Joshua 13
New International Reader's Version
The Land That Remained to Be Taken Over
13 Joshua was now very old. The Lord said to him, “You are very old. And there are still very large areas of land that have not yet been taken over.
2 “Here is the land that remains to be taken over.
“It includes all the areas of Philistia and Geshur. 3 Those areas begin at the Shihor River in the eastern part of Egypt. They go to the territory of Ekron in the north. All that land is considered Canaanite even though it is controlled by five Philistine rulers. They rule over Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.
The Avvites 4 live south of them.
The rest of the land of Canaan that remains to be taken over reaches from Arah all the way to Aphek. Arah belongs to the people of Sidon. The land that remains to be taken reaches the border of Amorite territory.
5 It includes the area of Byblos.
It also includes all of Lebanon to the east. It reaches from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon all the way to Lebo Hamath.
6 “I myself will drive out all the people who live in the mountain areas. Those areas reach from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim. They include the area where all the people of Sidon live. I myself will drive out those people to make room for the Israelites. Make sure you set that land apart for Israel. Give it to them as their share, just as I have directed you. 7 Divide it up among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Give each tribe its share.”
Land for the Tribes East of the Jordan River
8 The other half of Manasseh’s tribe had already received the share of land Moses had given them. Their share was east of the Jordan River. The tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their share too. Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given it to them.
9 That land starts at Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley. It includes the town in the middle of the valley. It includes the high plains of Medeba all the way to Dibon. 10 It also includes all the towns of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. That area reaches to the border of Ammon.
11 It also includes Gilead. It includes the territory of Geshur and Maakah. It includes Mount Hermon and the whole land of Bashan all the way to Salekah. 12 So it includes the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan. Og had ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was the last of the Rephaites. Moses had won the battle over Sihon and Og. He had taken over their land. 13 But the Israelites didn’t drive out the people of Geshur and Maakah. So they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
14 Moses hadn’t given any share of the land to the tribe of Levi. That’s because the food offerings are their share. Those offerings are presented to the Lord, the God of Israel. Moses gave the Levites what he had promised them.
15 Here is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, according to its family groups.
16 Their territory starts at Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley. It includes the town in the middle of the valley. It includes all of the high plains near Medeba. 17 It includes Heshbon and all its towns on those plains. Those towns include Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth and Mephaath. 19 They include Kiriathaim, Sibmah and Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley. 20 They also include Beth Peor, Beth Jeshimoth and the slopes of Pisgah. 21 All those towns are on the high plains. The territory includes the whole kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. Moses had won the battle over him and over the chiefs of Midian. Those chiefs were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. They were princes who helped Sihon fight against Israel. They lived in that country. 22 The Israelites killed many of them in battle. They also killed Balaam with their swords. He was the son of Beor. Balaam had used evil magic to find out what was going to happen.
23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan River. All those towns and their villages were given to the tribe of Reuben as their very own. Each family group received its share.
24 Here is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, according to its family groups.
25 Their territory includes Jazer and all the towns of Gilead. It includes half of the country of Ammon all the way to Aroer, which was near Rabbah. 26 Their territory reaches from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim. It reaches from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 In the valley their land includes Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth and Zaphon. It also includes the rest of the kingdom of Sihon. He was the king of Heshbon. His kingdom included the east side of the Jordan River. It reached up to the south end of the Sea of Galilee.
28 All those towns and their villages were given to the tribe of Gad as their very own. Each family group received its share.
29 Here is what Moses had given to half of the tribe of Manasseh, according to its family groups. It’s what Moses had given to half of Manasseh’s family line.
30 Their territory starts at Mahanaim. It includes the whole land of Bashan. That was the entire kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan. Manasseh’s territory includes all the 60 towns of Jair in Bashan. 31 It includes half of the land of Gilead. It also includes Ashtaroth and Edrei. They were the royal cities of Og in Bashan.
That land was given to half of the family line of Makir. He was the son of Manasseh. Each family group received its share.
32 Those were the shares of land Moses had given the eastern tribes when he was in the plains of Moab. The plains are across the Jordan River east of Jericho. 33 But Moses hadn’t given any share to the tribe of Levi. The Lord, the God of Israel, is their share. Moses gave the Levites what he had promised them.
