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17 And the lot is for the tribe of Manasseh (for he [is] first-born of Joseph), for Machir first-born of Manasseh, father of Gilead, for he hath been a man of war, and his are Gilead and Bashan.

And there is for the sons of Manasseh who are left, for 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 [are] the children of Manasseh son of Joseph -- the males -- by their families.

As to Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, he hath no children except daughters, and these [are] the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah,

and they draw near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, `Jehovah commanded Moses to give to us an inheritance in the midst of our brethren;' and he giveth to them, at the command of Jehovah, an inheritance in the midst of the brethren of their father.

And ten portions fall [to] Manasseh, apart from the land of Gilead and Bashan, which [are] beyond the Jordan;

for the daughters of Manasseh have inherited an inheritance in the midst of his sons, and the land of Gilead hath been to the sons of Manasseh who are left.

And the border of Manasseh is from Asher to Michmethah, which [is] on the front of Shechem, and the border hath gone on unto the right, unto the inhabitants of En-Tappuah.

To Manasseh hath been the land of Tappuah, and Tappuah unto the border of Manasseh is to the sons of Ephraim.

And the border hath come down [to] the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook; these cities of Ephraim [are] in the midst of the cities of Manasseh, and the border of Manasseh [is] on the north of the brook, and its outgoings are at the sea.

10 Southward [is] to Ephraim and northward to Manasseh, and the sea is his border, and in Asher they meet on the north, and in Issachar on the east.

11 And Manasseh hath in Issachar and in Asher, 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, three counties.

12 And the sons of Manasseh have not been able to occupy these cities, and the Canaanite is desirous to dwell in this land,

13 and it cometh to pass when the sons of Israel have been strong, that they put the Canaanite to tribute, and have not utterly dispossessed him.

14 And the sons of Joseph speak with Joshua, saying, `Wherefore hast thou given to me an inheritance -- one lot and one portion, and I a numerous people? hitherto hath Jehovah blessed me.'

15 And Joshua saith unto them, `If thou [art] a numerous people, go up for thee to the forest, then thou hast prepared for thee there, in the land of the Perizzite, and of the Rephaim, when mount Ephraim hath been narrow for thee.'

16 And the sons of Joseph say, `The hill is not found to us, and a chariot of iron [is] with every Canaanite who is dwelling in the land of the valley -- to him who [is] in Beth-Shean and its towns, and to him who [is] in the valley of Jezreel.'

17 And Joshua speaketh unto the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, `Thou [art] a numerous people, and hast great power; thou hast not one lot [only],

18 because the mountain is thine; because it [is] a forest -- thou hast prepared it, and its outgoings have been thine; because thou dost dispossess the Canaanite, though it hath chariots of iron -- though it [is] strong.'

18 And all the company of the sons of Israel are assembled [at] Shiloh, and they cause the tent of meeting to tabernacle there, and the land hath been subdued before them.

And there are left among the sons of Israel who have not shared their inheritance, seven tribes,

and Joshua saith unto the sons of Israel, `Till when are ye remiss to go in to possess the land which He hath given to you, Jehovah, God of your fathers?

Give for you three men for a tribe, and I send them, and they rise and go up and down through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance, and come in unto me,

and they have divided it into seven portions -- Judah doth stay by its border on the south, and the house of Joseph do stay by their border on the north --

and ye describe the land [in] seven portions, and have brought [it] in unto me hither, and I have cast for you a lot here before Jehovah our God;

for there is no portion to the Levites in your midst, for the priesthood of Jehovah [is] their inheritance, and Gad, and Reuben, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses servant of Jehovah gave to them.'

And the men rise and go; and Joshua commandeth those who are going to describe the land, saying, `Go, and walk up and down through the land, and describe it, and turn back unto me, and here I cast for you a lot before Jehovah in Shiloh.'

And the men go, and pass over through the land, and describe it by cities, in seven portions, on a book, and they come in unto Joshua, unto the camp, [at] Shiloh.

10 And Joshua casteth for them a lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, and there Joshua apportioneth the land to the sons of Israel, according to their divisions.

