Bible in 90 Days

Territory of Judah

15 Now the lot (allotment) for the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families reached [southward to] the border of Edom, southward to the wilderness of Zin at its most southern part. ² Their southern border was from the lower end of the Salt (Dead) Sea, from the bay that turns southward. ³ Then it proceeded southward to the ascent of Akrabbim and continued along to Zin, and then went by the south of Kadesh-barnea and continued along to Hezron, and went up to Addar and turned about to Karka. ⁴ It continued along to Azmon and proceeded to the ^[a]Brook of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish), and the border ended at the [Mediterranean] sea. This was their southern border. ⁵ The eastern border was the Salt (Dead) Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The northern border was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. ⁶ Then the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and continued along north of Beth-arabah, and the border went up to the [landmark of the] stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. ⁷ The border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and turned northward toward Gilgal which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley; and the border continued on to the waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel. ⁸ Then the border went up by the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom) at the southern slope of the Jebusite [city] (that is, Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the Valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. ⁹ Then the border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron; then the border curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). ¹⁰ The border went around west from Baalah to Mount Seir, and passed along to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh and then continued on through Timnah. ¹¹ The border proceeded to the slope [of the hill] of Ekron northward, then curved to Shikkeron and continued to Mount Baalah and proceeded to Jabneel. Then the border ended at the [Mediterranean] sea. ¹² The western border was at the Great Sea, with its coastline. This is the border around the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families.

¹³ Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh Joshua gave a portion among the sons of Judah, as the Lord commanded him, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron). ¹⁴ So Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak. ¹⁵ Then he went up from there against the people of Debir; Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher. ¹⁶ Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” ¹⁷ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife. ¹⁸ Now it came about that when Achsah came to Othniel, she persuaded him [to allow her] to ask her father for a field. Then she [rode up to Caleb and] dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” ¹⁹ Achsah answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the [dry] land of the Negev (South country), give me springs of water, too.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families (clans).

²¹ The cities of the tribe of the sons of Judah in the extreme south toward the border of Edom were Kabzeel and Eder and Jagur, ²² and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah, ²³ and Kedesh and Hazor and Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph and Telem and Bealoth, ²⁵ and Hazor-hadattah and Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), ²⁶ Amam and Shema and Moladah, ²⁷ and Hazar-gaddah and Heshmon and Beth-pelet, ²⁸ and Hazar-shual and Beersheba and Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah and Iim and Ezem, ³⁰ and Eltolad and Chesil and Hormah, ³¹ and Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah, ³² and Lebaoth and Shilhim and Ain and Rimmon; in all twenty-nine cities with their villages.

³³ In the lowland: Eshtaol and Zorah and Ashnah, ³⁴ and Zanoah and En-gannim, Tappuah and Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth and Adullam, Socoh and Azekah, ³⁶ and Shaaraim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.

³⁷ Zenan and Hadashah and Migdal-gad, ³⁸ and Dilean and Mizpeh and Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish and Bozkath and Eglon, ⁴⁰ and Cabbon and Lahmas and Chitlish, ⁴¹ and Gederoth, Beth-dagon and Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.

⁴² Libnah and Ether and Ashan, ⁴³ and Iphtah and Ashnah and Nezib, ⁴⁴ and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

⁴⁵ Ekron, with its ^[b]towns and villages; ⁴⁶ from Ekron even to the sea, all that were beside Ashdod, with their villages;

⁴⁷ Ashdod, with its towns and its villages; Gaza, with its towns and its villages; as far as the Brook of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) and the Great [Mediterranean] Sea with its coastline.

⁴⁸ In the hill country: Shamir and Jattir and Socoh, ⁴⁹ and Dannah and Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), ⁵⁰ and Anab and Eshtemoh and Anim, ⁵¹ and Goshen and Holon and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.

⁵² Arab and Dumah and Eshan, ⁵³ and Janum and Beth-tappuah and Aphekah, ⁵⁴ and Humtah and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.

