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Joshua 16-18
New International Version

Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh

16 The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan, east of the springs of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert(A) into the hill country of Bethel.(B) 2 It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz(C)),[a] crossed over to the territory of the Arkites(D) in Ataroth,(E) 3 descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon(F) and on to Gezer,(G) ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

4 So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.(H)

5 This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans:

The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar(I) in the east to Upper Beth Horon(J) 6 and continued to the Mediterranean Sea. From Mikmethath(K) on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah(L) on the east. 7 Then it went down from Janoah(M) to Ataroth(N) and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah(O) the border went west to the Kanah Ravine(P) and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, according to its clans. 9 It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.(Q)

10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.(R)

17 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh(S) as Joseph’s firstborn,(T) that is, for Makir,(U) Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead(V) and Bashan(W) because the Makirites were great soldiers. 2 So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh(X)—the clans of Abiezer,(Y) Helek, Asriel,(Z) Shechem, Hepher(AA) and Shemida.(AB) These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher,(AC) the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters,(AD) whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. 4 They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord’s command.(AE) 5 Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,(AF) 6 because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

7 The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher(AG) to Mikmethath(AH) east of Shechem.(AI) The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. 8 (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah(AJ) itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) 9 Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine.(AK) There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 10 On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher(AL) on the north and Issachar(AM) on the east.(AN)

11 Within Issachar(AO) and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan,(AP) Ibleam(AQ) and the people of Dor,(AR) Endor,(AS) Taanach(AT) and Megiddo,(AU) together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth[b]).(AV)

12 Yet the Manassites were not able(AW) to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.(AX)

14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.”(AY)

15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest(AZ) and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites(BA) and Rephaites.(BB)”

16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron,(BC) both those in Beth Shan(BD) and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”(BE)

17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment(BF) 18 but the forested hill country(BG) as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron(BH) and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

Division of the Rest of the Land

18 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh(BI) and set up the tent of meeting(BJ) there. The country was brought under their control, 2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.

3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it,(BK) according to the inheritance of each.(BL) Then they will return to me. 5 You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south(BM) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.(BN) 6 After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots(BO) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.(BP) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.(BQ)”

8 As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it.(BR) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh(BS) in the presence of the Lord.” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots(BT) for them in Shiloh in the presence(BU) of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.(BV)

Allotment for Benjamin

11 The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness(BW) of Beth Aven.(BX) 13 From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz(BY) (that is, Bethel(BZ)) and went down to Ataroth Addar(CA) on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

14 From the hill facing Beth Horon(CB) on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim),(CC) a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.

15 The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.(CD) 16 The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim.(CE) It continued down the Hinnom Valley(CF) along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.(CG) 17 It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth,(CH) which faces the Pass of Adummim,(CI) and ran down to the Stone of Bohan(CJ) son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah[c](CK) and on down into the Arabah.(CL) 19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah(CM) and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea,(CN) at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.

20 The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.

These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.(CO)

21 The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:

Jericho, Beth Hoglah,(CP) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah,(CQ) Zemaraim,(CR) Bethel,(CS) 23 Avvim,(CT) Parah, Ophrah,(CU) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba(CV)—twelve towns and their villages.

25 Gibeon,(CW) Ramah,(CX) Beeroth,(CY) 26 Mizpah,(CZ) Kephirah,(DA) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah,(DB) Haeleph, the Jebusite city(DC) (that is, Jerusalem(DD)), Gibeah(DE) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.(DF)

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.(DG)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 16:2 Septuagint; Hebrew Bethel to Luz
  2. Joshua 17:11 That is, Naphoth Dor
  3. Joshua 18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah
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Joshua 16-18
New King James Version

Ephraim and West Manasseh

16 The lot [a]fell to the children of Joseph from the Jordan, by Jericho, to the waters of Jericho on the east, to the (A)wilderness that goes up from Jericho through the mountains to [b]Bethel, 2 then went out [c]from (B)Bethel to Luz, passed along to the border of the Archites at Ataroth, 3 and went down westward to the boundary of the Japhletites, (C)as far as the boundary of Lower Beth Horon to (D)Gezer; and [d]it ended at the sea.

