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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”

The Territories of the Remaining Tribes

18 Then the whole congregation of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.(A)

There remained among the Israelites seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you be slack about going in and taking possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?(B) Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may begin to go throughout the land, writing a description of it with a view to their inheritances. Then come back to me. They shall divide it into seven portions, Judah continuing in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in their territory on the north.(C) You shall write a description of the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage, and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”(D)

So the men started on their way, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go throughout the land and write a description of it and come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”(E) So the men went and traversed the land and set down in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions; then they came back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua apportioned the land to the Israelites, to each a portion.(F)

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