⁵⁵ Maon, Carmel and Ziph and Juttah, ⁵⁶ and Jezreel and Jokdeam and Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.

⁵⁸ Halhul, Beth-zur and Gedor, ⁵⁹ and Maarath and Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

⁶⁰ Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.

⁶¹ In the wilderness [that slopes downward toward the Dead Sea]: Beth-arabah, Middin and Secacah, ⁶² and Nibshan and the ^[c]City of Salt and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

⁶³ But as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the [tribe of the] sons of Judah were not able to drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

Territory of Ephraim

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

⁴ The sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. ⁵ Now this was the territory of the sons of Ephraim according to their families: on the east side the border of their inheritance was Ataroth-addar, as far as upper Beth-horon. ⁶ Then the border went westward at Michmethath on the north, and turned eastward to Taanath-shiloh and continued beyond it to the east of Janoah. ⁷ It went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, touched Jericho and ended at the Jordan. ⁸ The border continued from Tappuah westward to the Brook Kanah, and it ended at the [Mediterranean] sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families (clans), ⁹ with the cities which were set apart for the sons of Ephraim within the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. ¹⁰ But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live among Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.

Territory of Manasseh

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

³ But 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 and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. ⁴ They came before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the command of the Lord Joshua 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 [on the east side of the river], ⁶ because the daughters of [Zelophehad, a descendant of] Manasseh had received an inheritance among his [other] sons [whose inheritance went to their male descendants]. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.^(A)

⁷ The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; then the border went southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. ⁸ The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but [the city of] Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim. ⁹ Then the border went down to the brook of Kanah, south of the brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim, among the cities of Manasseh), and Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the brook and it ended at the sea. ¹⁰ The land on the south side belonged to Ephraim and that on the north side was Manasseh’s, and the sea was their border; they reached to [the territory of] Asher on the north and to [the territory of] Issachar on the east. ¹¹ Also, in Issachar and in Asher, 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 Napheth. ¹² But the sons of Manasseh were not able to [drive out the inhabitants and] take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. ¹³ When the Israelites became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

¹⁴ The sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, when we are a numerous people whom the Lord has so far blessed?” ¹⁵ Then Joshua replied, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear ground for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” ¹⁶ The sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” ¹⁷ Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, ¹⁸ but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and though they are strong.”

Rest of the Land Divided

18 Then the whole congregation of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh [in the tribal territory of Ephraim], and set up the Tent of Meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

² There remained among the Israelites ^[d]seven tribes who had not yet divided their inheritance. ³ So Joshua asked them, “How long will you 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 each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may go through the land and write a description of it with regard to their [tribal] inheritance; then they shall return to me. ⁵ They shall divide it into seven parts; [the tribe of] Judah shall remain in its territory on the south, and the ^[e]house of Joseph shall remain in its territory on the north. ⁶ You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here ^[f]before the Lord our God. ⁷ But the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is ^[g]their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

⁸ So the men arose and went [on their way], and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk throughout the land and describe it, and return to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” ⁹ So the men set out and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came back to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel, [to each tribe] according to their portions.

The Territory of Benjamin

¹¹ Now the lot (allotment) of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot fell between [the tribes of] the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. ¹² On the north side their border began at the Jordan, then it went up the slope of Jericho on the north, and up through the hill country westward, and it ended at the Beth-aven wilderness. ¹³ Then the border continued southward toward Luz, to the slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); then the border went down to Ataroth-addar, by the hill that lies south of lower Beth-horon. ¹⁴ The border changed course [from there] and turned around on the western side southward, from the hill that lies to the south opposite Beth-horon; it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of [the tribe of] the sons of Judah. This formed the western side [of Benjamin’s territory]. ¹⁵ The southern side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went on westward and went to the source of the waters of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ Then the border went down to the edge of the hill overlooking the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim; and it descended to the Valley of Hinnom, south to the slope of the Jebusite, and went on down to En-rogel. ¹⁷ Then it turned toward the north and went on to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. ¹⁸ It continued to the north to the side opposite [Beth-] Arabah and went down to the Arabah. ¹⁹ The border continued along to the north of the slope of Beth-hoglah; and the border ended at the northern bay of the Salt (Dead) Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. ²⁰ And the Jordan River 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 and Beth-hoglah and Emek-keziz, ²² and Beth-arabah and Zemaraim and Bethel, ²³ and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah, ²⁴ and Chephar-ammoni and Ophni and Geba; twelve cities with their villages; ²⁵ Gibeon and Ramah and Beeroth, ²⁶ and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah, ²⁷ and Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah, ²⁸ and Zelah, Haeleph and the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of [the tribe of] the sons of Benjamin according to their families (clans).