4 (E)So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their [e]inheritance.

The Land of Ephraim

5 (F)The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was thus: The border of their inheritance on the east side was (G)Ataroth Addar (H)as far as Upper Beth Horon.

6 And the border went out toward the sea on the north side of (I)Michmethath; then the border went around eastward to Taanath Shiloh, and passed by it on the east of Janohah. 7 Then it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and [f]Naarah, reached to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan.

8 The border went out from (J)Tappuah westward to the (K)Brook Kanah, and [g]it ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families. 9 (L)The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.

10 (M)And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers.

The Other Half-Tribe of Manasseh (West)

17 There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the (N)firstborn of Joseph: namely for (O)Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war; therefore he was given (P)Gilead and Bashan. 2 And there was a lot for (Q)the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: (R)for the children of [h]Abiezer, the children of Helek, (S)the children of Asriel, the children of Shechem, (T)the children of Hepher, and the children of Shemida; these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3 But (U)Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. And these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 And they came near before (V)Eleazar the priest, before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the rulers, saying, (W)“The Lord commanded Moses to give us an [i]inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore, according to the commandment of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers. 5 Ten shares fell to (X)Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side of the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons; and the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.

7 And the territory of Manasseh was from Asher to (Y)Michmethath, that lies east of Shechem; and the border went along south to the inhabitants of En Tappuah. 8 Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but (Z)Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. 9 And the [j]border descended to the [k]Brook Kanah, southward to the brook. (AA)These cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook; and it ended at the sea.

10 Southward it was Ephraim’s, northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was its border. Manasseh’s territory was adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. 11 And in Issachar and in Asher, (AB)Manasseh had (AC)Beth Shean and its towns, Ibleam and its towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, the inhabitants of En Dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns—three hilly regions. 12 Yet (AD)the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 13 And it happened, when the children of Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to (AE)forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

More Land for Ephraim and Manasseh

14 (AF)Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only (AG)one [l]lot and one share to inherit, since we are (AH)a great people, inasmuch as the Lord has blessed us until now?”

15 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.”

16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have (AI)chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are (AJ)of the Valley of Jezreel.”

17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one [m]lot, 18 but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its [n]farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, (AK)though they have iron chariots and are strong.”

The Remainder of the Land Divided

18 Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together (AL)at Shiloh, and (AM)set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. 2 But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance.

3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: (AN)“How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you? 4 Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven parts. (AO)Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the (AP)house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. 6 You shall therefore [o]survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, (AQ)that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 (AR)But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. (AS)And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

8 Then the men arose to go away; and Joshua charged those who went to [p]survey the land, saying, “Go, walk (AT)through the land, survey it, and come back to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went, passed through the land, and [q]wrote the survey in a book in seven parts by cities; and they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 10 Then Joshua cast (AU)lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there (AV)Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their [r]divisions.

The Land of Benjamin

11 (AW)Now the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot came out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12 (AX)Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the mountains westward; it ended at the Wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 The border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz (AY)(which is Bethel) southward; and the border descended to Ataroth Addar, near the hill that lies on the south side (AZ)of Lower Beth Horon.

14 Then the border extended around the west side to the south, from the hill that lies before Beth Horon southward; and [s]it ended at (BA)Kirjath Baal (which is Kirjath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west side.

15 The south side began at the end of Kirjath Jearim, and the border extended on the west and went out to (BB)the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before (BC)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is in the Valley of the [t]Rephaim on the north, descended to the Valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite city on the south, and descended to (BD)En Rogel. 17 And it went around from the north, went out to En Shemesh, and extended toward Geliloth, which is before the Ascent of Adummim, and descended to (BE)the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 Then it passed along toward the north side of [u]Arabah, and went down to Arabah. 19 And the border passed along to the north side of Beth Hoglah; then [v]the border ended at the north bay at the (BF)Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

