Joshua 13-22
Expanded Bible
Land Still to Be Taken
13 When Joshua was very old, the Lord said to him, “Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to ·take [possess; conquer]. 2 This is what is left: the regions of Geshur and of the Philistines [C the southern coastline along the Mediterranean Sea]; 3 the area from the Shihor River [C Wadi el-Arish located below Gaza] ·at the border [east; L in front] of Egypt ·to [L to the border of] Ekron in the north, which ·belongs to the Canaanites [L is regarded/counted as Canaanite]; the five Philistine ·leaders [rulers; lords] at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites, 4 ·who live south of the Canaanite land, from Arah of the Sidonians [C the people of the northern coastal plains] to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; 5 the ·Gebalites [C inhabitants of the city of Byblos, located north of modern Beirut], and the area of Lebanon east of Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 “The Sidonians are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, but I will ·force [drive] all of them out ahead of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Be sure to ·remember this land when you divide the land among the Israelites [L allocate this land to Israel as an inheritance], as I ·told [commanded] you.
7 “Now divide the land ·among [L as an inheritance among] the nine tribes and ·West [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh.”
Dividing the Land
8 ·East Manasseh and [L With it; C referring to the other half-tribe of Manasseh] the tribes of Reuben and Gad had received their ·land [inheritance]. The Lord’s servant Moses had given them the land east of the Jordan River [Deut. 3:18–20]. 9 ·Their land started at [L From] Aroer at the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] ·and continued to [or including] the town in the middle of the ravine, and it included the whole ·plain [or plateau] from Medeba to Dibon. 10 All the towns ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in the city of Heshbon, were in that land. The land continued to the area where the Ammonites lived. 11 Gilead [12:3] was also there, as well as the area where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived, and all of Mount Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah. 12 All the kingdom of Og king of Bashan was in the land [12:4–5]. Og was ·one of the last [L from the remnant] of the Rephaites, and in the past he ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had ·defeated [struck] them and had taken their land. 13 Because the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] did not ·force [drive] out the people of Geshur and Maacah, they still live among the Israelites today.
14 The tribe of Levi was the only one that ·did not get any land [L he gave no inheritance]. Instead, they were given all the burned sacrifices [C a portion of the food offerings] made to the Lord, the God of Israel, as he had promised them [14:3–4; Num. 3:45; 35:1–8].
15 Moses had given each ·family group [clan] from the tribe of Reuben some land: 16 Theirs was the land from Aroer near the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] to the town of Medeba, including the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ·ravine [valley]; 17 Heshbon and all ·the [L its] towns on the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the ·hills [slopes] of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21 So that land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that Sihon king of the Amorites had ruled from the town of Heshbon. Moses had defeated him along with the leaders of the Midianites, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All these ·leaders [princes] ·fought together with [or were subjects of] Sihon and lived in that country. 22 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·killed [L slayed with the sword] many people during the fighting, including Balaam of Beor, who ·tried to use magic to tell the future [practiced divination; Num. 22–24]. 23 The land given to Reuben stopped at the shore of the Jordan River. So the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben included all these towns and their villages.
24 This is the land Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to all its ·family groups [clans]: 25 the land of Jazer and all the towns of Gilead; half the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near Rabbah; 26 the area from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim; the area from Mahanaim to the land of Debir; 27 in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the ·other land [rest of the kingdom] Sihon king of Heshbon had ruled east of the Jordan River and continuing to the end of Lake ·Galilee [L Kinnereth]. 28 ·All this land went to [L This is the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Gad, including all these towns and their villages.
29 This is the land Moses had given to ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Half of all the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Manasseh were given this land: 30 The land started at Mahanaim and included all of Bashan [12:4] and the land ruled by Og king of Bashan; all the towns of Jair in Bashan, sixty cities in all; 31 half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities where Og king of Bashan had ruled. All this went to the ·family [or descendants; L children/sons] of Makir son of Manasseh, and half of all his ·sons [descendants] were given this land.
32 Moses had given this land to these tribes on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River east of Jericho [Num. 32:32, 39–42]. 33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi because the Lord, the God of Israel, promised that he himself would be the gift for the Levites [v. 14; 18:7; Num. 18:20; Deut. 18:1–8].
