11 ¶ And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came forth according to their families, and the cost of their lot lay [a]between the children of Judah, and the children of Joseph.

12 And their coast on the North side was from Jordan, and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the North part, and went up through the mountains Westward, and the ends thereof are in the wilderness of Beth Aven:

13 And this border goeth along from thence to Luz, even to the South side of Luz (the same is [b]Bethel) and this border descendeth to Ataroth Addar, near the mount that lieth on the South side of Beth Horon the nether.

14 So the border turneth, and compasseth the corner of the Sea Southward, from the mount that lieth before Beth Horon Southward: and the ends thereof are at Kirjath Baal (which is Kirjath Jearim) a city of the children of Judah: this is the West quarter.

15 And the South quarter is from the end of Kirjath Jearim, and this border goeth out [c]Westward, and cometh to the fountain of waters of Nephtoah.

16 And this border descendeth at the end of the mountain, that lieth before the valley of Ben Hinnom, which is in the valley of the [d]giants Northward, and descendeth into the valley of Hinnom by the side of [e]Jebus Southward, and goeth down to En Rogel,

17 And compasseth from the North, and goeth forth to [f]En Shemesh, and stretcheth to Geliloth, which is toward the going up unto Adummim, and goeth down to the (A)stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

18 So it goeth along to the side over against the plain Northward, and goeth down into the plain.

19 After, this border goeth along to the side of Beth Hoglah Northward: and the ends thereof, that is, of the border, reach to the point of the salt Sea Northward, and to the [g]end of Jordan Southward: this is the South coast.

20 Also Jordan is the border of it on the East side: this is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, are Jericho, and Beth Hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

22 And Beth Arabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

24 And Chephar, Haammoni, and Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages:

25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

26 And Mizpah, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebus, (which is [h]Jerusalem) Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages: this is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to their families.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:11 Their inheritance bordered upon Judah and Joseph.
  2. Joshua 18:13 Which was in the tribe of Ephraim: another Bethel was in the tribe of Benjamin.
  3. Joshua 18:15 Or, to the sea.
  4. Joshua 18:16 Or, Rephaim.
  5. Joshua 18:16 Or, Jerusalem.
  6. Joshua 18:17 Which is in the tribe of Ephraim.
  7. Joshua 18:19 To the very strait, where the river runneth into the salt sea.
  8. Joshua 18:28 Which was not wholly in the tribe of Benjamin, but part of it was also in the tribe of Judah.

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(A) of Beth Aven.(B) 13 From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz(C) (that is, Bethel(D)) and went down to Ataroth Addar(E) on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

14 From the hill facing Beth Horon(F) on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim),(G) 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.(H) 16 The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim.(I) It continued down the Hinnom Valley(J) along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.(K) 17 It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth,(L) which faces the Pass of Adummim,(M) and ran down to the Stone of Bohan(N) son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah[a](O) and on down into the Arabah.(P) 19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah(Q) and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea,(R) 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.(S)

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

Jericho, Beth Hoglah,(T) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah,(U) Zemaraim,(V) Bethel,(W) 23 Avvim,(X) Parah, Ophrah,(Y) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba(Z)—twelve towns and their villages.

25 Gibeon,(AA) Ramah,(AB) Beeroth,(AC) 26 Mizpah,(AD) Kephirah,(AE) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah,(AF) Haeleph, the Jebusite city(AG) (that is, Jerusalem(AH)), Gibeah(AI) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.(AJ)

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

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah