Bible in 90 Days
The Allotment of Judah
15 The allotment for the tribe of the descendants[a] of Judah according to their families reached to the border of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin, to the far south.[b] 2 Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea,[c] from the bay facing southward; 3 it continues[d] to the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, passes along to Zin, it goes up south of Kadesh Barnea, passes along Hezron, goes up to Addar, and makes a turn to Karka; 4 it passes on[e] to Azmon, continues[f] by the wadi of Egypt, and it ends[g] at the sea. This will be your southern border. 5 The eastern border is the Salt Sea[h] up to the mouth[i] of the Jordan. The border on the northern side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth[j] of the Jordan; 6 the border goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes along north of Beth Arabah; and the border goes up the stone of Bohan son of Reuben; 7 and the border goes up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and to the north, turning to Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is south of the wadi;[k] and the border passes on to the waters of En Shemesh, and it ends at En Rogel. 8 Then the border goes up by the Valley of Ben Hinnom[l] to the slope of the Jebusites[m] from the south (that is, Jerusalem); and the border goes up to the top of the mountain that lies opposite the valley of Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the valley of Rephaim to the north; 9 then the border turns from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and continues[n] from there to the cities of Mount Ephron; the border then turns to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim); 10 and the border goes around from Baalah to the west, to Mount Seir, and passes on to the slope of Mount Jearim from the north (that is, Kesalon), and goes down to Beth Shemesh, and passes along by Timnah. 11 The border continues[o] to the slope of Ekron to the north, then bends around to Shikkeron, it passes on to Mount Baalah and continues to Jabneel; and the border ends[p] at the sea. 12 And the western border is to the Great Sea[q] and its coast. This is the border surrounding the descendants[r] of Judah according to their families.
13 According to the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua,[s] he gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a plot of ground among the descendants[t] of Judah, Kiriath Arba,[u] which is Hebron (Arba was Anak’s father). 14 Caleb drove out from there three of Anak’s sons, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants[v] of Anak. 15 And from there he went up against the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher). 16 And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife. 18 When she came to him she urged him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”[w] 19 And she said to him, “Give to me a gift;[x] you have given me the land of the Negev,[y] and you must give to me a spring of water.” And he gave to her the upper and lower spring.[z]
The Cities of Judah
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[aa] of Judah according to their families: 21 the cities belonging to the tribe of the descendants[ab] of Judah to the far south, to the border of Edom to the south, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon; in all, twenty-nine cities and their villages.
33 In the Shephelah:[ac] Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities and their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahma, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities and their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Jephthah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah; nine cities and their villages.
45 Ekron, its towns and villages; 46 from Ekron to the sea, and all that were near[ad] Ashdod and their villages.
47 Ashdod, its towns and villages; Gaza, its towns and villages, up to the wadi[ae] of Egypt and the Great Sea[af] and its coast.[ag]
48 And in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sanna (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities and their villages.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba[ah] (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities and their villages.
55 Moan, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities and their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon; six cities and their villages.
60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah; two cities and their villages.
61 In the wilderness: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities and their villages.
63 But the descendants[ai] of Judah were unable to drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live with the descendants[aj] of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
The Allotment of Ephraim and Manasseh
16 The allotment of the descendants[ak] of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, at the waters of Jericho to the east, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel; 2 it continues from Bethel to Luz, and it passes along to the territory of the Arkites[al] at Ataroth. 3 Then it goes down, to the west, to the territory of the Japhletites,[am] up to the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends[an] at the sea.
4 And the descendants[ao] of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. 5 This was the border of the descendants[ap] of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance to the east was Ataroth Addar, up to Upper Beth-horon. 6 The border continues to the sea; from Micmethath to the north, the border turns to the east to Taanath Shiloh, and it passes along it from the east to Janoah. 7 Then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah; it touches Jericho and ends at the Jordan; 8 from Tappuah the border goes to the west, to the wadi[aq] of Kanah, and it ends[ar] at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[as] of Ephraim according to their families, 9 with the cities that were set apart for the descendants[at] of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the descendants[au] of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages. 10 But they did not drive out the Canananites[av] who were dwelling in Gezer, and so the Canaanites[aw] live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but they became forced laborers.
The Allotment of the Other Half-Tribe of Manasseh
17 Then the allotment was made for the tribe of Manasseh, because he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Makir, the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted[ax] Gilead and Bashan, because he was a warrior.[ay] 2 An allotment was made for the remaining descendants[az] of Manasseh, according to their families: For the children of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida—these were the male descendants[ba] of Manasseh son of Joseph according to their families.
3 But Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They came before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, “Yahweh commanded Moses to give an inheritance to us among our kinsmen.”[bb] Therefore, according to the command of Yahweh[bc] he gave them an inheritance among the kinsmen[bd] of their father. 5 Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead was allotted to the remaining descendants[be] of Manasseh. 7 The border of Manasseh was from Asher to Micmethath, which is opposite Shechem;[bf] then the border goes to the south, to the inhabitants of En Tappuah. 8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh,[bg] but Tuppuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the descendants of Ephraim.[bh] 9 Then the border goes down to the wadi[bi] of Kanah to the south of the wadi. These cities belong to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh is north of the wadi, and it ends[bj] at the sea. 10 The south is Ephraim’s, and the north is Manasseh’s; the sea is their[bk] border; Asher touches the north and on the east Issachar. 11 In Issachar and Asher, Manasseh had 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, the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Napheth. 12 But the descendants[bl] of Manasseh were not able to take possession of these towns; the Canaanites[bm] were determined to live in this land. 13 And it happened, when the Israelites[bn] grew strong, they put the Canaanites[bo] to forced labor but never drove them out completely.
The Tribes of Joseph Object
14 The descendants[bp] of Joseph spoke with Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us[bq] one allotment and one share as an inheritance? We are many people, which Yahweh has blessed.” 15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are many people, go up to the forest and clear a place there for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites[br] and Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 And the descendants[bs] of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all of the Canaanites[bt] living in the land of the valley have chariots[bu] of iron, those in Beth-shean and its villages, and those in the Jezreel Valley.” 17 And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are many people and have great power; you will not have one allotment only; 18 the hill country will be yours. Even though it is a forest, you will clear it, and it will be yours to its farthest borders. You will drive out the Canaanites,[bv] even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”
The Last of the Land Is Divided
18 The entire congregation of the Israelites[bw] assembled at Shiloh, and they set up there the tent of meeting, and the land was subdued before them.[bx] 2 And seven tribes remained among the Israelites[by] who had not been apportioned their inheritance. 3 And Joshua said to the Israelites,[bz] “How long[ca] will you be slack about going to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[cb] has given you? 4 Provide three men from each tribe,[cc] 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,[cd] and let them come to me. 5 They will divide it among themselves into seven portions; Judah will maintain its border[ce] from the south, and the house of Joseph will maintain its border[cf] from the north. 6 Describe the land in seven divisions, and bring it to me here; I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. 7 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.”
8 And the men went immediately,[cg] 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[ch] Yahweh at Shiloh.” 9 And the men went and passed through the land, and they described[ci] 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[cj] Yahweh, and there he divided the land for the Israelites,[ck] to each a portion.[cl]
The Allotment of Benjamin
11 And the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the border of their allotment fell[cm] between the descendants[cn] of Judah and the descendants[co] of Joseph. 12 Their northern border began at the Jordan and went up to the slope of Jericho on the north and continued into the hill country to the west; it ends[cp] at the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 The border passes on from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south (that is, Bethel); then the border goes down to Ataroth Addar to the mountain that is south of Lower Beth-Horon. 14 Then the border changes direction and turns to the western side southward, from the mountain that is opposite[cq] Beth-Horon to the south. It ends[cr] at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town belonging to the descendants[cs] of Judah. This is the western side. 15 The southern side begins on the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim, and the border continues to the west to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah; 16 the border goes down to the foot[ct] of the mountain, which is opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom,[cu] which is in the valley of Rephaim to the north; then it does down the valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites[cv] to the south, and then it goes down to En Rogel. 17 It changes direction from the north, and it continues to En Shemesh; it goes out to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it goes down to the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben. 18 It passes on to the slope opposite the Arabah[cw] to the north, and it goes down to the Arabah.[cx] 19 The border passes on to the slope of Beth-hoglah to the north and ends[cy] at the north bay of the Salt Sea[cz] at the south end of the Jordan. This is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its border on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, its borders that surrounds them, according to their families.
21 Now the towns of the tribes of the descendants[da] of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities and their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath; fourteen cities and their villages. This is the inheritance of the descendants[db] of Benjamin according to their families.