14 Eleazar the priest [the son of Aaron; Ex. 28:1; Num. 34:17], Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [L heads of the fathers] of all the tribes of Israel decided what land to give to the people in the land of Canaan. 2 The Lord had commanded Moses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine-and-a-half tribes threw lots [C casting lots left the decision to God; the Urim and Thummim may have been used; Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21] to decide which land they would receive. 3 Moses had already given the two-and-a-half tribes their land east of the Jordan River. But the tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance] like the others. 4 The sons of Joseph had ·divided into [L become] two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance]. It was given only some towns in which to live and pastures for its ·animals [L cattle and property]. 5 The Lord had told Moses how to give the land to the tribes of Israel, and the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] divided the land.
Caleb’s Land
6 One day ·some men from the tribe of Judah [L the sons/descendants of Judah] went to Joshua at Gilgal [4:19]. Among them was Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. He said to Joshua, “You remember what the Lord said at Kadesh Barnea when he was speaking to ·the prophet Moses [L Moses, the man of God] about you and me [Num. 14:6–9, 24, 30]. 7 Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me to ·look at [spy out] the land where we were going. I was forty years old then. When I came back, I ·told Moses what I thought about the land [brought back an honest report; L brought him word as it was in my heart; Num. 13:30]. 8 The other men who went with me ·frightened the people [L made the heart of the people melt; Num. 13:27–29; 14:1–4], but I ·fully believed the Lord would allow us to take the land [or remained loyal to the Lord; L followed the Lord]. 9 So that day Moses ·promised [swore to; made an oath to] me, ‘The land where ·you went [L your foot has trodden] will become your ·land [inheritance], and your children will own it forever. I will give you that land because you ·fully believed in [or remained loyal to; L followed] the Lord, my God.’
10 “Now then, [L look; T behold] the Lord has kept his promise. He has kept me alive for forty-five years from the time he said this to Moses during the time ·we all [L Israel] wandered in the ·desert [wilderness]. Now ·here [L look; T behold] I am, eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out, ·and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then [L my strength then is like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in]. 12 So give me the mountain country the Lord promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that the ·Anakite people [Anakim] lived there and the cities were large and well protected. But now with the Lord helping me, I will ·force [drive] them out, just as the Lord said.”
13 Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him the city of Hebron [C southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean hills] as his ·own [L inheritance]. 14 Hebron still ·belongs to [remains the inheritance of] the family of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he ·had faith and obeyed [remained loyal to; L wholly followed] the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 (In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba, named for Arba, the greatest man among the Anakites.)
After this ·there was peace in the land [L the land had rest from war].
Land for Judah
15 The ·land that was given to [allotment for] the tribe of Judah was divided among all the ·family groups [clans]. It went all the way to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin in the far south, at the border of Edom.
2 The southern border of Judah’s land started at the south end of the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea 3 and went south of ·Scorpion Pass [or the ascent of Akrabbim] to Zin. From there it passed to the south of Kadesh Barnea and continued past Hezron to Addar. From Addar it turned and went to Karka. 4 It continued to Azmon, the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt, and then to the ·Mediterranean Sea [L Sea]. This was the southern border.
5 The eastern border was the shore of the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan River.
The northern border started at the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River. 6 Then it went to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 7 Then ·the northern border went [L the border went up] through the Valley of Achor to Debir where it turned toward the north and went to Gilgal. Gilgal is ·across from the road that goes through [L opposite] Adummim Pass, on the south side of the ·ravine [valley; gorge]. The border continued to the waters of En Shemesh and stopped at En Rogel. 8 Then it went through the Valley of ·Ben [the Son of] Hinnom, next to the southern ·side [slope] of the Jebusite city (·which is called [that is,] Jerusalem). There the border went to the top of the hill on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of the Valley of ·Giants [L Raphaim]. 9 From there it went to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and then it went to the cities near Mount Ephron. There it turned and went toward Baalah, ·which is called [that is,] Kiriath Jearim. 10 At Baalah the border turned west and went toward Mount Seir. It continued along the ·north side [northern slope] of Mount Jearim (also called Kesalon) and ·came [or descended] to Beth Shemesh. From there it ·went past [or crossed to] Timnah 11 to the ·hill north [northern slope] of Ekron. Then it turned toward Shikkeron and ·went past [or crossed to] Mount Baalah and continued on to Jabneel, ending at the sea.
