Joshua 16-18
Complete Jewish Bible
16 The border of the territory chosen by lot for the descendants of Yosef began from the Yarden at Yericho, at the spring of Yericho on the east, went up from Yericho through the hills and desert to Beit-El, 2 went out from Beit-El to Luz, passed on to the border with the Arki to ‘Atarot, 3 went down westward to the border with the Yafleti, to the border of Lower Beit-Horon, on to Gezer and ending at the sea. 4 So the descendants of Yosef, M’nasheh and Efrayim took the inheritance.
5 The border of the descendants of Efrayim according to their families was as follows: the eastern border of their inheritance began at ‘Atrot-Adar and went to Upper Beit-Horon; 6 then the border extended westward, with Mikhm’tat on the north; next the border turned eastward to Ta’anat-Shiloh and passed by it to the east of Yanochah; 7 then it went down from Yanochah to ‘Atarot, went to Na‘arah, extended to Yericho and ended at the Yarden. 8 From Tapuach the border went westward to Vadi Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Efrayim according to their families, 9 together with the cities set aside for the descendants of Efrayim inside the territory to be inherited by the descendants of M’nasheh, all the cities with their villages. 10 They did not drive out the Kena‘ani living in Gezer, so the Kena‘ani live together with Efrayim to this day, having become slaves to do the heavy work.
17 This was the territory chosen by lot for the tribe of M’nasheh, for he was the firstborn of Yosef. As for Makhir the firstborn of M’nasheh, the father of Gil‘ad, because he was a warrior he got Gil‘ad and Bashan. 2 So the lot was drawn for the other descendants of M’nasheh according to their families — for the descendants of Avi‘ezer, Helek, Asri’el, Sh’khem, Hefer and Sh’mida; these were the male descendants of M’nasheh according to their families.
3 But Tz’lof’chad the son of Hefer, the son of Gil‘ad, the son of Makhir, the son of M’nasheh, had no sons, only daughters; these are the names of his daughters: Machlah, No‘ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. 4 They approached El‘azar the cohen, Y’hoshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, “Adonai ordered Moshe to give us an inheritance together with our kinsmen.” Therefore, in keeping with Adonai’s order, he gave them an inheritance together with the kinsmen of their father. 5 Thus ten parts fell to M’nasheh, in addition to the land of Gil‘ad and Bashan beyond the Yarden, 6 because the daughters of M’nasheh had an inheritance along with his descendants; but the land of Gil‘ad belonged to the rest of the descendants of M’nasheh.
7 The border of M’nasheh began at Asher and went to Mikhm’tat, which is across from Sh’khem; next the border went along to the right, to the people of ‘Ein-Tapuach. 8 The land of Tapuach belonged to M’nasheh, but Tapuach on the border of M’nasheh belonged to the descendants of Efrayim. 9 The border descended to Vadi Kanah, south of the vadi, by cities which belonged to Efrayim among the cities of M’nasheh; but the border with M’nasheh was on the north side of the vadi, and it ended at the sea. 10 Southward it was Efrayim’s, northward it was M’nasheh’s, and the sea was its border; while to the north they extended to Asher, and on the east to Yissakhar.
11 In Asher and Yissakhar, M’nasheh had Beit-Sh’an and its villages; Yivle‘am and its villages; and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, of ‘Ein-Dor and its villages, of Ta‘anakh and its villages, and of Megiddo and its villages — three districts in all. 12 But the descendants of M’nasheh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; the Kena‘ani wanted to stay in that land. 13 After the people of Isra’el had become strong, they made the Kena‘ani do heavy labor but didn’t completely drive them out.