20 The Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its boundaries all around, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages; 25 (BG)Gibeon, (BH)Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Eleph, (BI)Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 16:1 Lit. went out
  2. Joshua 16:1 LXX Bethel Luz
  3. Joshua 16:2 LXX to Bethel,
  4. Joshua 16:3 Lit. the goings out of it were at the sea
  5. Joshua 16:4 possession
  6. Joshua 16:7 Naaran, 1 Chr. 7:28
  7. Joshua 16:8 Lit. the goings out of it were at the sea
  8. Joshua 17:2 Jeezer, Num. 26:30
  9. Joshua 17:4 possession
  10. Joshua 17:9 boundary
  11. Joshua 17:9 Wadi
  12. Joshua 17:14 allotment
  13. Joshua 17:17 allotment
  14. Joshua 17:18 Lit. goings out
  15. Joshua 18:6 describe in writing
  16. Joshua 18:8 describe in writing
  17. Joshua 18:9 described it in writing
  18. Joshua 18:10 portions
  19. Joshua 18:14 Lit. its goings out were
  20. Joshua 18:16 Lit. Giants
  21. Joshua 18:18 Beth Arabah, Josh. 15:6; 18:22
  22. Joshua 18:19 Lit. the goings out of the border were
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Joshua 16-18
New American Standard Bible

Territory of Ephraim

16 Then the lot for the sons of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east into (A)the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel. 2 It went from Bethel to Luz, and (B)continued to the border of the Archites at Ataroth. 3 Then it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of lower (C)Beth-horon even to (D)Gezer, and [a]it ended at the sea.

4 The (E)sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. 5 Now this was the territory of the sons of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance eastward was (F)Ataroth-addar, as far as upper Beth-horon. 6 Then the border went westward at (G)Michmethath on the north, and the border turned eastward to Taanath-shiloh and continued beyond it to the east of Janoah. 7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to (H)Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan. 8 From (I)Tappuah the border continued westward to the [b]brook of Kanah, and [c]it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families, 9 together with the cities which were set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. 10 (J)But they did not [d]drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so (K)the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.

Territory of Manasseh

17 Now this was the lot for the tribe of (L)Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, [e]were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. 2 So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer, the sons of Helek, the sons of Asriel, the sons of Shechem, the sons of Hepher, and the sons of Shemida; these were the male [f]descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3 However, (M)Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So (N)in accordance with the [g]command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers. 5 So ten portions fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the (O)land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

7 The border of Manasseh [h]ran from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; then the border went [i]southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but (P)Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim. 9 And the (Q)border went down to the [j]brook of Kanah, southward of the [k]brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh), and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the [l]brook, and [m]it ended at the sea. 10 The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side to Manasseh, and the sea was [n]their border; and they reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east. 11 In Issachar and in Asher, (R)Manasseh had Beth-shean and its towns and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the third is (S)Napheth. 12 (T)But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in this land. 13 And it came about when the sons of Israel became strong, (U)they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not [o]drive them out completely.

14 Then the (V)sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, though I am a numerous people whom the Lord has blessed up to this point?” 15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go [p]up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 The sons of Joseph then said, “The hill country is not enough for us, but all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have (W)iron chariots, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 But Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, 18 but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its [q]farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall [r]drive out the Canaanites, even though they have (X)iron chariots and though they are strong.”

Rest of the Land Divided

18 Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at (Y)Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

2 But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance. 3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “(Z)How long will you [s]put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide for yourselves three men from [t]each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall [u]return to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven portions; (AA)Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. (AB)Then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 For (AC)the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is [v]their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write a description of the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in (AD)Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 (AE)Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