12 The ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea was the western border. Inside these borders lived the ·family groups [clans] of Judah.
13 The Lord had commanded Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh ·part of the land [a portion] in Judah, so he gave Caleb the town of Kiriath Arba, ·also called [that is,] Hebron [14:13]. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 14 Caleb ·forced [drove] out the three ·Anakite families [L sons of Anak] living in Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. 15 Then he left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.) 16 Caleb said, “I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife. 18 When Acsah came to ·Othniel [L him; C could be Othniel or Caleb], she ·told him to ask [or asked] her father for a field.
So Acsah went to her father. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”
19 Acsah answered, “·Do me a special favor [L Give me a blessing]. Since you have given me land in ·southern Canaan [L the Negev], also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 ·The tribe of Judah got the land God had promised them [L This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah]. ·Each family group got part of the land [L …according to its clans].
21 The tribe of Judah got all these towns in the ·southern part of Canaan [extreme south; L Negev] near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (also called Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. There were twenty-nine towns and their villages.
33 The tribe of Judah got these towns in the ·western foothills [lowlands]: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (also called Gederothaim). There were fourteen towns and their villages.
37 Judah was also given Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
42 Judah was also given Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah. There were nine towns and their villages.
45 Judah was also given Ekron and all the small towns and villages near it; 46 the area west of Ekron and all the villages and small towns near Ashdod; 47 Ashdod and the small towns and villages around it; the villages and small towns around Gaza as far as the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt and along the coast of the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea.
48 Judah was also given these towns in the ·mountains [hill country]: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (also called Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. There were eleven towns and their villages.
52 They were also given Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), and Zior. There were nine towns and their villages.
55 Judah was also given Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. There were ten towns and their villages.
58 They were also given Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. There were six towns and their villages.
60 They were also given the two towns of Rabbah and Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim) and their villages.
61 Judah was given these towns in the ·desert [wilderness]: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. There were six towns and all their villages.
63 The ·army [people; L sons] of Judah was not able to ·force [drive] out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites still live among the people of Judah to this day.
Land for Ephraim and Manasseh
16 This is the ·land [allotment] the ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Joseph received. It started at the Jordan River near Jericho and continued to the ·waters [springs] of Jericho, just east of the city. The border went up from Jericho to the ·mountains [hill country] of Bethel [C located northwest of Jersusalem]. 2 Then it continued from Bethel ·(also called Luz) [or to Luz] ·to [crossing over to] the Arkite border at Ataroth. 3 From there it went west to the ·border [L territory] of the Japhletites and continued to the area of the Lower Beth Horon. Then it went to Gezer and ended at the sea.
4 So Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, received their ·land [inheritance].
5 This is the land that was given to the ·family groups [clans] of Ephraim: Their border [L of their inheritance] started at Ataroth Addar in the east, went to Upper Beth Horon, 6 and then to the sea. From Micmethath [L on the north] it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and ·continued eastward [or passing by it on the east] to Janoah. 7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah. It continued until it touched Jericho and stopped at the Jordan River. 8 The border went from Tappuah west to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook] and ended at the sea. This is all the ·land [inheritance] that was given to each ·family group [clan] in the tribe of the Ephraimites. 9 ·Many of the towns were actually within Manasseh’s borders, but the people of Ephraim got those towns and their villages [L …and the cities set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages]. 10 The Ephraimites could not ·force the Canaanites to leave [drive out the Canaanites living in] Gezer, so the Canaanites still live among the Ephraimites today, but they became ·slaves [forced laborers] of the Ephraimites.
17 Then land was ·given [allotted] to the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s ·first son [firstborn; Gen. 41:51]. Manasseh’s ·first son [firstborn] was Makir [Gen. 50:23], the ·father of Gilead [or ancestor of the Gileadites]. ·Makir was a great soldier [or His descendants were great solders], so the lands of Gilead and Bashan were given to his family. 2 ·Land [An allotment] was also given to the other ·family groups of Manasseh [L sons/descendants of Manasseh, by their clans]—[L the sons/descendants of] Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were ·all the other sons [the male descendants] of Manasseh son of Joseph.
