Land Still to Be Conquered

13 Now Joshua (A)was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land (B)to possess. (C)This is the land that yet remains: all the (D)regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites (from the (E)Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; (F)there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of (G)the Avvim, in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of (H)the Amorites, and the land of the (I)Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from (J)Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to (K)Lebo-hamath, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to (L)Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive (M)them out from before the people of Israel. Only (N)allot the land to Israel (O)for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. Now therefore (P)divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

The Inheritance East of the Jordan

With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh[a] the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, (Q)which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them: (R)from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and (S)all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 (T)and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the (U)region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and (V)all Bashan to Salecah; 12 (W)all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of (X)the remnant of the Rephaim); (Y)these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 (Z)Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

14 (AA)To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.

15 And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans. 16 So their territory was from Aroer, (AB)which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by (AC)Medeba; 17 with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; (AD)Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 (AE)and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and (AF)Kiriathaim, and (AG)Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and (AH)Beth-peor, and (AI)the slopes of Pisgah, and (AJ)Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that is, (AK)all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, (AL)whom Moses defeated with (AM)the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 (AN)Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.

24 Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 (AO)Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of (AP)Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from (AQ)Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,[b] 27 and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, (AR)Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of (AS)Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.

29 And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their region extended from (AT)Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all (AU)the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, 31 and half Gilead, and (AV)Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of (AW)Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans.

32 These are the inheritances that Moses distributed (AX)in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 (AY)But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, (AZ)just as he said to them.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 13:8 Hebrew With it
  2. Joshua 13:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Lidebir

Unconquered Lands

13 Joshua was now old, getting on in years,(A) and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, getting on in years, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.(B) This is the land that remains:

All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites in the south; all the land of the Canaanites: from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; the land of the Gebalites;(C) and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath[a](D) all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim,(E) all the Sidonians.

I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

The Inheritance East of the Jordan

With the other half of the tribe, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them:(F)

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley,(G) all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; 11 also Gilead(H) and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah— 12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim.

Moses struck them down and drove them out,(I) 13 but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites.(J) So Geshur and Maacath live in Israel to this day.(K)

14 He did not give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was its inheritance, just as He had promised: the offerings made by fire to the Lord, the God of Israel.(L)

Reuben’s Inheritance

15 To the tribe of the Reubenites by their clans, Moses gave 16 this as their territory:

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau as far as[b] Medeba, 17 with Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau—Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,(M) 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,(N) 20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth— 21 all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.(O) 22 Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their villages.

Gad’s Inheritance

24 To the tribe of the Gadites by their clans, Moses gave 25 this as their territory:

Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah; 26 from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;[c] 27 in the valley:[d] Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon—the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth[e] on the east side of the Jordan.[f]

28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their villages.

East Manasseh’s Inheritance

29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans, Moses gave 30 this as their territory:

From Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages[g](P) that are in Bashan—60 cities. 31 But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan—Ashtaroth and Edrei—are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans.

32 These were the portions Moses gave them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But Moses did not give a portion to the tribe of Levi. The Lord, the God of Israel, was their inheritance, just as He had promised them.(Q)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 13:5 Or to Lebo-hamath
  2. Joshua 13:16 Some Hb mss read plateau near
  3. Joshua 13:26 Or Lidbir, or Lo-debar
  4. Joshua 13:27 = the Jordan River Valley
  5. Joshua 13:27 = the Sea of Galilee
  6. Joshua 13:27 Lit Chinnereth beyond the Jordan to the east
  7. Joshua 13:30 Or all of Havvoth-jair