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Joseph’s Tribal Lands

16 The land allotted to Joseph’s descendants extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.[a] The southern border[b] extended from Bethel to Luz,[c] and crossed to Arkite territory at Ataroth. It then descended westward to Japhletite territory, as far as the territory of lower Beth Horon and Gezer, and ended at the sea.

Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, were assigned their land.[d] The territory of the tribe of Ephraim by its clans included the following:[e] The border of their assigned land to the east was Ataroth Addar as far as upper Beth Horon. It then extended on to the sea, with Micmethath on the north. It turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh and crossed it on the east to Janoah. It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and extended to the Jordan River.[f] From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim[g] by its clans. Also included were the cities set apart for the tribe of Ephraim within Manasseh’s territory, along with their towns.[h]

10 The Ephraimites[i] did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the Ephraimites to this very day and do hard labor as their servants.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 16:1 tn Heb “The lot went out to the sons of Joseph from the Jordan [at] Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, the desert going up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.”
  2. Joshua 16:2 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the southern border) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Joshua 16:2 tn In the Hebrew text the place name “Luz” has the directive ending, indicating that the border went from Bethel to Luz. Elsewhere Luz and Bethel appear to be names for the same site (cf. Judg 1:23), but here they appear to be distinct. Note that the NIV translates “from Bethel (that is, Luz)” here, following the reading of the LXX, εἰς Βαιθηλ Λουζα (eis Baithēl Louza, “from Bethel [Luz]”).
  4. Joshua 16:4 tn Or “received their inheritance.”
  5. Joshua 16:5 tn Heb “The territory of the sons of Ephraim was for their clans.”
  6. Joshua 16:7 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  7. Joshua 16:8 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim.”
  8. Joshua 16:9 tn Heb “and the cities set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities and their towns.”
  9. Joshua 16:10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ephraimites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

Ephraim

16 The land determined by lot for the people of Joseph went out from the Jordan near Jericho eastward to the waters of Jericho. It went up by the desert from Jericho to the Bethel highlands. It goes from Bethel to Luz and passes on to the border of the Archites at Ataroth. It goes down westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and as far as Gezer. It ends at the sea. The people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their legacy.

This was the territory for the clans of the people of Ephraim. The border of their legacy ran from Ataroth-adar on the east as far as Upper Beth-horon. The border goes to the sea. Michmethath is on the north. The border turns east of Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it east of Janoah. It goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, touches Jericho, and goes to the Jordan. From Tappuah the border goes westward by the Kanah Valley. It ends at the sea. This is the legacy for the clans of the Ephraimite tribe. It included cities set apart for the people of Ephraim within the legacy of the people of Manasseh, all the cities and their surrounding areas. 10 But they didn’t remove the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So today the Canaanites, who were used for forced labor, still live within Ephraim.