Caleb’s Request

14 Now these are the territories which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which (A)Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned to them as inheritances, by the (B)lot of their inheritance, just as the Lord commanded [a]through Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. For (C)Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but (D)he did not give an inheritance to the Levites among them. For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, (E)Manasseh and Ephraim, and they did not give a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to live in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property. The sons of Israel did exactly (F)as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.

Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and (G)Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God on account of [b]you and me in Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when (H)Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people [c]melt with fear; but (I)I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘(J)The land on which your foot has walked shall certainly be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ 10 And now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. 11 (K)I am still as strong today as I was on the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for (L)going out and coming in. 12 Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that (M)Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will [d]drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.”

13 So Joshua (N)blessed him and (O)gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully. 15 Now the name of Hebron was previously [e]Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. (P)Then the land was at rest from war.

Territory of Judah

15 Now (Q)the lot for the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families [f]reached the (R)border of Edom, southward to the (S)wilderness of Zin at the extreme south. Their southern border was from the lower end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that turns to the south. Then it proceeded southward to the ascent of Akrabbim and continued to Zin, then went up by the south of Kadesh-barnea and continued to Hezron, and went up to Addar and turned to Karka. It (T)continued to Azmon and proceeded to the [g](U)brook of Egypt, and the [h]border ended at the sea. This shall be your southern border. The (V)eastern border was the Salt Sea, as far as the [i]mouth of the Jordan. And the (W)border of the north side was from the bay of the sea at the [j]mouth of the Jordan. Then the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and continued on the north of Beth-arabah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. And the border went up to Debir from (X)the Valley of Achor, and turned northward toward Gilgal which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south of the valley; and the border continued to the waters of En-shemesh and [k]it ended at En-rogel. Then the border went up the Valley of Ben-hinnom to the slope of the (Y)Jebusite on the south (that is, Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain which is opposite the Valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the Valley of Rephaim toward the north. And from the top of the mountain the border turned to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, then the border turned to (Z)Baalah (that is, (AA)Kiriath-jearim). 10 The border turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and continued to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is, Chesalon), and went down to Beth-shemesh and continued through (AB)Timnah. 11 Then the border proceeded to the side of Ekron northward. And the border turned to Shikkeron and continued to Mount Baalah and proceeded to Jabneel, and the [l]border ended at the sea. 12 The western border was (AC)at the Great Sea, even its [m]coastline. This is the border around the sons of Judah according to their families.

13 Now (AD)he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion (AE)among the sons of Judah, in accordance with the [n]command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, [o]Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron). 14 And (AF)Caleb [p]drove out from there the three (AG)sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 Then (AH)he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir previously was Kiriath-sepher. 16 And Caleb said, “The one who [q]attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, [r]I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife.” 17 (AI)Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife. 18 (AJ)And it happened that when she came to him, she incited him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 19 Then she said, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the [s]Negev, give me springs of water also.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families.

21 Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south were Kabzeel, (AK)Eder, and Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, and Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, and Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, and Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, and Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, and Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, (AL)Beersheba, and Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, and Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, and Hormah, 31 (AM)Ziklag, Madmannah, and Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon; in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.

33 In the lowland: (AN)Eshtaol, Zorah, and Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam, 35 Jarmuth, (AO)Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.

37 Zenan, Hadashah, and Migdal-gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpeh, and Joktheel, 39 (AP)Lachish, Bozkath, and Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmas, and Chitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.

42 Libnah, Ether, and Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, and Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

45 Ekron, with its towns and its villages; 46 from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the [t]side of Ashdod, with their villages.

47 Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages, as far as (AQ)the [u]brook of Egypt and the Great Sea, even its [v]coastline.

48 In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, and Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.

52 Arab, Dumah, and Eshan, 53 Janum, Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, and Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, and Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.

60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.

61 In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi; six cities with their villages.

63 Now as for the (AR)Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not [w]drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:2 Lit by the hand of
  2. Joshua 14:6 Lit me and you
  3. Joshua 14:8 I.e., become demoralized
  4. Joshua 14:12 Or dispossess
  5. Joshua 14:15 I.e., the city of Arba
  6. Joshua 15:1 Lit was to
  7. Joshua 15:4 Or wadi
  8. Joshua 15:4 Lit goings out of the border were
  9. Joshua 15:5 Lit end
  10. Joshua 15:5 Lit end
  11. Joshua 15:7 Lit the goings out of it were
  12. Joshua 15:11 Lit goings out...were
  13. Joshua 15:12 Lit border
  14. Joshua 15:13 Lit mouth
  15. Joshua 15:13 I.e., the city of Arba
  16. Joshua 15:14 Or dispossessed them
  17. Joshua 15:16 Lit strikes
  18. Joshua 15:16 Lit and I
  19. Joshua 15:19 I.e., South country
  20. Joshua 15:46 Lit hand
  21. Joshua 15:47 Or wadi
  22. Joshua 15:47 Lit border
  23. Joshua 15:63 Or dispossess them

Bible Gateway Recommends