14 Then the descendants of Yosef spoke to Y’hoshua; they said, “Why have you given me only one lot and only one portion to inherit? After all, I am a great people, since Adonai has blessed me so.” 15 Y’hoshua answered them, “If you are a great people, go up to the forest, and clear land for yourself there in the territory of the P’rizi and the Refa’im — since the hills of Efrayim don’t give you enough space.” 16 The descendants of Yosef replied, “The hills won’t be enough for us; and all the Kena‘ani living in the valleys have iron chariots — both those in Beit-Sh’an and its villages and those in the Yizre‘el Valley.” 17 Then Y’hoshua said to the house of Yosef, to both Efrayim and M’nasheh, “You are a great people with much power; you will not have only one lot, 18 but the hills too will be yours. Although it is a forest, you will clear it, and the resulting open land will be yours. You will drive out the Kena‘ani, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”
18 The entire community of the people of Isra’el assembled themselves together at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there, after the land had been subdued before them. 2 There still remained among the people of Isra’el seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance. 3 Y’hoshua said to the people of Isra’el, “How long will you delay going in to take possession of the land which Adonai the God of your ancestors has given you? 4 Appoint three men for each tribe; I will commission them; and they are to set out, go through the land and describe it according to their inheritance; then they are to come back to me. 5 They are to divide it into seven portions, with Y’hudah remaining in its territory to the south and the house of Yosef in their territory to the north. 6 You will describe seven portions of land and bring the descriptions here to me; then I will cast lots for you here before Adonai our God. 7 But the L’vi’im have no share with you, because the office of cohen to Adonai is their inheritance; and Gad and Re’uven and the half-tribe of M’nasheh have received their inheritance beyond the Yarden to the east, which Moshe the servant of Adonai gave them.”
8 So the men got up and went. Y’hoshua gave them this commission as they left to describe the land: “Go; walk through the land; and describe it; then come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Adonai in Shiloh.” 9 The men went and passed through the land, surveying it by cities, dividing it into seven regions and writing the results on a scroll. Then they came to Y’hoshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Y’hoshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Adonai, and there Y’hoshua divided the land among the people of Isra’el according to their regions.
11 The lot for the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin came up according to their families. The border of their territory chosen by lot was between the descendants of Y’hudah and the descendants of Yosef.
12 On the north side, their border began at the Yarden, went up alongside Yericho on the north, continued up through the hills westward and arrived at the Beit-Aven Desert. 13 From there the border passed on to Luz, to the south side of Luz (that is, Beit-El); then the border went down to ‘Atrot-Adar, by the hill on the south side of Lower Beit-Horon.
14 The border was delineated as turning at the western corner and heading southward, from the hill located in front of Beit-Horon on the south; and it ended at Kiryat-Ba‘al (that is, Kiryat-Ye‘arim), a city belonging to the descendants of Y’hudah; this was the west side.
15 On the south the border extended westward from the most distant part of Kiryat-Ye‘arim, going out to the source of the Neftoach Spring. 16 Then the border went down to the farthest part of the hill located in front of the Ben-Hinnom Valley, north of the Refa’im Valley, south of the Y’vusi; and continued down to ‘Ein-Rogel, 17 where it was drawn to the north; then it went on to ‘Ein-Shemesh; continued to G’lilot, which is across from Ma‘alei-Adumim; went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Re’uven; 18 passed alongside the ‘Aravah, heading north; and went down to the ‘Aravah. 19 Then the border passed alongside Beit-Hoglah, heading north; and the border ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea, at the south end of the Yarden; this was the south border.
20 The Yarden was to be its border on the east side.
This was the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin, defined by its surrounding borders, according to their families.
21 The cities of the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families were: Yericho, Beit-Hoglah, ‘Emek-K’tzitz, 22 Beit-‘Aravah, Tz’marayim, Beit-El, 23 ‘Avim, Parah, ‘Ofrah, 24 K’far-Ha‘amonah, ‘Ofni and Geva — twelve cities, together with their villages. 25 Giv‘on, Ramah, Be’erot, 26 Mitzpeh, K’firah, Motzah, 27 Rekem, Yirpe’el, Tar’alah, 28 Tzela, Elef, Y’vusi (that is, Yerushalayim), Giv‘at and Kiryat — fourteen cities, together with their villages.
This is the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families.
Yehoshua 16-18
Orthodox Jewish Bible
16 And the goral (lot) of the Bnei Yosef ran from the Yarden by Yericho, east of the spring at Yericho, to the midbar that goeth up from Yericho into the hill country of Beit-El,
2 And goeth out from Beit-El to Luz, and passeth along unto the territory of Arkhi to Atarot,
3 And goeth down westward to the territory of Yaphleti, unto the territory of Lower Beit Choron, and to Gezer; ending at the Yam [Mediterranean Sea].
