David said to the Gibeonites, “What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless ¹  the Lord’s inheritance?”

Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, ¹  the ends of the earth as your personal property.

I will bring you to the land I swore to give ¹  to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob – and I will give it to you ²  as a possession. I am the Lord!’”

Remember your people ¹  whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued ²  so they could be your very own nation, ³  as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

I was angry at my people; I defiled my special possession and handed them over to you. You showed them no mercy; ¹  you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ² 

There is no other God like you! ¹  You ²  forgive sin and pardon ³  the rebellion of those who remain among your people. ⁴  You do not remain angry forever, ⁵  but delight in showing loyal love.

They ¹  will have no inheritance in the midst of their fellow Israelites; ²  the Lord alone is their inheritance, just as he had told them.

However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance ¹  to the Levites; their inheritance ²  is the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed ³  them.

The one who conquers ¹  will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Then I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. ¹  I will enter into judgment ²  against them there concerning my people Israel who are my inheritance, ³  whom they scattered among the nations. They partitioned my land,

Simeon’s assigned land was taken from Judah’s allotted portion, for Judah’s territory was too large for them; so Simeon was assigned land within Judah. ¹ 

Yes! ¹  The king may ²  listen and deliver his female servant ³  from the hand of the man who seeks to remove ⁴  both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’ ⁵ 

I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to destroy an important city ¹  in Israel. Why should you swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”

I will abandon this last remaining tribe among my people ¹  and hand them over to their enemies; they will be plundered and robbed by all their enemies, ² 

At that time ¹  the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. ²  Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ” ³ 

Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹  the flock that belongs to you, ²  the one that lives alone in a thicket, in the midst of a pastureland. ³  Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ⁴  as they did in the old days. ⁵ 

They are your people, your valued property, ¹  whom you brought out with great strength and power. ² 

Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance ¹  among his brothers; ²  the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him.

Now Moses had assigned land ¹  to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land ²  to the Levites. ³ 

The third lot belonged to the tribe of Zebulun ¹  by its clans. The border of their territory ²  extended to Sarid.