Joshua 14-16

Modern English Version

Division of the Land West of the Jordan

14 These are the territories that the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes assigned to them. ² Their inheritance fell to them by lot, as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine and a half tribes. ³ For Moses had assigned the inheritance of two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, but he had not assigned an inheritance among them to the Levites. ⁴ The descendants of Joseph were two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim. They did not give territory to the Levites in the land, but only towns in which to live, along with the pastures, livestock, and property. ⁵ Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did when they divided the land.

Hebron Given to Caleb

⁶ The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God about you and me at Kadesh Barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ My companions who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt, but I wholeheartedly followed after the Lord my God. ⁹ On that day Moses swore an oath, ‘The land on which your foot treads shall be your inheritance, for your descendants perpetually, because you completely followed after the Lord my God.’

¹⁰ “Now, the Lord has kept me alive, just as He said, for forty-five years, since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. ¹¹ I am still just as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me. My strength now is just like my strength then, both for battle and for going out and returning. ¹² So now, give me this hill country that the Lord spoke about on that day. That day you heard that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out, as the Lord said.”

¹³ Then Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became an inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day because he completely followed after the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the Anakites.

Then the land had rest from war.

Allotment for Judah^(A)

15 The allotment for the tribe of Judah, by their clans, stretches southward to the border of Edom, to the Zin wilderness in the south.

² Their southern border runs from the southern tip of the Salt Sea, ³ to south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, crosses to Zin, rises south of Kadesh Barnea, crosses to Hezron, then rises to Addar, turns toward Karka, ⁴ then crosses to Azmon, goes out to the Brook of Egypt, and then to the sea. This is your southern border.

⁵ The eastern border is the Salt Sea up to the mouth of the Jordan.

The northern border runs from the northern extremity of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan River, ⁶ then rises to Beth Hoglah, crosses north of Beth Arabah, rises to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben, ⁷ and rises to Debir from the Achor Valley, turns northward to Gilgal opposite the Ascent of Adummim south of the valley, and crosses to the waters of En Shemesh and onward to En Rogel. ⁸ The border rises to Valley of Ben Hinnom, to the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem), then rises to the top of the hill west of the Valley of Ben Hinnom, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. ⁹ The border turns from the top of the hill to the waters of Nephtoah and goes out to the cities of Mount Ephron, then turns to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). ¹⁰ The border turns west of Baalah to Mount Seir, crosses to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), descends to Beth Shemesh, and crosses to Timnah. ¹¹ The border goes out to the northern slope of Ekron, turns to Shikkeron, crosses to Mount Baalah, goes out to Jabneel, and ends at the sea.

¹² The western border was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

These were the borders surrounding the tribe of Judah according to their clans.

¹³ According to the word of the Lord to Joshua, Caleb son of Jephunneh was given an allotment among the tribe of Judah: Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron). Arba was the father of Anak. ¹⁴ Caleb drove out from there three Anakites: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. ¹⁵ He went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Before the name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher. ¹⁶ Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it.” ¹⁷ Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it, so Caleb gave him Aksah his daughter in marriage.

¹⁸ When she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. She dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What can I do for you?”

¹⁹ She answered, “Please give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

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

²¹ The cities at the southern extremity of the tribe of Judah toward the border with Edom were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, ²⁸ Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. The cities numbered twenty-nine with their villages.

³³ In the lowland were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah (Gederothaim): fourteen cities with their villages.

³⁷ Also there were Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.

⁴² Also there were Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Akzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.

⁴⁵ Also there were Ekron, its towns and villages; ⁴⁶ from Ekron to the sea, all the land near Ashdod and their villages, ⁴⁷ Ashdod, its towns and villages, Gaza, its towns and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea with its coast.

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

⁵² Also there were Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine cities with their villages.

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

⁵⁸ Also there were Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.

⁶⁰ Also there were Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.

⁶¹ In the wilderness were Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, ⁶² Nibshan, City of Salt, and En Gedi: six cities with their villages.

⁶³ The people of Judah were not able to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh

16 The allotment of land for the descendants of Joseph was from the Jordan by Jericho then east into the wilderness, rising from Jericho to the hill country of Bethel. ² It goes out from Bethel to Luz and passes to the border of Arkite territory at Ataroth. ³ It goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, to the border of lower Beth Horon and Gezer, and then goes out to the sea.

⁴ So the descendants of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

⁵ The territory of the Ephraimites, according to their clans, was as follows. The border of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth Addar as far as upper Beth Horon. ⁶ The border goes out toward the sea with Mikmethath on the north. It turns eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and passes it on the east toward Janoah. ⁷ It descends from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, touches Jericho, and extends to the Jordan. ⁸ From Tappuah the border goes west to the Kanah Ravine and out to the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites according to their clans. ⁹ The other cities for the Ephraimites were in the middle of the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages.

¹⁰ They did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim until this day performing heavy labor as slaves.