3 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, who was the son of Gilead, who was the son of Makir, who was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad had no sons, but he had five daughters, named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They ·went to [presented themselves before] Eleazar the priest [14:1; 19:51; 21:1] and to Joshua son of Nun and all the leaders. They said, “The Lord told Moses to give us land ·like the men received [L among/or along with our brothers; Num. 26:33; 27:1–7].” So ·Eleazar [or Joshua; L he] obeyed the Lord and gave the daughters ·some land [an inheritance], ·just like [or among] the brothers of their father. 5 So the tribe of Manasseh had ten sections of land ·west of the Jordan River and two more sections, [L in addition to] Gilead and Bashan [12:3–4], on the east side of the Jordan River. 6 The daughters of Manasseh received ·land just as the sons did [L an inheritance among/along with his sons]. Gilead was given to the rest of the ·families [sons; descendants] of Manasseh.
7 The ·lands [border] of Manasseh ·were in the area between Asher and [L ran from Asher to] Micmethath, ·near [or east of] Shechem. The border went south to the ·En Tappuah area [L inhabitants of En Tappuah], 8 which belonged to Manasseh, except for the town of Tappuah. It was along the border of Manasseh’s land and belonged to the ·sons [people; tribe] of Ephraim. 9 The border of Manasseh continued south to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook]. The cities in this area of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the ravine and went to the sea. 10 The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north belonged to Manasseh. The ·Mediterranean Sea [L sea] was the western border. The border touched Asher’s land on the north and Issachar’s land on the east.
11 In the areas of Issachar and Asher, the people of Manasseh ·owned [included; had] these towns: Beth ·Shan [or Shean] and its small towns; Ibleam and its small towns; the people who lived in Dor and its small towns; the people in ·Naphoth Dor [or Dor, that is, Naphoth; L Dor…the third is Naphoth] and its small towns; the people who lived in Taanach and its small towns; the people in Megiddo and its small towns. 12 ·Manasseh [L The sons/descendants of Manasseh] was not able to defeat those cities, so the Canaanites ·continued [persisted; were determined] to live there. 13 When the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] grew strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, although they did not ·force them to leave the land [drive them out completely; Judg. 1:27–28].
14 The ·people from the tribes [sons/descendants] of Joseph said to Joshua, “You gave ·us [L me] only one ·area of land [L portion as an inheritance], but ·we are many [L I am a great] people. Why did you give us only one part of all the land the Lord gave his people?”
15 And Joshua answered them, “If you have too many people, go up to the forest and ·make a place [clear out land] for yourselves to live there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaites. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is too small for you.”
16 The ·people [L sons/descendants] of Joseph said, “It is true. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is not enough for us, but the Canaanites who live in the valley have ·strong armies [L iron chariots], both in Beth Shan and all the small towns in that area, and in the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 Then Joshua said to the ·people [L house] of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “There are many of you, and you have great power. You should be given more than one ·share of land [allotment]. 18 You also will have the ·mountain [hill] country. It is a forest, but you can ·cut down the trees and make it a good place to live [L clear it and possess its farthest border]. You will own all of it because you will ·force the Canaanites to leave the land [drive out the Canaanites] even though they have ·powerful weapons [L iron chariots] and are strong.”
The Rest of the Land Divided
18 All of the Israelites [L the whole congregation of the sons/T children of Israel] gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent [Ex. 33:7–11]. The land was now under their control. 2 But there were still seven tribes of Israel that had not yet received their ·land [inheritance].
3 So Joshua said to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]: “·Why do you wait so long [L How long will you delay] to take your land? The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you. 4 Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to study the land. They will ·describe in writing [or make a map of] the land their tribe wants as its ·share [inheritance], and then they will come back to me. 5 They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will keep their land in the south, and the ·people [house] of Joseph will keep their land in the north. 6 You should ·describe [or map out] the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites do not ·get any part of these lands [have an allotment among you], because ·they are priests, and their work is to serve [L their portion/inheritance is the priesthood of] the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh have received the ·land [inheritance] promised to them, which is east of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave it to them [Deut. 3:18–20].”