11 And a lot goeth up [for] the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, for their families; and the border of their lot goeth out between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

12 And the border is to them at the north side from the Jordan, and the border hath gone up unto the side of Jericho on the north, and gone up through the hill-country westward, and its outgoings have been at the wilderness of Beth-Aven;

13 and the border hath gone over thence to Luz, unto the side of Luz (it [is] Beth-El) southward, and the border hath gone down [to] Atroth-Addar, by the hill that [is] on the south of the lower Beth-Horon;

14 and the border hath been marked out, and hath gone round to the corner of the sea southward, from the hill which [is] at the front of Beth-Horon southward, and its outgoings have been unto Kirjath-Baal (it [is] Kirjath-Jearim), a city of the sons of Judah: this [is] the west quarter.

15 And the south quarter [is] from the end of Kirjath-Jearim, and the border hath gone out westward, and gone out unto the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah;

16 and the border hath come down unto the extremity of the hill which [is] on the front of the valley of the son of Hinnom, which [is] in the valley of the Rephaim northward, and hath gone down the valley of Hinnom unto the side of Jebusi southward, and gone down [to] En-Rogel,

17 and hath been marked out on the north, and gone out to En-Shemesh, and gone out unto Geliloth, which [is] over-against the ascent of Adummim, and gone down [to] the stone of Bohan son of Reuben,

18 and passed over unto the side over-against Arabah northward, and gone down to Arabah;

19 and the border hath passed over unto the side of Beth-Hoglah northward, and the outgoings of the border have been unto the north bay of the salt sea, unto the south extremity of the Jordan; this [is] the south border;

20 and the Jordan doth border it at the east quarter; this [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, by its borders round about, for their families.

21 And the cities for the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, for their families, have been Jericho, and Beth-Hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

22 and Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, and Beth-El,

23 and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

24 and Chephar-Haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities and 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, Eleph, and Jebusi (it [is] Jerusalem), Gibeath, Kirjath: fourteen cities and their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, for their families.

17 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh(A) as Joseph’s firstborn,(B) that is, for Makir,(C) Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead(D) and Bashan(E) because the Makirites were great soldiers. So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh(F)—the clans of Abiezer,(G) Helek, Asriel,(H) Shechem, Hepher(I) and Shemida.(J) These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher,(K) the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters,(L) whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord’s command.(M) Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,(N) because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher(O) to Mikmethath(P) east of Shechem.(Q) The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah(R) itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine.(S) There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 10 On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher(T) on the north and Issachar(U) on the east.(V)

11 Within Issachar(W) and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan,(X) Ibleam(Y) and the people of Dor,(Z) Endor,(AA) Taanach(AB) and Megiddo,(AC) together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth[a]).(AD)

12 Yet the Manassites were not able(AE) to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.(AF)

14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.”(AG)

15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest(AH) and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites(AI) and Rephaites.(AJ)

16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron,(AK) both those in Beth Shan(AL) and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”(AM)

17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment(AN) 18 but the forested hill country(AO) as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron(AP) and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

Division of the Rest of the Land

18 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh(AQ) and set up the tent of meeting(AR) there. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.

So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it,(AS) according to the inheritance of each.(AT) Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south(AU) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.(AV) After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots(AW) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.(AX) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.(AY)

As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it.(AZ) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh(BA) in the presence of the Lord.” So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots(BB) for them in Shiloh in the presence(BC) of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.(BD)

Allotment for Benjamin

11 The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness(BE) of Beth Aven.(BF) 13 From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz(BG) (that is, Bethel(BH)) and went down to Ataroth Addar(BI) on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

14 From the hill facing Beth Horon(BJ) on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim),(BK) a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.

15 The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.(BL) 16 The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim.(BM) It continued down the Hinnom Valley(BN) along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.(BO) 17 It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth,(BP) which faces the Pass of Adummim,(BQ) and ran down to the Stone of Bohan(BR) son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah[b](BS) and on down into the Arabah.(BT) 19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah(BU) and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea,(BV) at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.

20 The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.

These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.(BW)

21 The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:

Jericho, Beth Hoglah,(BX) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah,(BY) Zemaraim,(BZ) Bethel,(CA) 23 Avvim,(CB) Parah, Ophrah,(CC) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba(CD)—twelve towns and their villages.

25 Gibeon,(CE) Ramah,(CF) Beeroth,(CG) 26 Mizpah,(CH) Kephirah,(CI) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah,(CJ) Haeleph, the Jebusite city(CK) (that is, Jerusalem(CL)), Gibeah(CM) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.(CN)

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.(CO)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 17:11 That is, Naphoth Dor
  2. Joshua 18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah