The Inheritance West of the Jordan

14 These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which (A)Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit. Their inheritance was (B)by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes. (C)For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, (D)but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. For (E)the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their livestock and their substance. The people of Israel did (F)as the Lord commanded Moses; they allotted the land.

Caleb's Request and Inheritance

Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the (G)Kenizzite said to him, “You know (H)what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord (I)sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But (J)my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, (K)‘Surely the land (L)on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, (M)just as he said, these (N)forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day (O)eighty-five years old. 11 (P)I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and (Q)for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the (R)Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

13 Then Joshua (S)blessed him, and he gave (T)Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, (U)because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 (V)Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba.[a] (Arba[b] was the greatest man among the Anakim.) (W)And the land had rest from war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:15 Kiriath-arba means the city of Arba
  2. Joshua 14:15 Hebrew He

Israel’s Inheritance in Canaan

14 The Israelites received these portions that Eleazar the priest,(A) Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan.(B) Their inheritance was by lot(C) as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan.[a] But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses,(D) and they divided the land.

Caleb’s Inheritance

The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.(E) I was 40 years old when Moses the Lord’s servant sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land, and I brought back an honest report.(F) My brothers who went with me caused the people’s hearts to melt with fear, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.(G) On that day Moses promised me: ‘The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have remained loyal to the Lord my God.’(H)

10 “As you see, the Lord has kept me alive these 45 years as He promised,(I) since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks[b] is now as it was then.(J) 12 Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there, as well as large fortified cities.(K) Perhaps the Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as the Lord promised.”

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance.(L) 14 Therefore, Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day,(M) because he remained loyal to the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 Hebron’s name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.(N) After this, the land had rest from war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:3 = east of the Jordan River
  2. Joshua 14:11 Lit for going out and coming in