Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and (A)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 [a]you and me in Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when (B)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 [b]melt with fear; but (C)I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘(D)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 (E)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 (F)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 (G)Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will [c]drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.”

13 So Joshua (H)blessed him and (I)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 [d]Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. (J)Then the land was at rest from war.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:6 Lit me and you
  2. Joshua 14:8 I.e., become demoralized
  3. Joshua 14:12 Or dispossess
  4. Joshua 14:15 I.e., the city of Arba

The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.[a] I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.[b] My countrymen[c] who accompanied[d] me frightened the people,[e] but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.[f] That day Moses made this solemn promise:[g] ‘Surely the land on which you walked[h] will belong to you and your descendants permanently,[i] for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’ 10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, while Israel traveled through the wilderness. See here, I am today eighty-five years old! 11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.[j] 12 Now, assign me this hill country that the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard then that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities.[k] But assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer[l] them, as the Lord promised.” 13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.[m] 14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day[n] because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.[o]) Then the land was free of war.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 14:6 tn Heb “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses, the man of God, because of me and because of you in Kadesh Barnea.”sn On this incident at Kadesh Barnea see Num 14:30.
  2. Joshua 14:7 tn Heb “and I brought back to him a word just as [was] in my heart.”
  3. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “brothers.”
  4. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “went up with.”
  5. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “made the heart[s] of the people melt.”
  6. Joshua 14:8 tn Heb “I filled up after the Lord my God,” an idiomatic statement meaning that Caleb remained loyal to the Lord.
  7. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “swore an oath.”
  8. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “on which your foot has walked.”
  9. Joshua 14:9 tn Heb “will belong to you for an inheritance, and to your sons forever.”
  10. Joshua 14:11 tn Heb “like my strength then, like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in.”
  11. Joshua 14:12 tn Heb “are there and large, fortified cities.”
  12. Joshua 14:12 tn Or “will dispossess.”
  13. Joshua 14:13 tn Heb “Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”
  14. Joshua 14:14 tn Heb “Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance to this day.”
  15. Joshua 14:15 tn Heb “And he was the great man among the Anakites.”