The Territory of Benjamin

11 Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot [w]lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. 12 (AF)Their border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and [x]it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 Then from there the border continued to (AG)Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of (AH)lower Beth-horon. 14 And the border changed direction from there and turned around on the west side southward, from the hill which lies opposite Beth-horon southward; and [y]it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side. 15 Then the (AI)south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border went down to the edge of the hill which is [z]in the (AJ)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. 17 Then it turned northward and went to En-shemesh, and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the (AK)stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah. 19 Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the [aa]border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and according to its borders all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, and Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and (AL)Geba; twelve cities with their villages. 25 Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah, 28 (AM)Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the (AN)sons of Benjamin according to their families.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 16:3 Lit the goings out of it were
  2. Joshua 16:8 Or wadi
  3. Joshua 16:8 Lit the goings out of it were
  4. Joshua 16:10 Or dispossess
  5. Joshua 17:1 Lit and there was to him
  6. Joshua 17:2 Lit sons
  7. Joshua 17:4 Lit mouth
  8. Joshua 17:7 Lit was
  9. Joshua 17:7 Lit to the right hand
  10. Joshua 17:9 Or wadi
  11. Joshua 17:9 Or wadi
  12. Joshua 17:9 Or wadi
  13. Joshua 17:9 Lit goings out of it were
  14. Joshua 17:10 Lit its
  15. Joshua 17:13 Or dispossess
  16. Joshua 17:15 Lit up for yourself
  17. Joshua 17:18 Lit goings out
  18. Joshua 17:18 Or dispossess
  19. Joshua 18:3 Or show yourselves lax in
  20. Joshua 18:4 Lit the
  21. Joshua 18:4 Lit come
  22. Joshua 18:7 Lit his
  23. Joshua 18:11 Lit went out
  24. Joshua 18:12 Lit the goings out of it were
  25. Joshua 18:14 Lit the goings out of it were
  26. Joshua 18:16 Lit on the face of
  27. Joshua 18:19 Lit goings out of the border were
Close NLT

Joshua 16-18
New Living Translation

The Land Given to Ephraim and West Manasseh

16 The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan River near Jericho, east of the springs of Jericho, through the wilderness and into the hill country of Bethel. 2 From Bethel (that is, Luz)[a] it ran over to Ataroth in the territory of the Arkites. 3 Then it descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer and over to the Mediterranean Sea.[b]

4 This was the homeland allocated to the families of Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

The Land Given to Ephraim

5 The following territory was given to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim.

The boundary of their homeland began at Ataroth-addar in the east. From there it ran to Upper Beth-horon, 6 then on to the Mediterranean Sea. From Micmethath on the north, the boundary curved eastward past Taanath-shiloh to the east of Janoah. 7 From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River. 8 From Tappuah the boundary extended westward, following the Kanah Ravine to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim.

9 In addition, some towns with their surrounding villages in the territory allocated to the half-tribe of Manasseh were set aside for the tribe of Ephraim. 10 They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, however, so the people of Gezer live as slaves among the people of Ephraim to this day.

The Land Given to West Manasseh

17 The next allotment of land was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph’s older son. Makir, the firstborn son of Manasseh, was the father of Gilead. Because his descendants were experienced soldiers, the regions of Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan had already been given to them. 2 So the allotment on the west side of the Jordan was for the remaining families within the clans of the tribe of Manasseh: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These clans represent the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph.

3 However, Zelophehad, a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons. He had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 These women came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us a grant of land along with the men of our tribe.”

So Joshua gave them a grant of land along with their uncles, as the Lord had commanded. 5 As a result, Manasseh’s total allocation came to ten parcels of land, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan River, 6 because the female descendants of Manasseh received a grant of land along with the male descendants. (The land of Gilead was given to the rest of the male descendants of Manasseh.)

7 The boundary of the tribe of Manasseh extended from the border of Asher to Micmethath, near Shechem. Then the boundary went south from Micmethath to the settlement near the spring of Tappuah. 8 The land surrounding Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh’s territory, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. 9 From the spring of Tappuah, the boundary of Manasseh followed the Kanah Ravine to the Mediterranean Sea.[c] Several towns south of the ravine were inside Manasseh’s territory, but they actually belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. 10 In general, however, the land south of the ravine belonged to Ephraim, and the land north of the ravine belonged to Manasseh. Manasseh’s boundary ran along the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. North of Manasseh was the territory of Asher, and to the east was the territory of Issachar.

11 The following towns within the territory of Issachar and Asher, however, were given to Manasseh: Beth-shan,[d] Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphoth-dor),[e] Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.

12 But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region. 13 Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land.

14 The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?”

15 Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live.”

16 The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”

17 Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. 18 The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.”

The Allotments of the Remaining Land

18 Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle.[f] 2 But there remained seven tribes who had not yet been allotted their grants of land.

