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Ephraim's Land

16 1-4 Ephraim and Manasseh are the two tribes descended from Joseph, and the following is a description of the land they received. The southern border of their land started at the Jordan River east of the spring at Jericho. From there it went west through the desert up to the hill country around Bethel. From Bethel it went to Luz and then[a] to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.[b] It continued west down to the land that belonged to the Japhlet clan, then went on to Lower Beth-Horon, Gezer, and the Mediterranean Sea.

The following is a description of the land that was divided among the clans of the Ephraim tribe. Their southern border started at Ataroth-Addar and went west to Upper Beth-Horon 6-8 and the Mediterranean Sea. Their northern border started on the east at Janoah, curved a little to the north, then came back south to Michmethath and Tappuah, where it followed the Kanah Gorge west to the Mediterranean Sea.

The eastern border started on the north near Janoah and went between Janoah on the southwest and Taanath-Shiloh on the northeast. Then it went south to Ataroth, Naarah, and on as far as the edge of the land that belonged to Jericho. At that point it turned east and went to the Jordan River. The clans of Ephraim received this region as their tribal land. Ephraim also had some towns and villages that were inside Manasseh's tribal land.

10 (A) Ephraim could not force the Canaanites out of Gezer, so there are still some Canaanites who live there among the Israelites. But now these Canaanites have to work as slaves for the Israelites.

Manasseh's Land West of the Jordan River

17 1-6 (B) Manasseh was Joseph's oldest son, and Machir was Manasseh's oldest son. Machir had a son named Gilead, and some of his descendants had already received the regions of Gilead and Bashan because they were good warriors. The other clans of the Manasseh tribe descended from Gilead's sons Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. The following is a description of the land they received.

Hepher's son Zelophehad did not have any sons, but he did have five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. One day the clans that were descendants of Zelophehad's five daughters went to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of Israel. The people of these clans said, “The Lord told Moses to give us land just as he gave land to our relatives.”[c]

Joshua followed the Lord's instructions and gave land to these five clans, as he had given land to the five clans that had descended from Hepher's brothers.[d] So Manasseh's land west of the Jordan River was divided into ten parts.

The land of the Manasseh tribe went from its northern border with the Asher tribe south to Michmethath, which is to the east of Shechem. The southern border started there, but curved even farther south to include the people who lived around Tappuah Spring.[e] The town of Tappuah was on Manasseh's border with Ephraim. Although the land around Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, the town itself belonged to Ephraim.

9-10 Then the border went west to the Kanah Gorge and ran along the northern edge of the gorge to the Mediterranean Sea. The land south of the gorge belonged to Ephraim. And even though there were a few towns that belonged to Ephraim north of the gorge, the land north of the gorge belonged to Manasseh.

The western border of Manasseh was the Mediterranean Sea, and the tribe shared a border with the Asher tribe on the northwest and with the Issachar tribe on the northeast.

11 Manasseh was supposed to have the following towns with their surrounding villages inside the borders of Issachar's and Asher's tribal lands:

Beth-Shan, Ibleam, Endor, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, which is also called Naphath.[f]

12 (C) But the people of Manasseh could not capture these towns, so the Canaanites kept on living in them. 13 When the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Canaanites in these towns work as their slaves, though they never did force them to leave.

Joseph's Descendants Ask for More Land

14 One day the Joseph tribes[g] came to Joshua and asked, “Why didn't you give us more land? The Lord has always been kind to us, and we have too many people for this small region.”

15 Joshua replied, “If there's not enough room for you in the hill country of Ephraim, then go into the forest that belonged to the Perizzites and the Rephaim.[h] Clear out the trees and make more room for yourselves there.”

16 “Even if we do that,” they answered, “there still won't be enough land for us in the hill country. And we can't move down into Jezreel Valley, because the Canaanites who live in Beth-Shan and in other parts of the valley have iron chariots.”

17 “Your tribes do have a lot of people,” Joshua admitted. “I'll give you more land. Your tribes are powerful, 18 so you can have the rest of the hill country, but it's a forest, and you'll have to cut down the trees and clear the land. You can also have Jezreel Valley. Even though the Canaanites there are strong and have iron chariots, you can force them to leave the valley.”

Joshua Gives Out the Rest of the Land

18 After Israel had captured the land, they met at Shiloh and set up the sacred tent.[i] There were still seven tribes without any land, 3-7 so Joshua told the people:

The Judah tribe has already settled in its land in the south, and the Joseph tribes[j] have settled in their land in the north. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh already have the land that the Lord's servant Moses gave them east of the Jordan River. And the people of Levi won't receive land like the other tribes. Instead, they will serve the Lord as priests.

But the rest of you haven't done a thing to take over any land. The Lord God who was worshiped by your ancestors has given you the land, and now it's time to go ahead and settle there.

