BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42^[a][b]

For the director of music. A maskil^[c] of the Sons of Korah.

Division of the Rest of the Land

18 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh^(A) and set up the tent of meeting^(B) there. The country was brought under their control, ² but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.

³ So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? ⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it,^(C) according to the inheritance of each.^(D) Then they will return to me. ⁵ You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south^(E) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.^{(F) 6} After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots^(G) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. ⁷ The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.^(H) And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.^(I)”

⁸ As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it.^(J) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh^(K) in the presence of the Lord.” ⁹ So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua then cast lots^(L) for them in Shiloh in the presence^(M) of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.^(N)

Allotment for Benjamin

¹¹ The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.^(AG)

²¹ The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.^(AY)

144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners^(A) of the earth, holding back the four winds^(B) of the earth to prevent^(C) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal^(D) of the living God.^(E) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:^{(F) 3} “Do not harm^(G) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads^(H) of the servants of our God.” ⁴ Then I heard the number^(I) of those who were sealed: 144,000^(J) from all the tribes of Israel.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,^(K) standing before the throne^(L) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes^(M) and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders^(P) and the four living creatures.^(Q) They fell down on their faces^(R) before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes^(T)—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes^(U) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^{(V) 15} Therefore,