Joshua 13
Expanded Bible
Land Still to Be Taken
13 When Joshua was very old, the Lord said to him, “Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to ·take [possess; conquer]. 2 This is what is left: the regions of Geshur and of the Philistines [C the southern coastline along the Mediterranean Sea]; 3 the area from the Shihor River [C Wadi el-Arish located below Gaza] ·at the border [east; L in front] of Egypt ·to [L to the border of] Ekron in the north, which ·belongs to the Canaanites [L is regarded/counted as Canaanite]; the five Philistine ·leaders [rulers; lords] at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites, 4 ·who live south of the Canaanite land, from Arah of the Sidonians [C the people of the northern coastal plains] to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; 5 the ·Gebalites [C inhabitants of the city of Byblos, located north of modern Beirut], and the area of Lebanon east of Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 “The Sidonians are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, but I will ·force [drive] all of them out ahead of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Be sure to ·remember this land when you divide the land among the Israelites [L allocate this land to Israel as an inheritance], as I ·told [commanded] you.
7 “Now divide the land ·among [L as an inheritance among] the nine tribes and ·West [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh.”
Dividing the Land
8 ·East Manasseh and [L With it; C referring to the other half-tribe of Manasseh] the tribes of Reuben and Gad had received their ·land [inheritance]. The Lord’s servant Moses had given them the land east of the Jordan River [Deut. 3:18–20]. 9 ·Their land started at [L From] Aroer at the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] ·and continued to [or including] the town in the middle of the ravine, and it included the whole ·plain [or plateau] from Medeba to Dibon. 10 All the towns ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in the city of Heshbon, were in that land. The land continued to the area where the Ammonites lived. 11 Gilead [12:3] was also there, as well as the area where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived, and all of Mount Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah. 12 All the kingdom of Og king of Bashan was in the land [12:4–5]. Og was ·one of the last [L from the remnant] of the Rephaites, and in the past he ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had ·defeated [struck] them and had taken their land. 13 Because the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] did not ·force [drive] out the people of Geshur and Maacah, they still live among the Israelites today.
14 The tribe of Levi was the only one that ·did not get any land [L he gave no inheritance]. Instead, they were given all the burned sacrifices [C a portion of the food offerings] made to the Lord, the God of Israel, as he had promised them [14:3–4; Num. 3:45; 35:1–8].
15 Moses had given each ·family group [clan] from the tribe of Reuben some land: 16 Theirs was the land from Aroer near the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] to the town of Medeba, including the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ·ravine [valley]; 17 Heshbon and all ·the [L its] towns on the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the ·hills [slopes] of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21 So that land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that Sihon king of the Amorites had ruled from the town of Heshbon. Moses had defeated him along with the leaders of the Midianites, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All these ·leaders [princes] ·fought together with [or were subjects of] Sihon and lived in that country. 22 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·killed [L slayed with the sword] many people during the fighting, including Balaam of Beor, who ·tried to use magic to tell the future [practiced divination; Num. 22–24]. 23 The land given to Reuben stopped at the shore of the Jordan River. So the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben included all these towns and their villages.
24 This is the land Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to all its ·family groups [clans]: 25 the land of Jazer and all the towns of Gilead; half the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near Rabbah; 26 the area from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim; the area from Mahanaim to the land of Debir; 27 in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the ·other land [rest of the kingdom] Sihon king of Heshbon had ruled east of the Jordan River and continuing to the end of Lake ·Galilee [L Kinnereth]. 28 ·All this land went to [L This is the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Gad, including all these towns and their villages.
29 This is the land Moses had given to ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Half of all the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Manasseh were given this land: 30 The land started at Mahanaim and included all of Bashan [12:4] and the land ruled by Og king of Bashan; all the towns of Jair in Bashan, sixty cities in all; 31 half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities where Og king of Bashan had ruled. All this went to the ·family [or descendants; L children/sons] of Makir son of Manasseh, and half of all his ·sons [descendants] were given this land.
32 Moses had given this land to these tribes on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River east of Jericho [Num. 32:32, 39–42]. 33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi because the Lord, the God of Israel, promised that he himself would be the gift for the Levites [v. 14; 18:7; Num. 18:20; Deut. 18:1–8].
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