8 So the men who were chosen to map the land started out. Joshua told them, “Go and study the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me, and I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.” 9 So the men left and ·went into [passed through] the land. They ·described [mapped out] in a scroll each town in the seven parts of the land. Then they came back to Joshua, who was still at the camp at Shiloh. 10 There Joshua ·threw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord to ·choose [apportion] the lands that should be given to each tribe.
Land for Benjamin
11 The first ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Benjamin. Each ·family group [clan] received some land between the land of Judah and the land of Joseph. This is the land chosen for Benjamin: 12 The northern border started at the Jordan River and went along the northern ·edge [slope] of Jericho, and then it went west into the ·mountains [hill country]. That boundary continued ·until it was just east [L to the desert/wilderness] of Beth Aven. 13 From there it ·went [crossed] south to Luz (also called Bethel) and then down to Ataroth Addar, which is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 At the hill to the south of Beth Horon, the border turned and went south near the western side of the hill. It went to Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a town ·where people of Judah lived [L of the sons/descendants of Judah]. This was the western border.
15 The southern border started ·near [at the edge of] Kiriath Jearim and went west to the ·waters [spring] of Nephtoah. 16 Then ·it [L the boundary] went down to the bottom of the hill, which was near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley just south of the Jebusite city to En Rogel. 17 There it turned north and went to En Shemesh. It continued to Geliloth ·near [opposite] the Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the ·great Stone [L Stone] of Bohan son of Reuben. 18 The border continued to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Arabah and went down into the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah]. 19 From there it went to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north shore of the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea, ·where the Jordan River flows into the sea [L at the mouth of the Jordan in the south]. This was the southern border.
20 The Jordan River was the border on the eastern side. So this was the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin with the borders on all sides.
21 The ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin received these cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve towns and all their villages.
25 The tribe of Benjamin also received Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen towns and their villages. All these areas are the lands the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin were given.
Land for Simeon
19 The second ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Simeon. Each ·family group [clan] received some of the land ·inside the area [in the midst of the inheritance of the sons/descendants] of Judah. 2 They received Beersheba (also called Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen. There were thirteen towns and their villages.
7 They received the towns of Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, four towns and their villages. 8 They also received all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (this is the same as Ramah in ·southern Canaan [L the Negev]). So ·these were the lands given to [this was the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Simeon. 9 The land of the Simeonites was taken from part of the land of Judah. Since Judah had much more land than they needed, the Simeonites received ·part of their land [L their inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance].
Land for Zebulun
10 The third ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Zebulun [C in southwestern Galilee, north of West Manasseh and east of the coastal tribe of Asher]. Each ·family group [clan] of Zebulun received some of the land. The border of Zebulun went as far as Sarid. 11 Then it went west to Maralah and ·came near [touched] Dabbesheth and then ·near [L the brook/valley in front of/east of] Jokneam. 12 Then it turned ·to the east [L eastward toward the sunrise]. It went from Sarid to the area of Kisloth Tabor and on to Daberath and ·to [L up to] Japhia. 13 It continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin, ending at Rimmon. There the border turned and went toward Neah. 14 At Neah it turned again and went to the north to Hannathon and continued to the Valley of Iphtah El. 15 Inside this border were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.
16 So these are the towns and the villages that were given to the ·family groups [clans] of Zebulun.
Land for Issachar
17 The fourth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Issachar [C in southern Galilee, southeast of Zebulun and north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Issachar received some of the land. 18 Their land included Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border of their land touched the area called Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh and stopped at the Jordan River. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23 These cities and towns were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Issachar.
Land for Asher
24 The fifth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Asher [C along the Mediterranean coast north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Asher received some of the land. 25 Their land included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal.
The western border touched Mount Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 Then it turned east and went to Beth Dagon, touching Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. Then it went north of Beth Emek and Neiel and passed north to Cabul. 28 From there it went to Abdon,[a] Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah and continued to Greater Sidon. 29 Then the border went back south toward Ramah and continued to the ·strong, walled [fortified] city of Tyre. There it turned and went toward Hosah, ending at the sea. This was in the area of Aczib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31 These cities and their villages were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [L the sons/descendants of] Asher.
