be a square section for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 feet, with 87 1/2 feet of open space all around it.From this holy portion, you will measure off an area 8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place, will stand.It will be a holy area of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who draw near to serve the Lord. It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.There will be another area 8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide for the Levites who minister in the temple; it will be their possession for towns to live in.“ As the property of the city, you must set aside an area 1 2/3 of a mile wide and 8 1/3 miles long, adjacent to the holy donation of land. It will be for the whole house of Israel.And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy donation of land and the city’s property, adjacent to the holy donation and the city’s property, stretching to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side. Its length will correspond to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary.This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress My people but give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
Joshua 21:2-42
At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them,“ The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.”So the Israelites, by the Lord’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance.The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of Aaron the priest received 13 cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.The remaining descendants of Kohath received 10 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh.Gershon’s descendants received 13 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.Merari’s descendants received 12 cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.The Israelites gave these cities with their pasturelands around them to the Levites by lot, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.The Israelites gave these cities by name from the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeonto the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because they received the first lot.They gave them Kiriath-arba( that is, Hebron) with its surrounding pasturelands in the hill country of Judah. Arba was the father of Anak.But they gave the fields and villages of the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.They gave to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands— nine cities from these two tribes.From the tribe of Benjamin they gave: Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands— four cities.All 13 cities with their pasturelands were for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.The allotted cities to the remaining clans of Kohath’s descendants, who were Levites, came from the tribe of Ephraim.The Israelites gave them: Shechem, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth-horon with its pasturelands— four cities.From the tribe of Dan they gave: Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands— four cities.From half the tribe of Manasseh they gave: Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands— two cities.All 10 cities with their pasturelands were for the clans of Kohath’s other descendants.From half the tribe of Manasseh, they gave to the descendants of Gershon, who were one of the Levite clans: Golan, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in Bashan, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands— two cities.From the tribe of Issachar they gave: Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En-gannim with its pasturelands— four cities.From the tribe of Asher they gave: Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands— four cities.From the tribe of Naphtali they gave: Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands— three cities.All 13 cities with their pasturelands were for the Gershonites by their clans.From the tribe of Zebulun, they gave to the clans of the descendants of Merari, who were the remaining Levites: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands— four cities.From the tribe of Reuben they gave: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahzah with its pasturelands,Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands— four cities.From the tribe of Gad they gave: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands— four cities in all.All 12 cities were allotted to the clans of Merari’s descendants, the remaining Levite clans.Within the Israelite possession there were 48 cities in all with their pasturelands for the Levites.Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.
