Unconquered Lands

13 Joshua was now old, advanced in age,^(A) and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, advanced in age, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.^{(B) 2} This is the land that remains:

All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: ³ from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites ⁴ in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; ⁵ the land of the Gebalites;^(C) and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath^[a](D)— ⁶ all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim,^(E) all the Sidonians.

I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. ⁷ Therefore, divide this land as 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, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them:^(F)

⁹ From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley,^(G) all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon, ¹⁰ and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; ¹¹ also Gilead^(H) and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah— ¹² the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim.

Moses struck them down and drove them out,^{(I) 13} but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites.^(J) So Geshur and Maacath still live in Israel today.^(K)

¹⁴ He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just as he had promised: the food offerings made to the Lord, the God of Israel.^(L)

Reuben’s Inheritance

¹⁵ To the tribe of Reuben’s descendants by their clans, Moses gave ¹⁶ this as their territory:

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau as far as^[b] Medeba, ¹⁷ with Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau—Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, ¹⁸ Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,^{(M) 19} Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,^{(N) 20} Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth— ²¹ all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.^{(O) 22} Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

²³ The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.

Gad’s Inheritance

²⁴ To the tribe of the Gadites by their clans, Moses gave ²⁵ this as their territory:

Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah; ²⁶ from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;^{[c] 27} in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon—the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth^[d] on the east side of the Jordan.

²⁸ This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.

East Manasseh’s Inheritance

²⁹ And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave ³⁰ this as their territory:

From Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages^[e](P) that are in Bashan—sixty cities. ³¹ But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan—Ashtaroth and Edrei—are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh (that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans).

³² These were the portions Moses gave them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. ³³ But Moses did not give a portion to the tribe of Levi. The Lord, the God of Israel, was their inheritance, just as he had promised them.^(Q)

Israel’s Inheritance in Canaan

14 The Israelites received these portions that the priest Eleazar,^(R) Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan.^{(S) 2} Their inheritance was by lot^(T) as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, ³ because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. ⁴ The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. ⁵ So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses,^(U) and they divided the land.

Caleb’s Inheritance

⁶ The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.^{(V) 7} I was forty years old when Moses the Lord’s servant sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land, and I brought back an honest report.^{(W) 8} My brothers who went with me caused the people to lose heart, but I followed the Lord my God completely.^{(X) 9} On that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have followed the Lord my God completely.’^(Y)

¹⁰ “As you see, the Lord has kept me alive these forty-five years as he promised,^(Z) since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, eighty-five years old. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks^[f] is now as it was then.^{(AA) 12} Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there,^(AB) as well as large fortified cities.^(AC) Perhaps the Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as the Lord promised.”

¹³ Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance.^{(AD) 14} Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today^(AE) because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, completely. ¹⁵ Hebron’s name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.^(AF) After this, the land had rest from war.^(AG)

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.^{(A) 29} If anyone hits you on the cheek,^(B) offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. ³¹ Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.^{(C) 32} If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.^{(D) 33} If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?^(E) Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.^(F) For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.^(G)

Do Not Judge

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.^(H) Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.^{(I) 38} Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap.^(J) For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”^(K)

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?^{(L) 40} A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.^(M)

⁴¹ “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? ⁴² Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.^{[a](N) 44} For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

The Two Foundations

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?^{(O) 47} I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them:^{(P) 48} He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”^(Q)