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The Last of the Land Is Divided

18 The entire congregation of the Israelites[a] assembled at Shiloh, and they set up there the tent of meeting, and the land was subdued before them.[b] And seven tribes remained among the Israelites[c] who had not been apportioned their inheritance. And Joshua said to the Israelites,[d]How long[e] will you be slack about going to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[f] has given you? Provide three men from each tribe,[g] and I will send them so that they may begin to go through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance,[h] and let them come to me. They will divide it among themselves into seven portions; Judah will maintain its border[i] from the south, and the house of Joseph will maintain its border[j] from the north. Describe the land in seven divisions, and bring it to me here; I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. The Levites among you have no portion, for their inheritance is the priesthood of Yahweh; Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses Yahweh’s servant gave to them.”

And the men went immediately,[k] and Joshua commanded the ones going to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk about through the land, write a description, and return to me, and here I will cast a lot for you before[l] Yahweh at Shiloh.” And the men went and passed through the land, and they described[m] the cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast a lot for them at Shiloh before[n] Yahweh, and there he divided the land for the Israelites,[o] to each a portion.[p]

The Allotment of Benjamin

11 And the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the border of their allotment fell[q] between the descendants[r] of Judah and the descendants[s] of Joseph. 12 Their northern border began at the Jordan and went up to the slope of Jericho on the north and continued into the hill country to the west; it ends[t] at the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 The border passes on from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south (that is, Bethel); then the border goes down to Ataroth Addar to the mountain that is south of Lower Beth-Horon. 14 Then the border changes direction and turns to the western side southward, from the mountain that is opposite[u] Beth-Horon to the south. It ends[v] at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town belonging to the descendants[w] of Judah. This is the western side. 15 The southern side begins on the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim, and the border continues to the west to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah; 16 the border goes down to the foot[x] of the mountain, which is opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom,[y] which is in the valley of Rephaim to the north; then it does down the valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites[z] to the south, and then it goes down to En Rogel. 17 It changes direction from the north, and it continues to En Shemesh; it goes out to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it goes down to the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben. 18 It passes on to the slope opposite the Arabah[aa] to the north, and it goes down to the Arabah.[ab] 19 The border passes on to the slope of Beth-hoglah to the north and ends[ac] at the north bay of the Salt Sea[ad] at the south end of the Jordan. This is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its border on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, its borders that surrounds them, according to their families.

21 Now the towns of the tribes of the descendants[ae] of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities and their villages.

25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath; fourteen cities and their villages. This is the inheritance of the descendants[af] of Benjamin according to their families.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Joshua 18:1 Or “in their presence”
  3. Joshua 18:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Joshua 18:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Joshua 18:3 Literally “Until when”
  6. Joshua 18:3 Or “fathers”
  7. Joshua 18:4 Literally “according to each tribe”
  8. Joshua 18:4 Literally “according to the mouth of their inheritance”
  9. Joshua 18:5 Literally “Judah will stand on its border”
  10. Joshua 18:5 Literally “the house of Joseph will stand on its border”
  11. Joshua 18:8 Literally “the men got up and went”
  12. Joshua 18:8 Or “in the presence of”
  13. Joshua 18:9 Literally “wrote it”
  14. Joshua 18:10 Or “in the presence of”
  15. Joshua 18:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Joshua 18:10 Literally “according to their allotment”
  17. Joshua 18:11 Literally “went out”
  18. Joshua 18:11 Or “sons”
  19. Joshua 18:11 Or “sons”
  20. Joshua 18:12 Literally “the goings out of it were”
  21. Joshua 18:14 Literally “against the face of”
  22. Joshua 18:14 Literally “the goings out of it were”
  23. Joshua 18:14 Or “sons”
  24. Joshua 18:16 Or “to the edge”
  25. Joshua 18:16 Or “valley of the son of-Hinnom”
  26. Joshua 18:16 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  27. Joshua 18:18 A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
  28. Joshua 18:18 A dry region that runs south of the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan Valley
  29. Joshua 18:19 Literally “the goings out of it were”
  30. Joshua 18:19 That is, the Dead Sea
  31. Joshua 18:21 Or “sons”
  32. Joshua 18:28 Or “sons”

The Remainder of the Land Divided

18 Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together (A)at Shiloh, and (B)set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance.

Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: (C)“How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you? Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. And they shall divide it into seven parts. (D)Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the (E)house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. You shall therefore [a]survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, (F)that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. (G)But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. (H)And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

Then the men arose to go away; and Joshua charged those who went to [b]survey the land, saying, “Go, walk (I)through the land, survey it, and come back to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” So the men went, passed through the land, and [c]wrote the survey in a book in seven parts by cities; and they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 10 Then Joshua cast (J)lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there (K)Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their [d]divisions.

The Land of Benjamin

11 (L)Now the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot came out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12 (M)Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the mountains westward; it ended at the Wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 The border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz (N)(which is Bethel) southward; and the border descended to Ataroth Addar, near the hill that lies on the south side (O)of Lower Beth Horon.

14 Then the border extended around the west side to the south, from the hill that lies before Beth Horon southward; and [e]it ended at (P)Kirjath Baal (which is Kirjath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west side.

15 The south side began at the end of Kirjath Jearim, and the border extended on the west and went out to (Q)the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before (R)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is in the Valley of the [f]Rephaim on the north, descended to the Valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite city on the south, and descended to (S)En Rogel. 17 And it went around from the north, went out to En Shemesh, and extended toward Geliloth, which is before the Ascent of Adummim, and descended to (T)the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 Then it passed along toward the north side of [g]Arabah, and went down to Arabah. 19 And the border passed along to the north side of Beth Hoglah; then [h]the border ended at the north bay at the (U)Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

20 The Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its boundaries all around, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages; 25 (V)Gibeon, (W)Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Eleph, (X)Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:6 describe in writing
  2. Joshua 18:8 describe in writing
  3. Joshua 18:9 described it in writing
  4. Joshua 18:10 portions
  5. Joshua 18:14 Lit. its goings out were
  6. Joshua 18:16 Lit. Giants
  7. Joshua 18:18 Beth Arabah, Josh. 15:6; 18:22
  8. Joshua 18:19 Lit. the goings out of the border were