4 So the Bnei Yosef, Menasheh and Ephrayim, inherited their nachalah.
5 And the boundary of the Bnei Ephrayim according to their mishpekhot was thus: the boundary of their nachalah on the east side was Atarot Addar, unto Upper Beit Choron;
6 And the boundary ran toward the Yam to Michmetat on the north side; and the boundary ran eastward unto Taanat Shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Yanochah;
7 And it ran down from Yanochah to Atarot, and to Naarah, and came to Yericho, and ran to an end at the Yarden.
8 The boundary ran from Tapuach westward unto the Wadi Kanah; and the end thereof ran to the Yam. This is the nachalah of the tribe of the Bnei Ephrayim by their mishpekhot.
9 And the towns set aside for the Bnei Ephrayim were inside the Bnei Menasheh, all the towns with their villages.
10 And they drove not out the Kena’ani that dwelt in Gezer: but the Kena’ani dwell among the Ephrayim unto yom hazeh, and serve under forced labor.
17 There was also a goral (lot) for the tribe of Menasheh; for he was the bechor of Yosef; Machir was the bechor of Menasheh and the av of Gil`ad, and because he was an ish milchamah, therefore he got Gil`ad and Bashan.
2 There was also a goral (lot) for the rest of the Bnei Menasheh by their mishpekhot; for the Bnei Aviezer, for the Bnei Chelek, for the Bnei Asriel, for the Bnei Shechem, for the Bnei Chepher, and for the Bnei Shemida; these were the zekharim of the Menasheh ben Yosef by their mishpekhot.
3 But Tzelophechad ben Chepher ben Gil‘ad ben Machir ben Menasheh had no banim, but banot; and these are the shmot of his banot, Machlah, and Noah, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah.
4 And they came near before Eleazar HaKohen, and before Yehoshua ben Nun, and before the nasi’im saying, Hashem commanded Moshe to give us a nachalah among acheinu. Therefore according to the commandment of Hashem he gave them a nachalah among the achim of their av.
5 And there fell ten tracts of land to Menasheh, in addition to Eretz Gil‘ad and Bashan, which were on the other side of the Yarden;
6 Because the banot of Menasheh had inherited a nachalah among his banim; and the rest of the Bnei Menasheh had Eretz Gil‘ad.
7 And the boundary of Menasheh was from Asher to Michmetat, that lieth before Shechem; and the boundary ran along to the right to the inhabitants of Ein Tapuach.
8 Now Menasheh had Eretz Tapuach; but Tapuach on the border of Menasheh belonged to the Bnei Ephrayim;
9 And the boundary descended unto the Wadi Kanah, southward of the Wadi; these towns of Ephrayim are among the towns of Menasheh; the boundary of Menasheh also was on the north side of the Wadi, and ended at the Yam;
10 Southward it was Ephrayim’s, and northward it was Menasheh’s, and the Yam is its boundary; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Yissakhar on the east.
11 And Menasheh had in Yissakhar and in Asher Beit Sh’an and its towns, and Yivleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Ein-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, sheloshet (three) of Nafet.
12 Yet the Bnei Menasheh could not drive out the inhabitants of those towns; but the Kena’ani persisted dwelling in that land.
13 Yet it came to pass, when the Bnei Yisroel increased in chozek (strength) that they put the Kena’ani to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.
14 And the Bnei Yosef spoke unto Yehoshua, saying, Why hast thou given me for a nachalah but one goral and one chevel (portion, lot) to inherit, seeing I am an am rav, forasmuch as Hashem hath blessed me hitherto?
15 And Yehoshua answered them, If thou be an am rav, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the Eretz HaPerizzi and HaRepha’im, if Har Ephrayim be too small for thee.
16 And the Bnei Yosef said, The har is not enough for us; and all the Kena’ani that dwell in the eretz haemek have chariots of barzel (iron), both they who are of Beit Sh’an and her towns, and they who are of the emek Yizre’el.