The Allotment of Simeon
19 The second allotment fell[dc] for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendants[dd] of Simeon, according to their families. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the descendants[de] of Judah. 2 And they had as their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages. 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages, 8 and all the villages that were around these towns up to Baalat-Beor, Ramath of the Negev.[df] This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[dg] of Simeon according to their families. 9 Part of the portion allotted to the descendants[dh] of Judah became the inheritance of the descendants[di] of Simeon because the portion for the descendants[dj] of Judah was too large for them,[dk] so the descendants[dl] of Simeon inherited from their inheritance.
The Allotment of Zebulun
10 The third allotment came up for the descendants[dm] of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance went up to Sarid. 11 Their border goes up to the west, to Maralah; it touches[dn] Dabbesheth, then the wadi[do] that is opposite Jokneam. 12 It turns from Sarid to the east to the sunrise, to the border of Kislot-Tabor; it continues to Daberath and goes up to Japhia. 13 From there it passes along to the east toward the sunrise, to Gath Hepher and to Eth Kazin, and continuing to Rimmon, it turns to Neah; 14 it changes direction from the north of Hannathon, and it ends[dp] at the valley of Yiptah-El; 15 Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; twelve cities and their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the descendants[dq] of Zebulun according to their families, these cities and their villages.
The Allotment of Issachar
17 The fourth allotment fell[dr] for Issachar, for the descendants[ds] of Issachar, according to their families. 18 Their border went to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez; 22 and the border touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh. Its border ends[dt] at the Jordan; sixteen cities and their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[du] of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.
The Allotment of Asher
24 The fifth allotment fell[dv] for the tribe of the descendants[dw] of Asher according to their families. 25 Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, 26 Allamelech, Amad, and Mishal; it touches Carmel to the west, and Shihor-Libnat. 27 Then it turns eastward[dx] to Beth-dagon and touches Zebulun and the valley of Yiptah-El to the north[dy] to Beth Emeck and Neiel; it continues to Cabul from the north, 28 and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah up to Great Sidon; 29 then the border turns to Ramah, and up to the fortified city of Tyre, where the border turns to Hosah; it ends[dz] at the sea, from Hebel to Aczib. 30 Included were Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob; twenty-two cities and their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[ea] of Asher according to their families, these cities and their villages.
The Allotment of Naphtali
32 The sixth allotment fell[eb] for the children of Naphtali, for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adami Nekeb, Jabneel, up to Lakkum; it ends[ec] at the Jordan; 34 then the border turns to the west, to Aznoth Tabor, and continues from there to Hukok, and it touches[ed] Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on the east[ee] at the Jordan. 35 The fortified cities[ef] are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth-anath, Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities and their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.
The Allotment of Dan
40 The seventh lot fell[eg] for the tribe of the descendants[eh] of Dan according to their families. 41 The border of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon, Rakkon, with the border opposite Joppa. 47 The border of the descendants[ei] of Dan continued beyond them,[ej] because the descendants[ek] of Dan went up and fought with Lesham, and they captured and struck it with the edge of the sword,[el] and they took possession of it and settled in it; and they called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.[em] 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants[en] of Dan according to their families, these cities and their villages.
The Allotment Is Completed
49 They finished assigning the land according to its borders, and the Israelites[eo] gave an inheritance from among them to Joshua son of Nun. 50 According to the commandment of Yahweh,[ep] they gave him the city that he requested, Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, and he rebuilt the city and settled[eq] in it. 51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes, distributed by allotment to the Israelites,[er] at Shiloh before Yahweh[es] at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And they finished dividing the land.
Cities of Refuge Are Established
20 And Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites,[et] saying, ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through the hand of Moses. 3 Anyone who kills a person by accident or unintentionally[eu] may flee there; they will be for yourselves a refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 The killer will flee to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and state his case to the elders of that city;[ev] and they will take him[ew] into the city and give him a place, and he will dwell among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, they will not hand over the killer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, and he did not hate him previously.[ex] 6 The killer will stay in that city until he stands before the congregation for the trial, until the death of the one who is the high priest in those days. Then the killer will return[ey] to his city and to his house, to the city from which he fled.’”
7 So they set apart[ez] Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba[fa] (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities designated for all the Israelites,[fb] and for the foreigners[fc] dwelling among them, for anyone that kills a person unintentionally to flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until there is a trial[fd] before the congregation.
The Allotment of the Levites
21 Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites.[fe] 2 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So, by command of Yahweh,[ff] the Israelites[fg] gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands from their inheritance.
