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

Benjamin’s Inheritance

11 The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants by their clans, and their allotted territory lay between Judah’s descendants and Joseph’s descendants.

12 Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness around Beth-aven.(A) 13 From there the border went toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); it then went down by Ataroth-addar, over the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.(B)

14 On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.

15 The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extended westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah. 16 The border descended to the foot of the hill that faces Ben Hinnom Valley at the northern end of Rephaim Valley. It ran down Hinnom Valley toward the south Jebusite slope and downward to En-rogel. 17 It curved northward and went to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan(C) son of Reuben. 18 Then it went north to the slope opposite the Arabah[a] and proceeded into the plains.[b] 19 The border continued to the north slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

20 The Jordan formed the border on the east side.

This was the inheritance of Benjamin’s descendants, by their clans, according to its surrounding borders.

Benjamin’s Cities

21 These were the cities of the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants by their clans:

Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, with their settlements; 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus[c] (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath[d]—fourteen cities, with their settlements.

This was the inheritance for Benjamin’s descendants by their clans.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:18 LXX reads went northward to Beth-arabah
  2. 18:18 Or the Arabah
  3. 18:28 Lit Jebusite
  4. 18:28 LXX, Syr read Kiriath-jearim

11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

12 And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.

13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.

14 And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

15 And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:

16 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,

17 And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18 And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:

19 And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.

20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was 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 were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23 And Avim, and Pharah, and Ophrah,

24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with 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, which is 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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