Territory of Simeon

19 Then the second lot fell to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families (clans), and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the sons of Judah. ² So they had as their inheritance Beersheba or Sheba and Moladah, ³ and Hazar-shual and Balah and Ezem, ⁴ and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah, ⁵ and Ziklag and Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah, ⁶ and Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages; ⁷ Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan; four cities with their villages; ⁸ and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negev (South country). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families. ⁹ The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance within Judah’s inheritance.

Territory of Zebulun

¹⁰ The third lot came up for [the tribe of] the sons of Zebulun according to their families. The territory of their inheritance extended to Sarid. ¹¹ Then its border went up westward and on to Maralah, and reached to Dabbesheth and reached to the brook east of Jokneam. ¹² Then it turned from Sarid east toward the sunrise as far as the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and on up to Japhia. ¹³ From there it continued east toward the sunrise to ^[h]Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin, and proceeded to Rimmon which turns toward Neah. ¹⁴ The border circled it on the north to Hannathon, ending at the Valley of Iphtahel. ¹⁵ Included were Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages. ¹⁶ This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Territory of Issachar

¹⁷ The fourth lot fell to [the tribe of] Issachar, to the sons of Issachar according to their families. ¹⁸ Their territory included: Jezreel and Chesulloth and Shunem, ¹⁹ and Hapharaim and Shion and Anaharath, ²⁰ and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez, ²¹ and Remeth and En-gannim and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez. ²² The border reached to Tabor and Shahazumah and Beth-shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages. ²³ This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

Territory of Asher

²⁴ The fifth lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families. ²⁵ Their territory was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph, ²⁶ and Allammelech and Amad and Mishal; and on the west it reached to Carmel and to Shihor-libnath. ²⁷ Then it turned eastward to Beth-dagon and reached Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel, and continued in the north to Cabul, ²⁸ and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. ²⁹ Then the border turned to Ramah, [reaching] to the fortified city of Tyre; and it turned to Hosah, and it ended at the [Mediterranean] sea at the region of Achzib. ³⁰ Included were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages. ³¹ This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Territory of Naphtali

³² The sixth lot fell to [the tribe of] the sons of Naphtali according to their families. ³³ Their border ran from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim and Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok; and it reached Zebulun on the south and reached Asher on the west, and to Judah toward the east at the Jordan. ³⁵ The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath and Chinnereth, ³⁶ and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor, ³⁷ and Kedesh and Edrei and En-hazor, ³⁸ and Yiron and Migdal-el, Horem and Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages. ³⁹ This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

Territory of Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families. ⁴¹ The territory of their inheritance included Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh, ⁴² and Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Ithlah, ⁴³ and Elon and Timnah and Ekron, ⁴⁴ and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath, ⁴⁵ and Jehud and Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ and Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory opposite Joppa. ⁴⁷ The territory of the sons of Dan ^[i]went beyond these; so the sons of Dan went up to fight against Leshem (Laish) and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and took possession of it and settled there [between the tribes of Naphtali and Manasseh]; they ^[j]renamed Leshem, Dan, after the name of their father (ancestor) Dan.^{(B) 48} This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families (clans), these cities with their villages.

⁴⁹ When they had finished dividing the land for inheritance by its borders, the Israelites gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. ⁵⁰ According to the command of the Lord they gave him the city for which he asked—Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it.

⁵¹ These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

Six Cities of Refuge

20 The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge (asylum), of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ so that the person (manslayer) who kills any person unintentionally, ^[k]without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall be your refuge from the ^[l]blood avenger.^{(C) 4} He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and ^[m]explain his case to the elders of that city; and they shall take him into [the protection of] the city and give him a place [to stay], so that he may live among them. ⁵ If the blood avenger pursues him, they shall not hand the offender (manslayer) over to him, because he killed his neighbor ^[n]unintentionally and without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand. ⁶ He shall live in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment [and ^[o]if acquitted of murder he must stay there], until the death of the one who is the high priest in those days. Then the offender (manslayer) shall return to his own city and his own house from which he fled.’”

⁷ So they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the appointed cities for all the Israelites and for the stranger sojourning (living temporarily) among them, so that whoever killed any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the blood avenger until he had stood before the congregation [for judgment].

Forty-eight Cities of the Levites

21 Then the heads of the ^[p]households of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel. ² They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle.” ³ So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these [forty-eight] cities and their pasture lands, in accordance with the command of the Lord. ⁴ The [first] lot (allotment) came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those ^[q]Levites who were sons (descendants) of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of Simeon and from the tribe of Benjamin.

⁵ The rest of the sons of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim and from the tribe of Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁶ The sons of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher and from the tribe of Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷ The sons of Merari according to their families received twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun.

⁸ The sons of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹ They gave these cities which are mentioned here by name from the tribe of the sons of Judah and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon; ¹⁰ and they were for the sons of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi, because the lot fell to them first. ¹¹ They gave them [the city of] Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah, with its surrounding pasture lands. ¹² But the fields of the city and its villages they had given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his property.

¹³ So to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, and Libnah with its pasture lands, ¹⁴ and Jattir with its pasture lands and Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, ¹⁵ and Holon with its pasture lands and Debir with its pasture lands, ¹⁶ and Ain with its pasture lands and Juttah with its pasture lands and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; nine cities from these two tribes (Judah and Simeon). ¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, and Geba with its pasture lands, ¹⁸ Anathoth with its pasture lands and Almon with its pasture lands; four cities. ¹⁹ All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

²⁰ Then the cities from the tribe of Ephraim were allotted to the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, even to the rest of the sons of Kohath. ²¹ They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands, ²² and Kibzaim with its pasture lands and Beth-horon with its pasture lands; four cities. ²³ From the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, ²⁴ Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; four cities. ²⁵ From the half-tribe of Manasseh, they allotted Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; two cities. ²⁶ All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath totaled ten.

²⁷ To the sons of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, they gave from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, [the city of] Golan in Bashan, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands, and Be-eshterah with its pasture lands; two cities. ²⁸ From the tribe of Issachar, they gave Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, ²⁹ Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands; four cities. ³⁰ From the tribe of Asher, they gave Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, ³¹ Helkath with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands; four cities. ³² From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands and Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities. ³³ All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

³⁴ To the families of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, they gave from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands and Kartah with its pasture lands, ³⁵ Dimnah with its pasture lands and Nahalal with its pasture lands; four cities. ³⁶ From the tribe of Reuben, they gave Bezer with its pasture lands and Jahaz with its pasture lands, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its pasture lands and Mephaath with its pasture lands; four cities. ³⁸ From the tribe of Gad, they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter, with its pasture lands and Mahanaim with its pasture lands, ³⁹ Heshbon with its pasture lands and Jazer with its pasture lands; four cities in all. ⁴⁰ All [these were] the cities of the sons of Merari according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites; and their lot was twelve cities.

⁴¹ All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the property of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. ⁴² These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands; so it was with all these cities.

⁴³ So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers (ancestors), and they took possession of it and lived in it. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them rest [from conflict] on every side, in accordance with everything that He had sworn to their fathers, and not one of all their enemies stood before them [in battle]; the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. ⁴⁵ Not one of the good promises which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel failed; all had come to pass.

Tribes beyond Jordan Return

22 Then Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ² and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have listened to and obeyed my voice in everything that I commanded you. ³ You have not deserted your brothers these many days to this day, but have [carefully] kept the obligation of the commandment of the Lord your God. ⁴ And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He has promised them; so turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the [east side of the] Jordan. ⁵ Only be very careful and diligently observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord has commanded you to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul [your very life].” ⁶ So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

⁷ Now to the one-half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave a possession on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers. So when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, ⁸ and he said to them, “Return to your tents with great riches and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and with very many clothes; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers (fellow tribesmen).” ⁹ So the sons (descendants) of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the [other] sons (western tribes) of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their own which they had possessed, in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

The Offensive Altar

¹⁰ When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, an altar that was great to behold. ¹¹ And the [other] sons of Israel heard it said, “Look, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an ^[r]altar at the edge of the land of Canaan, in the region [west] of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” ¹² When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.

¹³ Then the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, ¹⁴ and with him ten leaders, one leader from each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of his father’s household among the thousands of Israel. ¹⁵ They came to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, ¹⁶ “This is what the entire congregation of the Lord says, ‘What is this disloyal and unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, so as to turn away from following the Lord this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Lord this day? ¹⁷ Is the wrongdoing (idolatry) of Peor not enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, even though the affliction [in which twenty-four thousand died] came on the congregation of the Lord,^{(D) 18} that you would turn away this day from following the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, He will be angry with the entire congregation of Israel tomorrow. ¹⁹ If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord’s tabernacle is situated, and settle down among us. But do not rebel against the Lord, or rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the Lord our God [at Shiloh]. ²⁰ Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and [as a result God’s] wrath came on the entire congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his wrongdoing.’”^(E)

²¹ Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the families of Israel, ²² “The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the Lord, do not save us this day! ²³ If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from following the Lord, or if [we did so] to offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the Lord Himself require it [of us and hold us responsible]. ²⁴ But in truth we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons (descendants) may say to our sons, “What ^[s]claim do you have to the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no part in the Lord.” So your sons (descendants) may cause our sons to stop fearing the Lord.’

²⁶ “So we said, ‘Let us prepare and build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, ²⁷ but to be a witness between us and you and between the generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons (descendants) will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no part in the Lord.”’ ²⁸ So we said, ‘If your descendants should say this to us or to our descendants in time to come, then we can reply, “See the copy of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, but rather it is a witness between us and you.”’ ²⁹ Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away from following the Lord this day, by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His ^[t]tabernacle [in Shiloh].”

³⁰ So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation and heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it ^[u]pleased them. ³¹ Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the Lord; indeed you have saved Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

³² Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. ³³ The report ^[v]pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God; and they said no more about going to battle against them to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. ³⁴ The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 A long time after that, when the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies ^[w]on every side, and Joshua had grown old and ^[x]advanced in years, ² that Joshua called all Israel, their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, “I am old and advanced in years. ³ And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; for the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you.^{(F) 4} See, I have allotted to you these nations that remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan [on the east] to the Great [Mediterranean] Sea toward the setting sun. ⁵ The Lord your God will push them away from before you and drive them out of your sight and you will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God ^[y]promised you. ⁶ Be steadfast and very determined to keep and to do everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you do not turn aside from it to the right or the left, ⁷ so that you do not associate with these nations which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear [an oath by them], or serve them, or bow down to them. ⁸ But you are to cling to the Lord your God, just as you have done to this day. ⁹ For the Lord has driven out great and mighty nations from before you; and as for you, no man has been able to stand [in opposition] before you to this day. ¹⁰ One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who is fighting for you, just as He ^[z]promised you. ¹¹ So be very careful and watchful of yourselves to ^[aa]love the Lord your God. ¹² For if you ever turn back and cling to the rest of these nations, these that are left among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know and understand with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God has promised concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ It shall come about that just as every good word which the Lord your God spoke and promised to you has ^[ab]been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you every bad thing [about which He warned you], until He has destroyed and eliminated you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. ¹⁶ When you transgress (violate) the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you [to follow], and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History

24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers; they presented themselves before God. ² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, lived beyond the [Euphrates] River in ancient times; and they served other gods. ³ Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the [Euphrates] River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants, and I gave him Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave [the hill country of] Mount Seir to possess; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. ⁵ Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. ⁶ Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. ⁷ When they cried out to the Lord [for help], He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness ^[ac]a long time (forty years).^{(G) 8} Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land and I destroyed them before you. ⁹ Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam. Therefore he had to bless you, so I saved you from Balak’s hand.^{(H) 11} You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite; and so I gave them into your hand. ¹² I sent the hornet [that is, the terror of you] before you, which drove the two kings of the Amorites out before you; but it was not by your sword or by your bow.^{(I) 13} I gave you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you live in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; remove the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ The people answered, “Far be it from us to abandon (reject) the Lord to serve other gods; ¹⁷ for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs (miracles) in our sight and kept us safe all along the way that we went and among all the peoples among whom we passed. ¹⁸ The Lord drove all the peoples out from before us, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”

¹⁹ Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord [if you serve any other gods], for He is a holy God; He is a ^[ad]jealous God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]. He will not forgive your transgression [of His law] or your sins. ²⁰ If you do abandon (reject) the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume and destroy you after He has done you good.” ²¹ The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve [only] the Lord.” ²² Joshua then said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³ “Now then, remove the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your hearts toward the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and we will listen to and obey His voice.” ²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance at Shechem. ²⁶ And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was in [the courtyard of] the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷ Joshua then said to all the people, “Look, this stone shall serve as a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that [afterward] you do not deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua sent the people away, each to [the territory of] his inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

²⁹ It happened after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, at the age of a hundred and ten years. ³⁰ They buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.

³¹ Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

³² Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the plot of land which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph. ³³ And Eleazar [the priest], the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah [on the hill] of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Jerusalem Is Captured

1 Now it came about after the death of Joshua, that the ^[ae]sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob) asked the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” ² And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up [first]; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” ³ And [the tribe of the sons of] Judah said to [the tribe of the sons of] Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my allotted territory, so that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him. ⁴ Then Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they struck down in defeat ten thousand men at Bezek. ⁵ Then they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they struck down in defeat the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. ⁷ Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather up scraps of food under my table; as I have done [to others], so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸ Then the sons of Judah fought against [Jebusite] Jerusalem and ^[af]captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. ⁹ Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev (South country) and in the lowland. ¹⁰ So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

Capture of Other Cities

¹¹ From there [the tribe of] Judah went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher [city of books and scribes]). ¹² And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah as a wife.” ¹³ Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife. ¹⁴ When she came to Othniel, she persuaded him to [allow her to] ask her father [Caleb] for a field. Then she [rode up to Caleb and] dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” ¹⁵ She said to him, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the Negev (South country), give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

¹⁶ The sons of [^[ag]Jethro] the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms (Jericho) with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the Negev (South country) near Arad; and they went and lived with the people.^{(J) 17} Then [the warriors of the tribe of] Judah went with [the warriors of the tribe of] Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath and utterly destroyed it. So the city was called Hormah (destruction). ¹⁸ Also [the warriors of] Judah captured Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory. ¹⁹ The Lord was with Judah, and [the tribe of] Judah took possession of the hill country, but they could not dispossess and drive out those inhabiting the valley because they had iron chariots. ²⁰ Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.^{(K) 21} But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The ^[ah]house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. ²³ The house of Joseph spied out Bethel (now the name of the city was formerly Luz). ²⁴ The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly.” ²⁵ So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. ²⁶ The man went into the ^[ai]land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.

Places Not Conquered

²⁷ But [the tribe of] Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites remained in that land. ²⁸ It happened when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

²⁹ Neither did [the warriors of] Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

³⁰ [The warriors of the tribe of] Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and were put to forced labor.