3 Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you? 4 Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to explore the land and map it out. They will then return to me with a written report of their proposed divisions of their new homeland. 5 Let them divide the land into seven sections, excluding Judah’s territory in the south and Joseph’s territory in the north. 6 And when you record the seven divisions of the land and bring them to me, I will cast sacred lots in the presence of the Lord our God to assign land to each tribe.

7 “The Levites, however, will not receive any allotment of land. Their role as priests of the Lord is their allotment. And the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh won’t receive any more land, for they have already received their grant of land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan River.”

8 As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua commanded them, “Go and explore the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will assign the land to the tribes by casting sacred lots here in the presence of the Lord at Shiloh.” 9 The men did as they were told and mapped the entire territory into seven sections, listing the towns in each section. They made a written record and then returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 And there at Shiloh, Joshua cast sacred lots in the presence of the Lord to determine which tribe should have each section.

The Land Given to Benjamin

11 The first allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. It lay between the territory assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.

12 The northern boundary of Benjamin’s land began at the Jordan River, went north of the slope of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary went south to Luz (that is, Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar on the hill that lies south of Lower Beth-horon.

14 The boundary then made a turn and swung south along the western edge of the hill facing Beth-horon, ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a town belonging to the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.

15 The southern boundary began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. From that western point it ran[g] to the spring at the waters of Nephtoah,[h] 16 and down to the base of the mountain beside the valley of Ben-Hinnom, at the northern end of the valley of Rephaim. From there it went down the valley of Hinnom, crossing south of the slope where the Jebusites lived, and continued down to En-rogel. 17 From En-rogel the boundary proceeded in a northerly direction and came to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth (which is across from the slopes of Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan. (Bohan was Reuben’s son.) 18 From there it passed along the north side of the slope overlooking the Jordan Valley.[i] The border then went down into the valley, 19 ran past the north slope of Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea,[j] which is the southern end of the Jordan River. This was the southern boundary.

20 The eastern boundary was the Jordan River.

These were the boundaries of the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

The Towns Given to Benjamin

21 These were the towns given to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their surrounding villages. 25 Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, the Jebusite town (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim[k]—fourteen towns with their surrounding villages.

This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

Footnotes

  1. 16:2 As in Greek version (also see 18:13); Hebrew reads From Bethel to Luz.
  2. 16:3 Hebrew the sea; also in 16:6, 8.
  3. 17:9 Hebrew the sea; also in 17:10.
  4. 17:11a Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan; also in 17:16.
  5. 17:11b The meaning of the Hebrew here is uncertain.
  6. 18:1 Hebrew Tent of Meeting.
  7. 18:15a Or From there it went to Mozah. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  8. 18:15b Or the spring at Me-nephtoah.
  9. 18:18 Hebrew overlooking the Arabah, or overlooking Beth-arabah.
  10. 18:19 Hebrew Salt Sea.
  11. 18:28 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Kiriath.
Listen to Joshua 16-18
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Joshua 16-18
The Message

Joseph

16 1-3 The lot for the people of Joseph went from the Jordan near Jericho, east of the spring of Jericho, north through the desert mountains to Bethel. It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) to the territory of the Arkites in Ataroth. It then descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites to the region of Lower Beth Horon and on to Gezer, ending at the Sea.

4 This is the region from which the people of Joseph—Manasseh and Ephraim—got their inheritance.

* * *

5-9 Ephraim’s territory by clans:

The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon and then west to the Sea. From Micmethath on the north it turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh and passed along, still eastward, to Janoah. The border then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah; it touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan. From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook Kanah and ended at the Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim by clans, including the cities set aside for Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh—all those towns and their villages.

10 But they didn’t get rid of the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. Canaanites are still living among the people of Ephraim, but they are made to do forced labor.

* * *

17 1-2 This is the lot that fell to the people of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn. (Gilead and Bashan had already been given to Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and father of Gilead, because he was an outstanding fighter.) So the lot that follows went to the rest of the people of Manasseh and their clans, the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

3-4 Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “God commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our kinsmen.” And Joshua did it; he gave them, as God commanded, an inheritance amid their father’s brothers.

