Joshua 13
EasyEnglish Bible
The land that remained for Israel to take
13 Joshua had become a very old man.[a] The Lord said to him, ‘You are now very old. There is still a lot of land that you have not yet taken. 2 This is the land left for you to take: All the land of the Philistines and the Geshurites. 3 Their land goes from the Shihor river on the east side of Egypt, to the border of Ekron's land. That part belongs to the Canaanites. The land of the Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. There is also the land of the Avvites in the south.[b] 4 You must take all the land of the Canaanites, which goes from Arah in Sidon region, and continues to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites. 5 There is also the land of the Gebalites, and all of Lebanon in the east. That land goes from Baal Gad at the side of Hermon mountain, to Lebo-Hamath.
6 I myself will chase out all the people of Sidon in front of the Israelites. I will chase them out of the hill country, from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim. You must give this land to the tribes of Israel, as I have already told you. 7 Each of the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, must receive its own part of the land.’[c]
How Moses had given land to some tribes
8 Moses had already given land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the other half of Manasseh. Their land was on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the Lord's servant, had given a piece of land to each tribe.
9 Their land went from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. It included all the flat land of Medeba, as far as Dibon. 10 It included all the towns of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. It went to the border of the Amorites' land. 11 It included the land of Gilead, and the land of the Geshurites and Maakathites. It included all of Hermon mountain, and Bashan as far as Salecah. 12 (That was the kingdom of King Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was one of the last of the Rephaites.) Moses had won a fight against them and he had taken their land. 13 But the Israelites did not chase out the Geshurites and the Maakathites, so they still live there among the Israelites.
14 Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi. This was because God had made the Levites a promise. He had made a rule that they would receive their food from the sacrifices and offerings that the other tribes gave to the Lord God of Israel. The Levites received that, instead of land for themselves.
Land for Reuben's tribe
15 This is the part of the land that Moses gave to the clans of Reuben's tribe.
16 He gave them the land from Aroer by the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. 17 And he gave them all the flat land past Medeba in Heshbon. It included Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz and Kedemoth. It also included Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah and Zereth Shahar. Zereth was on a hill in the middle of the valley. 20 Their land included Beth Peor, and the sides of Pisgah mountain, and Beth Jeshimoth town. 21 Moses gave them all the towns on the flat land. He gave them all the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Sihon had ruled from Hebron. But Moses had won the fight against him and the Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. These kings had ruled with Sihon and they lived in his land. 22 The Israelites had killed the prophet Balaam, son of Beor, when they killed soldiers in the battle.[d] He had used magic to help Balak fight against Israel. 23 The border of Reuben's land was the Jordan River.
Moses gave these towns and their villages to the tribe of Reuben, family by family.
Land for Gad's tribe
24 This is the part of the land that Moses gave to the clans of Gad's tribe.
25 He gave them the land of Jazer, the towns of Gilead and half the land of the Ammonites. Their land went as far as Aroer, a town which was near Rabbah. 26 It went from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the land of Debir. 27 Moses gave Gad these towns in the valley: Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon. He gave them the rest of the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon. This was on the east side of the Jordan River, up to the edge of the sea of Galilee.
28 Moses gave these towns and their villages to the tribe of Gad, family by family.
Land for half of Manasseh's tribe
29 This is the land that Moses gave to half the tribe of Manasseh, clan by clan.
30 He gave them the land from Mahanaim, the land of Bashan, all the land ruled by Og, king of Bashan. It included all the 60 towns of Jair in Bashan. 31 It included half of Gilead, Ashtaroth and Edrei. (These were the cities that belonged to King Og in Bashan.) This land was for half the descendants of Makir, Manasseh's son, to live in, family by family.
32 Moses gave all that land to those tribes, while they were still on the east side of the Jordan River. They were in Moab, on the flat land near Jericho. 33 Moses gave no part of the land to Levi's tribe. The Lord himself, Israel's God, would be their part, as he had promised them.
Footnotes
- 13:1 We do not know how old Joshua was. Caleb was 85 (see Joshua 14:10).
- 13:3 The Avvites were a group of people who lived near Canaan.
- 13:7 The other tribes (Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh) had already received their land on the east side of the Jordan River.
- 13:22 You can read about Balaam in Numbers 22.
Joshua 13
English Standard Version
Land Still to Be Conquered
13 Now Joshua (A)was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land (B)to possess. 2 (C)This is the land that yet remains: all the (D)regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites 3 (from the (E)Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; (F)there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of (G)the Avvim, 4 in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of (H)the Amorites, 5 and the land of the (I)Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from (J)Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to (K)Lebo-hamath, 6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to (L)Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive (M)them out from before the people of Israel. Only (N)allot the land to Israel (O)for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore (P)divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”
The Inheritance East of the Jordan
8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh[a] the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, (Q)which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them: 9 (R)from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and (S)all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 (T)and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the (U)region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and (V)all Bashan to Salecah; 12 (W)all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of (X)the remnant of the Rephaim); (Y)these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 (Z)Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
14 (AA)To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
15 And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans. 16 So their territory was from Aroer, (AB)which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by (AC)Medeba; 17 with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; (AD)Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 (AE)and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and (AF)Kiriathaim, and (AG)Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and (AH)Beth-peor, and (AI)the slopes of Pisgah, and (AJ)Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that is, (AK)all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, (AL)whom Moses defeated with (AM)the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 (AN)Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.
24 Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 (AO)Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of (AP)Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from (AQ)Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,[b] 27 and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, (AR)Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of (AS)Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.
29 And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their region extended from (AT)Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all (AU)the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, 31 and half Gilead, and (AV)Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of (AW)Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans.
32 These are the inheritances that Moses distributed (AX)in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 (AY)But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, (AZ)just as he said to them.
Footnotes
- Joshua 13:8 Hebrew With it
- Joshua 13:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Lidebir
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