Land for Naphtali
32 The sixth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Naphtali [C east and north of the Sea of Galilee]. Each ·family group [clan] of Naphtali received some of the land. 33 The border of their land started at the ·large tree [L oak] in Zaanannim, ·which is near [or in] Heleph. Then it went through Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan River. 34 Then it went to the west through Aznoth Tabor and ·stopped at [extended to] Hukkok. It ·went to the area of [touched] Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah, at the Jordan River, on the east. 35 The ·strong, walled [fortified] cities inside these borders were called Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 ·Iron [or Yirom], Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and all their villages.
39 The towns and the villages around them were ·in the land that was given to [the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [L the sons/descendants of] Naphtali.
Land for Dan
40 The seventh ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Dan [L between Ephraim and Judah along the Mediterranean coast]. Each ·family group [clan] of Dan received some of the land. 41 ·Their land [L The territory of their inheritance] included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon, Rakkon, and the area ·near [or opposite] Joppa.
47 (·But the Danites had trouble taking their land [L When the territory of the sons/descendants of Dan was lost to them…]. They went and fought against Leshem [or Laish; C in the far north between Naphtali and West Manasseh], defeated it, and ·killed the people who lived there [L struck it with the edge of the sword]. So the Danites ·moved into [L took possession and settled in] the town of Leshem and changed its name to Dan, because he was the father of their tribe.) 48 All of these towns and villages were given to the ·family groups [clans] of Dan.
Land for Joshua
49 After ·the leaders [L they] finished dividing the land and giving it to the different tribes, the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] gave Joshua son of Nun ·his land [an inheritance] also. 50 They gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, just as the Lord commanded. He built up the town and lived there.
51 So these ·lands [inheritances] were given to the different tribes of Israel. Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [L heads of the fathers] of each tribe divided up the land by lots at Shiloh. They met in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent [18:1]. Now they were finished dividing the land.
Cities of Safety
20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to ·choose [designate] the special cities of ·safety [refuge], as I had Moses command you to do [Num. 35:1–8]. 3 If a person kills someone accidentally and without meaning to kill him, that person may go to a city of ·safety [refuge] to hide. There the killer will be safe from the ·relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; L avenger of blood].
4 “When the killer ·runs [flees] to one of those cities, he must stop at the entrance ·gate [L of the city gate], stand there, and tell the ·leaders of the people [L elders of that city] what happened [C the council of leaders met at the city gate and held trials there; Deut. 21:19; Ruth 4:1]. Then that person will be allowed to enter the city and will be given a place to live among them. 5 But if the ·one who is chasing him [near-relative; L avenger of blood] follows him to that city, ·the leaders of the city [L they] must not hand over the ·killer [manslayer]. It was an accident. He did not hate him beforehand or kill him on purpose. 6 ·The killer [L He] must stay in the city until ·a court comes to a decision [L he stands before the congregation for judgment] and until the high priest dies [Num. 35:25–28; C the high priest’s death may have marked a general amnesty]. Then he may go back home to the town from which he ran away.”
7 So the Israelites chose these cities to be cities of ·safety [refuge]: Kedesh in Galilee in the ·mountains [hill country] of Naphtali; Shechem in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah; 8 Bezer ·on the east side of the Jordan River near [L beyond the Jordan east of] Jericho in the ·desert [wilderness plain] in the land of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead in the land of Gad; and Golan in Bashan in the land of Manasseh. 9 Any Israelite or ·anyone living among them [resident alien; sojourner] who killed someone accidentally was to be allowed to run to one of these cities of ·safety [refuge]. There he would not be killed, before he ·was judged [L stood before the congregation], by the ·relative who had the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; L avenger of blood].
Towns for the Levites
21 The heads of the ·Levite families [L fathers of the Levites] went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the ·families [fathers] of all the tribes of Israel. 2 At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said to them, “The Lord commanded Moses that you give us towns where we may live and pastures for our animals.” 3 So the Israelites obeyed this command of the Lord and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures ·for their own land [L from their own inheritance/possessions]: 4 The Kohath ·family groups [clans] were part of the tribe of Levi [C the three sons of Levi were Kohath, Gershom, and Merari; Ex. 6:16; Num. 3:17]. Some of the Levites in the Kohath ·family groups [clans] were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were ·given [allotted; given by lot] thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The ·other family groups [L rest of the sons/descendants] of Kohath were given ten towns in the areas of Ephraim, Dan, and ·West [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh.