17 And Yehoshua spoke unto Bais Yosef, even to Ephrayim and to Menasheh, saying, Thou art an am rav, and hast ko’ach gadol; thou shalt not have goral echad only;
18 But the har shall be thine; for it is a forest, and thou shalt cut it down; and the rest of the cleared land shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Kena’ani, though they have chariots of barzel (iron), and though they be chazak.
18 And the kol Adat Bnei Yisroel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the Ohel Mo’ed there. And HaAretz was subdued before them.
2 And there remained among the Bnei Yisroel shivah shevatim (seven tribes), which had not yet received their nachalah.
3 And Yehoshua said unto the Bnei Yisroel, How long are ye mitrapim (slack ones, cowardly) going to take to go in and possess HaAretz, which Hashem Elohei Avoteichem hath given you?
4 Appoint from among you shloshah anashim for each tribe; and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through and survey the land, and write down a description of it, according to the nachalah of each; and they shall come again to me.
5 And they shall divide it into shivah chalakim (seven portions); Yehudah shall abide in their territory on the south, and Bais Yosef shall abide in their territory on the north.
6 Ye shall therefore write a description of HaAretz in shivah chalakim, and bring the description here to me, that I may cast goral for you here before Hashem Eloheinu.
7 But the Levi’im have no chelek among you; for the Kehunah Hashem is their nachalah; and Gad, and Reuven, and the half tribe of Menasheh, have received their nachalah beyond the Yarden on the east, which Moshe Eved Hashem gave them.
8 And the men arose, and went away; and Yehoshua charged them that went to map HaAretz, saying, Go and survey the land, and write a description of it, and come again to me, that I may here cast goral for you before Hashem in Shiloh.
9 And the men went and passed through HaAretz, and described it by towns in shivah chalakim in a sefer, and came again to Yehoshua to the machaneh at Shiloh.
10 And Yehoshua cast goral for them in Shiloh before Hashem; and there Yehoshua divided HaAretz unto the Bnei Yisroel according to their portions.
11 And the goral of the tribe of the Bnei Binyamin came up according to their mishpekhot; and the territory of their goral (allotment) came forth between the Bnei Yehudah and the Bnei Yosef.
12 And their boundary on the north side was from the Yarden; and the boundary went up along the side of Yericho on the north, and went up through the har westward; and ended at the midbar of Beit Aven.
13 And the boundary went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Beit-El) southward; and the boundary descended to Atarot Adar, near the har that lieth on the south side of the Lower Beit Choron.
14 And the boundary ran from there and extended around the west side southward, from the har that lieth before Beit Choron southward; and ends at Kiryat Ba’al, which is Kiryat Ye’arim, a town of the Bnei Yehudah; this was the west side.
15 And the southern side was from the end of Kiryat Ye’arim, and the boundary went out on the west, and went out to the ma’ayan (spring) of the waters of Nephtoach;
16 And the boundary came down to the foot of the har that lieth before the Ben Hinnom Valley, and which is in the Emek Repha’im on the north, and descended to the Hinnom Valley, to the south of the Yevusi, and descended to Ein Rogel,
17 And ran from the north, and went to Ein Shemesh, and went toward Gelilot, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and descended to the Even Bohan ben Reuven,
18 And passed along toward the slope opposite Aravah northward, and went down unto the Aravah;
19 And the boundary passed along to the slope of Beit Choglah northward; and the end of the boundary was at the north bay of the Yam HaMelach (the Salt Sea, the Dead Sea) at the south end of the Yarden; this was the southern boundary.
20 And the Yarden was the boundary of it on the east side. This was the nachalah of the Bnei Binyamin, to its boundaries all around, according to their mishpekhot.
21 Now the towns of the tribe of the Bnei Binyamin according to their mishpekhot were Yericho, and Beit Choglah, and the valley of Ketzitz,
22 And Beit HaAravah, and Tzemarayim, and Beit-El,
23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
24 And Chephar Haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; 12 towns with their villages.
25 Giveon, and Ramah, and Be’erot,
26 And Mitzpeh, and Kephirah, and Motzah,
27 And Rekem, and Yirpe’el, and Taralah,
28 And Tzelah, Eleph, and Yevusi, which is Yerushalayim, Givat, and Kiryat; 14 towns with their villages. This is the nachalah of the Bnei Binyamin according to their mishpekhot.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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