1. And the leaders of the families of Levi approached Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the rulers of the extended families of each of the tribes of the sons of Israel.
2. And they spoke to them at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, and they said, "The Lord instructed, by the hand of Moses, that cities should be given to us as habitations, with their suburbs to nourish our cattle."
3. And so the sons of Israel gave cities and their suburbs from their possessions, in accord with the order of the Lord.
4. And the lot went out for the family of Kohath, of the sons of Aaron, the priest, from the tribes of Judah and Simeon and Benjamin: thirteen cities.
5. And to the remainder of the sons of Kohath, that is, to the Levites who were left over, there went, from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan, and from the one half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
6. And next the lot went out to the sons of Gershon, so that they would receive, from the tribes of Issachar and Asher and Naphtali, and from the one half tribe of Manasseh at Bashan: the number of thirteen cities.
7. And to the sons of Merari, by their families, from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Zebulun, there went twelve cities.
8. And so the sons of Israel gave cities and their suburbs to the Levites, just as the Lord instructed by the hand of Moses, distributing to each by lot.