³¹ [The warriors of the tribe of] Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob. ³² So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.

³³ Neither did [the warriors of] Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

³⁴ Then the ^[aj]Amorites forced the sons of Dan [back] into the hill country, for they would not allow them to come down into the valley; ³⁵ yet the Amorites persisted in living on Mount Heres (the mountain of the sun), in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; but when the power of the house (descendants) of Joseph became strong and prevailed, they became forced labor. ³⁶ The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from ^[ak]Sela (rock) and upward.

Israel Rebuked

2 Now the ^[al]Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land which I swore [to give] to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,^{(L) 2} and as for you, you shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not ^[am]obeyed Me; what is this that you have done? ³ So I also said, ‘I will not drive your enemies out before you; but they will be like thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” ⁴ When the Angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people raised their voices and wept. ⁵ So they named that place Bochim (weepers); and there they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Joshua Dies

⁶ And when Joshua had sent the people away, the [tribes of the] Israelites went each to his inheritance, to take possession of the land. ⁷ The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. ⁸ Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ Also, all [the people of] that generation were gathered to their fathers [in death]; and another generation arose after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel.

Israel Serves Baals

¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped and served the Baals, ¹² and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them, and offended and provoked the Lord to anger. ¹³ So they abandoned the Lord and served Baal [the pagan god of the Canaanites] and the ^[an]Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands (power) of plunderers who robbed them; and He sold them into the hands of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer stand [in opposition] before their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil (misfortune), as the Lord had spoken, and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.^(M)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up ^[ao]judges who rescued them from the hands of those who robbed them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the prostitute after other gods and they bowed down to them. They quickly turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. ¹⁸ When the Lord raised up judges for them, He was with the judge and He rescued them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they turned back and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, in following and serving other gods, and bowing down to them. They did not ^[ap]abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this ^[aq]nation has transgressed (violated) My covenant (binding agreement) which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, ²¹ I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left [to be conquered] when he died, ²² in order to test [the loyalty of] Israel by them, whether Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out at once; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Idolatry Leads to Servitude

3 Now these are the nations which the Lord left [in order] to test Israel by them (that is, all [the people of Israel] who had not [previously] experienced any of the wars in Canaan; ² only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, at least those who had not experienced it previously). ³ The remaining nations are: the five lords (governors) of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ They were [allowed to remain] for the testing of Israel, to determine whether Israel would listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers (ancestors) through Moses. ⁵ And the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; ⁶ and they took their daughters for themselves as wives and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their [pagan] gods.^(N)

⁷ And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the ^[ar]Asheroth.^{(O) 8} So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of ^[as]Mesopotamia; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

The First Judge Rescues Israel

⁹ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a ^[at]man to rescue the people of Israel, ^[au]Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ And the land was at rest [from oppression for] forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² Now the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, since they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹³ And Eglon gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck down Israel [in defeat], and they took possession of the City of Palm Trees (Jericho). ¹⁴ And the Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

Ehud Rescues Israel from Moab

¹⁵ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a ^[av]man to rescue them, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, ^[aw]a left-handed man. And the Israelites sent a gift of tribute by him to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Now Ehud made for himself a sword a ^[ax]cubit long, which had two edges, and he bound it on his ^[ay]right thigh under his robe. ¹⁷ And he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ And when Ehud had finished presenting the ^[az]tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it. ¹⁹ But Ehud himself turned back from the ^[ba]sculptured stones at Gilgal, [and he returned to Eglon] and said [to him], “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said “Keep silence.” And all who attended him left him. ²⁰ Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his [private] cool upper chamber, and Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And the king got up from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. ²² And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because Ehud did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When Ehud departed, Eglon’s servants came. And when they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, “He is only ^[bb]relieving himself in the cool room.” ²⁵ They waited [a very long time] until they became embarrassed and uneasy, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. So [finally] they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ Now Ehud escaped while they lingered, and he passed beyond the sculptured stones and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he had arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.