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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.”

Caleb’s Inheritance

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.(A) 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.(B) My brothers who went with me caused the people to lose heart, but I followed the Lord my God completely.(C) 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.’(D)

10 “As you see, the Lord has kept me alive these forty-five years as he promised,(E) 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[a] is now as it was then.(F) 12 Now give me this hill country the Lord promised me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there,(G) as well as large fortified cities.(H) 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.(I) 14 Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today(J) 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.(K) After this, the land had rest from war.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 14:11 Lit for going out and coming in