Joshua 15
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
15 The lot for the tribe of Judah according to its families reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at its most southern part.
2 And their south boundary was from the end of the Salt [Dead] Sea, from the bay that faces southward;
3 It went out south of the ascent of Akrabbim, passed along to Zin, and went up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, and turned about to Karka,
4 Passed along to Azmon, went out by the Brook of Egypt, and ended at the sea. This was their southern frontier.
5 The eastern boundary was the Salt [Dead] Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The northern boundary was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan;
6 And the boundary went up to Beth-hogla and passed along north of Beth-arabah and [it] went up to the [landmark] Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
7 And the boundary went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent to Adummim on the south side of the valley; and it passed on to the waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel.
8 Then the boundary went up by the Valley of Ben-hinnom [son of Hinnom] at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite [city]—that is, Jerusalem; and the boundary went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.
9 Then the boundary extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and went on to the cities of Mount Ephron; then it bent round to Baalah, that is, Kiriath-jearim.
10 And the boundary went around west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passed along to the northern side of Mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, went down to Beth-shemesh, and then passed on by Timnah.
11 And the boundary went out to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, then bent round to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel. Then the boundary ended at the sea.
12 And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary round about the people of Judah according to their families.
13 And to Caleb son of Jephunneh, [Joshua] gave a part among the people of Judah, as the Lord commanded [him]; it was Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, [named for] Arba the father of Anak.
14 And Caleb drove from there the three sons of Anak—Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai—the descendants of Anak.
15 He went up from there against the people of Debir. Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher.
16 Caleb said, He who smites Kiriath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.
17 And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
18 When Achsah came to Othniel, she got his consent to ask her father for a field. Then she returned to Caleb and when she lighted off her donkey, Caleb said, What do you wish?
19 Achsah answered, Give me a present. Since you have set me in the [dry] Negeb, give me also springs of water. And he gave her the [sloping field with] upper and lower springs.
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah according to their families.
21 The cities of the tribe of Judah in the extreme south toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (Hazor),
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,
28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All the cities were twenty-nine [later thirty-six] with their villages.
33 In the lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,
38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,
41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.
45 Ekron, with its towns and villages.
46 From Ekron to the sea, all that lay beside Ashdod, with their villages;
47 Ashdod, with its towns and its villages; Gaza, with its towns and its villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt, and the Great [Mediterranean] Sea with its coastline.
48 In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, 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, Eshan,
53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, 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, Secacah,
62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages.
63 But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out; so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
Joshua 15
Common English Bible
Border of Judah
15 The land determined by lot for the clans of the Judahite tribe ran southward to the border of Edom. The Zin wasteland was the southern limit. 2 Their south border ran from the end of the Dead Sea, from the bay that faces south. 3 It went south from the ascent of Akrabbim, passed on to Zin, and went up south of Kadesh-barnea. It passed on to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka. 4 It passed on to Azmon and went by the border[a] of Egypt. The border ended at the sea. This will be their south border.
5 The east border was the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.
The border on the north side ran from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. 6 The border went up to Beth-hoglah and passed north of Beth-arabah. The border went up to the Stone of Bohan (Reuben’s son). 7 The border went up to Debir from the Achor Valley, turning north to Gilgal. Gilgal was opposite the ascent of Adummim, which was south of the ravine. The border passed on to the waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel. 8 The border went up by the valley of Ben-Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusite city, Jerusalem, on the south. The border went up to the top of the mountain that is opposite the Hinnom Valley on the west, which is at the north end of the Rephaim Valley. 9 The border turned from the top of the mountain to the waters of Nephtoah Spring and went to the cities of Mount Ephron. The border turned toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). 10 The border turned westward from Baalah to Mount Seir. It passed on to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed by Timnah. 11 The border went to the slope of Ekron on the north. The border turned toward Shikkeron, passed on to Mount Baalah, and went to Jabneel. The border ended at the sea.
12 The west border was the Mediterranean Sea and its shoreline. This was the border surrounding the clans of the Judahites.
Caleb and Achsah
13 In agreement with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave a portion among the Judahites to Caleb, Jephunneh’s son. It was Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14 Caleb removed the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. They were the offspring of Anak. 15 Then he went up from there against the population of Debir. Debir used to be called Kiriath-sepher. 16 Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter in marriage to whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” 17 So Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured it, and Caleb gave him Achsah his daughter in marriage.
18 Now when she arrived, she prodded Othniel into asking for a field from her father. After she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”
19 She said, “Give me a blessing. Since the land you’ve given me is in the arid southern plain, you should also give me springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Cities of Judah
20 This is the legacy for the clans of the tribe of the people of Judah. 21 The outlying cities of the tribe of the people of Judah ran down to the border of Edom.
In the arid southern plain: 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, Beer-sheba and its dependent cities,[b] 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. In total: twenty-nine cities and their surrounding areas.
33 In the lowlands: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim. In total: fourteen cities and their surrounding areas.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38 Dilan, Mizpeh, Jokthe-el, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. In total: sixteen cities and their surrounding areas.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah. In total: nine cities and their surrounding areas.
45 Ekron, its dependent cities and surrounding areas. 46 From Ekron toward the sea, everything that was near Ashdod and its surrounding areas. 47 Ashdod, its dependent cities and surrounding areas. Gaza, its dependent cities and surrounding areas as far as the border of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea and its shoreline.
48 In the highlands: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. In total: eleven cities and their surrounding areas.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior. In total: nine cities and their surrounding areas.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. In total: ten cities and their surrounding areas.
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon. In total: six cities and their surrounding areas.
Tekoah, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Koulon, Tatam, Sores, Karem, Gallim, Bether, and Manahath. In total: eleven cities and their surrounding areas.[c]
60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah. In total: two cities and their surrounding areas.
61 In the desert: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan (the Salt City), and En-gedi. In total: six cities and their surrounding areas.
63 But the people of Judah couldn’t remove the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So today the Jebusites still live along with the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Joshua 15:4 Or Wadi, traditionally Brook; LXX their south border; MT your south border
- Joshua 15:28 LXX and Neh 11:27; Heb Biziothiah
- Joshua 15:59 LXX; MT lacks Tekoa, Ephrathah … surrounding areas.
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