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The Last of the Land Is Divided

18 The entire congregation of the Israelites[a] assembled at Shiloh, and they set up there the tent of meeting, and the land was subdued before them.[b] And seven tribes remained among the Israelites[c] who had not been apportioned their inheritance. And Joshua said to the Israelites,[d]How long[e] will you be slack about going to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[f] has given you? Provide three men from each tribe,[g] and I will send them so that they may begin to go through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance,[h] and let them come to me. They will divide it among themselves into seven portions; Judah will maintain its border[i] from the south, and the house of Joseph will maintain its border[j] from the north. Describe the land in seven divisions, and bring it to me here; I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. The Levites among you have no portion, for their inheritance is the priesthood of Yahweh; Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses Yahweh’s servant gave to them.”

And the men went immediately,[k] and Joshua commanded the ones going to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk about through the land, write a description, and return to me, and here I will cast a lot for you before[l] Yahweh at Shiloh.” And the men went and passed through the land, and they described[m] the cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast a lot for them at Shiloh before[n] Yahweh, and there he divided the land for the Israelites,[o] to each a portion.[p]

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Joshua 18:1 Or “in their presence”
  3. Joshua 18:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Joshua 18:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Joshua 18:3 Literally “Until when”
  6. Joshua 18:3 Or “fathers”
  7. Joshua 18:4 Literally “according to each tribe”
  8. Joshua 18:4 Literally “according to the mouth of their inheritance”
  9. Joshua 18:5 Literally “Judah will stand on its border”
  10. Joshua 18:5 Literally “the house of Joseph will stand on its border”
  11. Joshua 18:8 Literally “the men got up and went”
  12. Joshua 18:8 Or “in the presence of”
  13. Joshua 18:9 Literally “wrote it”
  14. Joshua 18:10 Or “in the presence of”
  15. Joshua 18:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Joshua 18:10 Literally “according to their allotment”

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, 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,(C) according to the inheritance of each.(D) 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(E) and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north.(F) 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. 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)

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.” 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)

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