Seven tribes still don't have any land. Each of these tribes should choose three men, and I'll send them to explore the remaining land. They will divide it into seven regions, write a description of each region, and bring these descriptions back to me. I will find out[k] from the Lord our God what region each tribe should get.

Just before the men left camp, Joshua repeated their orders: “Explore the land and write a description of it. Then come back to Shiloh, and I will find out from the Lord how to divide the land.”

The men left and went across the land, dividing it into seven regions. They wrote down a description of each region, town by town, and returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua found out from the Lord how to divide the land, and he told the tribes what the Lord had decided.

Benjamin's Land

11 Benjamin was the first tribe chosen to receive land. The region for its clans lay between the Judah tribe on the south and the Joseph tribes[l] on the north. 12 Benjamin's northern border started at the Jordan River and went up the ridge north of Jericho, then on west into the hill country as far as the Beth-Aven Desert. 13-14 From there it went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. The border ran along the ridge south of Luz, then went to Ataroth-Orech[m] and on as far as the mountain south of Lower Beth-Horon. At that point it turned south and became the western border. It went as far south as Kiriath-Baal, a town in Judah now called Kiriath-Jearim.

15 Benjamin's southern border started at the edge of Kiriath-Jearim and went east to the ruins[n] and on to Nephtoah Spring. 16 From there it went to the bottom of the hill at the northern end of Rephaim Valley. The other side of this hill faces Hinnom Valley, which is on the land that slopes south from Jerusalem.[o] The border went down through Hinnom Valley until it reached Enrogel.

17 At Enrogel the border curved north and went to Enshemesh and on east to Geliloth,[p] which is across the valley from Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the Monument of Bohan,[q] who belonged to the Reuben tribe. 18 The border ran along the hillside north of Beth-Arabah,[r] then down into the Jordan River valley. 19 Inside the valley it went south as far as the northern hillside of Beth-Hoglah. The last section of the border went from there to the northern end of the Dead Sea,[s] at the mouth of the Jordan River. 20 The Jordan River itself was Benjamin's eastern border.

These were the borders of Benjamin's tribal land, where the clans of Benjamin lived.

21-24 One region of Benjamin's tribal land had twelve towns with their surrounding villages. Those towns were Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz, Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar-Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba.

25-28 In the other region there were the following 14 towns with their surrounding villages: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Haeleph, Gibeah, Kiriath-Jearim,[t] and Jerusalem, which is also called Jebusite Town.

These regions are the tribal lands of Benjamin.

Footnotes

  1. 16.1-4 it … then: Or “which is also called Luz, it went.”
  2. 16.1-4 Ataroth: This is the same Ataroth as Ataroth-Addar in verse 5, but a different Ataroth from the one in verses 6-8.
  3. 17.1-6 The Lord told Moses … relatives: See Numbers 27.1-11; 36.1-12.
  4. 17.1-6 the clans that were descendants of Zelophehad's five daughters … Hepher's brothers: Or “Zelophehad's five daughters went to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of Israel. The five sisters said, ‘The Lord told Moses to give us land just as he gave land to our relatives.’ Joshua followed the Lord's instructions and gave land to these five sisters, as he had given land to Hepher's brothers.”
  5. 17.7 to include … Tappuah Spring: Hebrew; one ancient translation “to Jassiben-Tappuah” or “and turns toward Tappuah Spring.”
  6. 17.11 Dor … Naphath: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. 17.14 Joseph tribes: Ephraim and the half of Manasseh that lived west of the Jordan River.
  8. 17.15 Rephaim: See the note at 12.4.
  9. 18.1 sacred tent: Or “meeting tent.”
  10. 18.3-7 Joseph tribes: See the note at 17.14.
  11. 18.3-7 find out: Hebrew “cast lots to find out” (see the note at 14.1-5).
  12. 18.11 Joseph tribes: See the note at 17.14.
  13. 18.13,14 Ataroth-Orech: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Ataroth-Addar.”
  14. 18.15 the ruins: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  15. 18.16 Jerusalem: Hebrew “the Jebusite town.”
  16. 18.17 Geliloth: Probably another name for Gilgal.
  17. 18.17 Monument of Bohan: See the note at 15.6.
  18. 18.18 hillside north of Beth-Arabah: One ancient translation (see also the border description in 15.6); Hebrew “the northern hillside overlooking the Jordan River valley.”
  19. 18.19 northern … Dead Sea: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  20. 18.25-28 Kiriath-Jearim: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Kiriath.”

Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh

16 The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan, east of the springs of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert(A) into the hill country of Bethel.(B) It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz(C)),[a] crossed over to the territory of the Arkites(D) in Ataroth,(E) descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon(F) and on to Gezer,(G) ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.(H)

This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans:

The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar(I) in the east to Upper Beth Horon(J) and continued to the Mediterranean Sea. From Mikmethath(K) on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah(L) on the east. Then it went down from Janoah(M) to Ataroth(N) and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan. From Tappuah(O) the border went west to the Kanah Ravine(P) and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, according to its clans. It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.(Q)

10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.(R)

17 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh(S) as Joseph’s firstborn,(T) that is, for Makir,(U) Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead(V) and Bashan(W) because the Makirites were great soldiers. So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh(X)—the clans of Abiezer,(Y) Helek, Asriel,(Z) Shechem, Hepher(AA) and Shemida.(AB) These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher,(AC) the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters,(AD) whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord’s command.(AE) Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,(AF) because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher(AG) to Mikmethath(AH) east of Shechem.(AI) The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah(AJ) itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine.(AK) There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 10 On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher(AL) on the north and Issachar(AM) on the east.(AN)

11 Within Issachar(AO) and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan,(AP) Ibleam(AQ) and the people of Dor,(AR) Endor,(AS) Taanach(AT) and Megiddo,(AU) together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth[b]).(AV)

12 Yet the Manassites were not able(AW) to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.(AX)

14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.”(AY)

15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest(AZ) and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites(BA) and Rephaites.(BB)

16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron,(BC) both those in Beth Shan(BD) and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”(BE)

17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment(BF) 18 but the forested hill country(BG) as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron(BH) and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

Division of the Rest of the Land

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

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? 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,(BK) according to the inheritance of each.(BL) Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south(BM) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.(BN) After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots(BO) for you in the presence of the Lord our God. The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance.(BP) 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.(BQ)

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.(BR) Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh(BS) in the presence of the Lord.” 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(BT) for them in Shiloh in the presence(BU) of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.(BV)

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:

12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness(BW) of Beth Aven.(BX) 13 From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz(BY) (that is, Bethel(BZ)) and went down to Ataroth Addar(CA) on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

14 From the hill facing Beth Horon(CB) on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim),(CC) a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.

15 The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.(CD) 16 The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim.(CE) It continued down the Hinnom Valley(CF) along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.(CG) 17 It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth,(CH) which faces the Pass of Adummim,(CI) and ran down to the Stone of Bohan(CJ) son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah[c](CK) and on down into the Arabah.(CL) 19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah(CM) and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea,(CN) at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.

20 The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.

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

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

Jericho, Beth Hoglah,(CP) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah,(CQ) Zemaraim,(CR) Bethel,(CS) 23 Avvim,(CT) Parah, Ophrah,(CU) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba(CV)—twelve towns and their villages.

25 Gibeon,(CW) Ramah,(CX) Beeroth,(CY) 26 Mizpah,(CZ) Kephirah,(DA) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah,(DB) Haeleph, the Jebusite city(DC) (that is, Jerusalem(DD)), Gibeah(DE) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.(DF)

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

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 16:2 Septuagint; Hebrew Bethel to Luz
  2. Joshua 17:11 That is, Naphoth Dor
  3. Joshua 18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah

The Birth of Jesus

(Matthew 1.18-25)

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.[a] These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.[b]

Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born[c] son. She dressed him in baby clothes[d] and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. (A) All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

14 “Praise God in heaven!
Peace on earth to everyone
    who pleases God.”

15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.

17 When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. 18 Everyone listened and was surprised. 19 But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

20 As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.

21 (B) Eight days later Jesus' parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands.[e] And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.

Simeon Praises the Lord

22 (C) The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born.[f]

They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord, 23 (D) just as the Law of the Lord says, “Each first-born[g] baby boy belongs to the Lord.” 24 The Law of the Lord also says parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.

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Footnotes

  1. 2.1 names … listed in record books: This was done so that everyone could be made to pay taxes to the Emperor.
  2. 2.2 Quirinius was governor of Syria: It is known that Quirinius made a record of the people in a.d. 6 or 7. But the exact date of the record taking that Luke mentions is not known.
  3. 2.7 first-born: The Jewish people said that the first-born son in each of their families belonged to the Lord.
  4. 2.7 dressed him in baby clothes: The Greek text has “wrapped him in wide strips of cloth,” which was how young babies were dressed.
  5. 2.21 what the Law of Moses commands: See the note at 1.59.
  6. 2.22 after her baby is born: After a Jewish mother gave birth to a son, she was considered “unclean” and had to stay home until he was circumcised (see the note at 1.59). Then she had to stay home for another 33 days, before offering a sacrifice to the Lord.
  7. 2.23 first-born: See the note at 2.7.

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus(A) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(B) (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(C) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem(D) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him(E) and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel(F) of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.(G) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior(H) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,(I) the Lord.(J) 12 This will be a sign(K) to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace(L) to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.(M) 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.(N) 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God(O) for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child,(P) he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.(Q)

Jesus Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,(R) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[b]),(S) 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[c](T)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before
  2. Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
  3. Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8