5-6 Manasseh’s lot came to ten portions, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan on the other side of the Jordan, because Manasseh’s daughters got an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

7-10 The boundary of Manasseh went from Asher all the way to Micmethath, just opposite Shechem, then ran southward to the people living at En Tappuah. (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself on the border of Manasseh belonged to the Ephraimites.) The boundary continued south to the Brook Kanah. (The cities there belonged to Ephraim although they lay among the cities of Manasseh.) The boundary of Manasseh ran north of the brook and ended at the Sea. The land to the south belonged to Ephraim; the land to the north to Manasseh, with the Sea as their western border; they meet Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also held Beth Shan, Ibleam, and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, together with their villages, and the third in the list is Naphoth.

12-13 The people of Manasseh never were able to take over these towns—the Canaanites wouldn’t budge. But later, when the Israelites got stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor. But they never did get rid of them.

* * *

14 The people of Joseph spoke to Joshua: “Why did you give us just one allotment, one solitary share? There are a lot of us, and growing—God has extravagantly blessed us.”

15 Joshua responded, “Since there are so many of you, and you find the hill country of Ephraim too confining, climb into the forest and clear ground there for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”

16 But the people of Joseph said, “There’s not enough hill country for us; and the Canaanites who live down in the plain, both those in Beth Shan and its villages and in the Valley of Jezreel, have iron chariots.”

17-18 Joshua said to the family of Joseph (to Ephraim and Manasseh): “Yes, there are a lot of you, and you are very strong. One lot is not enough for you. You also get the hill country. It’s nothing but trees now, but you will clear the land and make it your own from one end to the other. The powerful Canaanites, even with their iron chariots, won’t stand a chance against you.”

The Shiloh Survey

18 1-2 Then the entire congregation of the People of Israel got together at Shiloh. They put up the Tent of Meeting.

The land was under their control but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had yet to receive their inheritance.

3-5 Joshua addressed the People of Israel: “How long are you going to sit around on your hands, putting off taking possession of the land that God, the God of your ancestors, has given you? Pick three men from each tribe so I can commission them. They will survey and map the land, showing the inheritance due each tribe, and report back to me. They will divide it into seven parts. Judah will stay in its territory in the south and the people of Joseph will keep to their place in the north.

6 “You are responsible for preparing a survey map showing seven portions. Then bring it to me so that I can cast lots for you here in the presence of our God.

7 “Only the Levites get no portion among you because the priesthood of God is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh already have their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, given to them by Moses the servant of God.”

8 So the men set out. As they went out to survey the land, Joshua charged them: “Go. Survey the land and map it. Then come back to me and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of God.”

9 So off the men went. They covered the ground and mapped the country by towns in a scroll. Then they reported back to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh.

10 Joshua cast the lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of God. That’s where Joshua divided up the land to the People of Israel, according to their tribal divisions.

Benjamin

11 The first lot turned up for the tribe of Benjamin with its clans. The border of the allotment went between the peoples of Judah and Joseph.

12-13 The northern border began at the Jordan, then went up to the ridge north of Jericho, ascending west into the hill country into the wilderness of Beth Aven. From there the border went around to Luz, to its southern ridge (that is, Bethel), and then down from Ataroth Addar to the mountain to the south of Lower Beth Horon.

14 There the border took a turn on the west side and swung south from the mountain to the south of Beth Horon and ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the west side.

15-19 The southern border began at the edge of Kiriath Jearim on the west, then ran west until it reached the spring, the Waters of Nephtoah. It then descended to the foot of the mountain opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom (which flanks the Valley of Rephaim to the north), descended to the Hinnom Valley, just south of the Jebusite ridge, and went on to En Rogel. From there it curved north to En Shemesh and Geliloth, opposite the Red Pass (Adummim), down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, continued toward the north flank of Beth Arabah, then plunged to the Arabah. It then followed the slope of Beth Hoglah north and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea—the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

20 The east border was formed by the Jordan.

This was the inheritance of the people of Benjamin for their clans, marked by these borders on all sides.

21-28 The cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were:

Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,

Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—

twelve towns with their villages.

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath Jearim—

fourteen cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance for Benjamin, according to its clans.

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