6 The ·people from the Gershon family groups [L sons/descendants of Gershom] were given thirteen towns ·in the land [L from the clans of the tribe] of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the East Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The ·family groups [L clans of the sons/descendants] of Merari were given twelve towns in the areas of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] gave the Levites these towns and the pastures around them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
9 These are the names of the towns that came from the ·lands [L tribe of the sons/descendants] of Judah and Simeon. 10 The first ·choice of towns [L lot] was given to the Kohath ·family groups [clans] of the Levites. 11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, and all its pastures in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12 But the fields and the villages around Kiriath Arba had been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh [L as his possession].
13 So they gave the city of Hebron to the descendants of Aaron (Hebron was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]). They also gave them the towns of Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, and all the pastures around them. Nine towns were given from these two tribes.
17 ·They also gave the people of Aaron these cities that belonged to [L And from] the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon. They gave them these four towns and the pastures around them.
19 So these thirteen towns with their pastures were given to the priests, who were from the ·family [L sons; descendants] of Aaron.
20 The other Kohathite ·family groups [clans] of the Levites were ·given [allotted] these towns from the tribe of Ephraim: 21 Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim (which was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon. There were four towns and their pastures.
23 The tribe of Dan gave them Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. There were four towns and their pastures.
25 ·West [L The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon and the pastures around these two towns.
26 So these ten towns and the pastures around them were given to the rest of the Kohathite ·family groups [clans].
27 The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] of the Levite tribe were given these towns: ·East [L The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Golan in Bashan, which was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer], and Be Eshtarah, and the pastures around these two towns.
28 The tribe of Issachar gave them Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, and the pastures around these four towns.
30 The tribe of Asher gave them Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob, and the pastures around these four towns.
32 The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee (a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, and the pastures around these three towns.
33 So the Gershonite ·family groups [clans] received thirteen towns and the pastures around them.
34 The Merarite ·family groups [clans] (the rest of the Levites) were given these towns: The tribe of Zebulun gave them Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, and the pastures around these four towns.
36 The tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the pastures around these four towns.
38 The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead (a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer, and the pastures around these four towns.
40 So the total number of towns given to the Merarite ·family groups [clans] was twelve.
41 A total of forty-eight towns with their pastures in the ·land [L midst of the possession of the sons/T children of Israel] of Israel were given to the Levites. 42 Each town had pastures around it [L this was true of all the cities].
43 So the Lord gave ·the people [L Israel] all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there. 44 The Lord gave them ·peace [rest] on all sides, as he had ·promised [sworn to] their ancestors. None of their enemies ·defeated [could resist] them; the Lord handed all their enemies ·over to them [L into their hands]. 45 He kept every promise he had made to the Israelites; each one came true.
Three Tribes Go Home
22 Then Joshua called a meeting of the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L half-tribe of] Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything Moses, the Lord’s servant, told you to do. You have also obeyed ·all my commands [L my voice in all I commanded you]. 3 For a long time you have ·supported [L not abandoned/forsaken] the other Israelites. You have been careful to ·obey the commands [or carry out the task] the Lord your God gave you [Deut. 3:18–20]. 4 The Lord your God promised to give the Israelites ·peace [rest], and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you, ·on the east side of [L beyond] the Jordan River. 5 But be careful to obey the ·teachings [commandment] and laws Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you: to love the Lord your God and ·obey his commands [L walk in his paths], to ·continue to follow [L hold fast to] him and serve him ·the very best you can [L with all your heart and with all your soul].”
6 Then Joshua ·said good-bye to [blessed] them, and ·they left and [L sent them away and they] went away to their ·homes [L tents]. 7 Moses had given the land of Bashan to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan River to ·West Manasseh [L the other half]. And he sent them to their homes and he blessed them. 8 He said, “Go back to your homes with your riches. You have many animals, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and many beautiful clothes. Divide among ·yourselves [L your brothers] the ·things [plunder] you have taken from your enemies.
9 So the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh left the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] at Shiloh in Canaan and went back to Gilead. It was their own land, given to them by Moses as the Lord had commanded.
