Beginning

Inheritance of Ephraim

16 The allotment for the children of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east to the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel. ² From Bethel it went out to Luz, then continued to the border of the Archites at Ataroth. ³ Then it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, to the territory of Lower Beth-horon, on to Gezer, and ended at the sea. ⁴ So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their portion.

⁵ Now the territory of the children of Ephraim according to their clans was as follows: the border of their inheritance eastward was Atroth-addar, up to Upper Beth-horon. ⁶ Then the border went out westward at Mich-methath on the north, then the border turned eastward to Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it to the east of Janoah. ⁷ Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan. ⁸ From Tappuah the border went along westward to the Wadi Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their clans, ⁹ together with the towns which were set apart for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all these towns with their villages.

¹⁰ But they did not drive out the Canaanites that were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and became forced laborers.

Inheritance of Manasseh

17 Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh, the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, since he was a man of war, he got Gilead and Bashan. ² So for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their clans—for the sons of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida—these were the male children of Manasseh son of Joseph according to their clans. ³ But Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters—these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴ So they appeared before Eleazar the kohen, before Joshua son of Nun and before the leaders saying: “Adonai commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our kinsmen.” Therefore according to the commandment of Adonai he gave them a portion among their father’s kinsmen. ⁵ Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan that is beyond the Jordan, ⁶ because the daughters of Manasseh received a portion among his sons. Meanwhile the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

⁷ The border of Manasseh ran from Asher to Michmethath, which is facing Shechem. Then the border went along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. ⁸ The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. ⁹ Next the border went down to the Wadi Kanah, south of the wadi, by towns belonging to Ephraim among Manasseh’s towns. But the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the wadi, and ended at the sea. ¹⁰ The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side belonged to Manasseh, and the sea was its border. They reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east. ¹¹ Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh possessed Beth-shean and its villages, Ibleam and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages—three regions.

¹² Yet the children of Manasseh could not take possession of these towns, because the Canaanites were resolved to live in that land. ¹³ But when Bnei-Yisrael became stronger, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly dispossess them.

¹⁴ Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying: “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? For we are a numerous people whom Adonai has thus far blessed?”

¹⁵ So Joshua said to them, “If you have so many people, go you up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

¹⁶ “The hill country will not be enough for us,” the children of Joseph replied. “But all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley land have iron chariots—both those who are in Beth-shean and its villages and those who are in the Jezreel Valley.”

¹⁷ But Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh saying: “You are a numerous people with great strength! You shouldn’t have just one allotment, ¹⁸ because the hill country should be yours. Though it is a forest, you will clear it, and to its farthest borders it will be yours—for you will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they are strong.”

Scouting the Land Further

18 Then the whole congregation of Bnei-Yisrael assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there, after the land was now subdued before them. ² Yet there remained among Bnei-Yisrael seven tribes that still had not received their portions. ³ So Joshua said to Bnei-Yisrael, “How long will you be slack about going in to possess the land which Adonai, the God of your fathers, has given you? ⁴ Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them, and they will arise and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance, and then return to me. ⁵ They are to divide it into seven portions: Judah will remain within its territory in the south, and the house of Joseph will remain within their territory in the north. ⁶ After you have described the seven portions of land, bring the description here to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before Adonai our God. ⁷ But the Levites have no portion among you—for the priesthood of Adonai is their inheritance. Also Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Adonai gave them.”

⁸ So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write a description of the land, saying: “Go and walk through the land and describe it, then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Adonai in Shiloh.” ⁹ So the men went, passing through the land, and described it in a scroll, town by town, in seven parts. Then they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Adonai, and there Joshua apportioned the land to Bnei-Yisrael according to their divisions.

Inheritance of Benjamin

¹¹ Now the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up, for their clans. The territory of their allotment lay between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. ¹² Now their border on the north side was from the Jordan—the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. ¹³ Then the border passed from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward. Next the border went down to Atroth-addar, near the mountain that lies to the south of Lower Beth-horon.

¹⁴ On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon southward, the border curved, turning about southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a town of the children of Judah. This was the west side.

¹⁵ Then the south side was from the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim, then the border went westward, going to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ Then the border went down to the foot of the mountain by the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. Then it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel. ¹⁷ Then it curved north, and went to En-shemesh and ran to Geliloth opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. ¹⁸ Next it passed northward to the slope facing the Arabah (of the Jordan Valley), and went down to the Arabah. ¹⁹ Then the border passed along the side of Beth-hoglah northward, and the border ended at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

²⁰ The Jordan was to be the border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, and its borders all around according to their clans.

²¹ Now the towns of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their clans were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, ²² Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Chephar-ammonah, Ophni, and Geba—12 towns with their villages. ²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beerot, ²⁶ Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zela, Eleph, and Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath—14 towns with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their clans.