10 The people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a ·beautiful [or imposing; impressive] altar. 11 The ·other Israelites still at Shiloh [L sons/T children of Israel] heard about the altar these three tribes built at the border of Canaan at Geliloth, near the Jordan River on Israel’s side. 12 All the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] became very angry at these three tribes, so ·they [L the whole assembly/congregation] met together and decided to ·fight [wage war against] them [C because they considered this idolatry; Deut. 13:12–18].
13 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. 14 They also sent ·one leader [L ten leaders, one] from each of the ten tribes at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader ·of his family group [among the clans] of Israelites.
15 These leaders went to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh. They said: 16 “·All the Israelites [L The whole assembly/congregation of the Lord] ask you: ‘Why did you ·turn against [break faith by turning away from] the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is ·against God’s law [L rebellion this day against the Lord]. 17 ·Remember what happened at Peor [L Wasn’t the sin of Peor enough; Num. 24]? We still ·suffer today [L have not cleansed/purified ourselves] because of that sin, for which ·God made many Israelites very sick [L a plague came against the congregation/assembly of the Lord]. 18 And now are you turning against the Lord and refusing to follow him?
“‘If you ·don’t stop what you’re doing [L rebel against the Lord] today, the Lord will be angry with ·everyone in Israel [the whole congregation/assembly] tomorrow. 19 If your land is ·unclean [C in a ritual sense], come over into our land where the Lord’s ·Tent [T Tabernacle] is. Share it with us. But don’t ·turn [rebel] against the Lord and us by building another altar for the Lord our God. 20 ·Remember how [L Is it not true that…?] Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about ·what must be completely destroyed [L the devoted things; 7:1–26]. That one man broke God’s law, but ·all the Israelites [L the whole assembly/congregation] were punished. ·Achan died because of his sin, but others also died [L And he did not die alone for his sin].’”
21 The people from Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh answered [L the heads of the clans of Israel], 22 “·The Lord is God of gods! [or El, God, the Lord] ·The Lord is God of gods [or El, God, the Lord]! God knows, and we want you to know also. If we have ·done something wrong [L rebelled or broken faith with the Lord], ·you may kill us [L do not spare us today]. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings [1:1–17] or ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 2:1] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1], may the Lord himself punish us.
24 “We did not build it for that reason. We feared that someday your people would not accept us as part of your nation. Then they might say, ‘·You cannot worship [L What do you have to do with…?] the Lord, the God of Israel. 25 The Lord made the Jordan River a border between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You ·cannot worship [L have no share/portion in] the Lord.’ So we feared that your children might make our ·children [descendants] stop ·worshiping [L fearing] the Lord.
26 “That is why we decided to build this altar. But it is not for burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices. 27 This altar is ·proof to [witness between] you and us and to all our ·children [generations] who will come after us that we ·worship the Lord [L do the service of the Lord before him] with our whole burnt offerings, grain, and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings. This was so your ·children [descendants] would not say to our ·children [descendants], ‘You ·are not the Lord’s [L have no share/portion in the Lord].’
28 “In the future if ·your children [L they] say that to us or our ·children [generations], we can say, ‘See the altar made by our ancestors. It is ·exactly like [a copy/model of] the Lord’s altar, but we do not use it for burnt offerings or sacrifices. It ·shows that we are part of Israel [L is a witness between us and you].’
29 “·Truly, we don’t want to be [L Far be it from us to rebel] against the Lord or to ·stop following [turn away from] him by building an altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], or sacrifices. We know the only true altar to the Lord our God is in front of the ·Holy Tent [T Tabernacle].”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the ·ten leaders [L leaders of the congregation, the heads of the clans of the families of Israel,] heard the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, they were ·pleased [satisfied]. 31 So Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “·Now [L Today] we know the Lord is ·with us [L in our midst] ·and that you didn’t turn against [or because you have not broken faith with] him. Now ·the Israelites will not be punished by [L you have rescued the Israelites from the hand of] the Lord.”
32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and went back to Canaan where they told the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] what had happened. 33 They were ·pleased [satisfied] and thanked God. So they ·decided not to fight [L talked no more about going to war against] the people of Reuben and Gad and destroy those lands.
34 And the people of Reuben and Gad named the altar ·Proof That We Believe the Lord Is God [L A Witness Between Us—That the Lord Is God; or Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God”].
Footnotes
- Joshua 19:28 Abdon Some Hebrew copies read “Ebron.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