4 The allotment fell[fh] for the families of the Kohathites.[fi] The descendants[fj] of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received[fk] by lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The remaining descendants[fl] of Kohath received by lot ten cities from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants[fm] of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants[fn] of the Merarites[fo] according to their families received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The Israelites[fp] gave to the Levites these cities and their pastureland by lot, just as Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses.
9 They gave these cities, which are here mentioned by name, from the tribe of the families of Judah and from the tribe of the families of Simeon; 10 and they were for the descendants[fq] of Aaron, from the families of the Kohathites,[fr] from the descendants[fs] of Levi, because the first lot was theirs. 11 And they gave to them Kiriath Arba,[ft] Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah and the pasturelands surrounding it. 12 But the field of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.
13 To the descendants[fu] of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Libnah and its pasturelands, 14 Jattir and its pasturelands, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, 15 Holon and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, 16 Ain and its pasturelands, Juttah and its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands; nine cities from these two tribes. 17 From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its pasturelands, Geba and its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth and its pasturelands, Almon and its pasturelands; four cities. 19 All the cities of the descendants[fv] of Aaron the priests, thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
20 For the families of the descendants[fw] of Kohath, the remaining Levites of the descendants[fx] of Kohath, they received the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. 21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer and its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim and its pasturelands, and Beth-horon and its pasturelands; four cities. 23 From the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its pasturelands, Gibbethon and its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands; four cities. 25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its pasturelands and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands; two cities. 26 All the cities and their pasturelands for the remaining families of the descendants[fy] of Kohath were ten.
27 To the descendants[fz] of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, and Eshtarah and its pasturelands; two cities. 28 From the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth and its pasturelands, En Gannim and its pasturelands; four cities. 30 From the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, 31 Helkath and its pasturelands, Rehob and its pasturelands; four cities. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Hammoth Dor and its pasturelands, and Kartan and its pasturelands; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gershonites[ga] according to their families were thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
34 To the families of the descendants[gb] of Merarite, the remaining Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah and its pasturelands, and Nahalal and its pasturelands; four cities. 36 From the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its pasturelands, Jahaz and its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands; four cities. 38 From the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, 39 Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands; four cities in all. 40 All these were the cities of the descendants[gc] of Merarite according to their families, the remaining families of the Levites; their allotment was twelve cities.
41 All the cities of the Levites among the property of the Israelites[gd] were forty-eight cities and their pasturelands. 42 Each of these cities had pasturelands surrounding them; so it was for all of these cities. 43 And Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors,[ge] and they took possession of it and settled in it.[gf] 44 Yahweh gave them rest on every side, according to all that he had sworn to their ancestors,[gg] and nobody from all their enemies withstood them, for Yahweh had given all their enemies into their hand. 45 And nothing failed from[gh] all the good things[gi] that Yahweh promised to the house of Israel; everything came to pass.[gj]
The Eastern Tribes Return
22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and he said to them, “You have observed all that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, and you have listened[gk] to my voice in all that I have commanded you; 3 you have not forsaken your kinsmen[gl] these many days, up to this day, and you have observed the obligation of the command of Yahweh your God. 4 So then, Yahweh your God has given rest to your kinsmen,[gm] just as he promised them; so then, turn and go to your tents to the land of your possession, which Moses Yahweh’s servant gave to you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and law that Moses Yahweh’s servant commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”[gn] 6 And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 7 And to the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession with their kinsmen[go] beyond the Jordan to the west; and when Joshua sent them to their tents and blessed them, 8 he said to them, “Return to your tents with much wealth, and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, copper, iron, and with very much clothing; divide the war-booty of your enemies with your kinsmen.”[gp] 9 So the descendants[gq] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed with the Israelites[gr] at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead to the land of their possession, which they had acquired according to the command of Yahweh[gs] through the hand of Moses.
10 And they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, and the descendants[gt] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar on the Jordan, a large and imposing altar.[gu] 11 And the Israelites[gv] heard it said that the descendants[gw] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar next to the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the Israelites.[gx] 12 When the Israelites[gy] heard of it, the whole congregation of the Israelites[gz] gathered at Shiloh to go up against them for battle. 13 And the Israelites[ha] sent to the descendants[hb] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas the priest son of Eleazar, 14 and ten leaders with him, one leader for each[hc] family[hd] from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of his family[he] among the clans of Israel.[hf] 15 They came to the descendants[hg] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 “Thus says all the congregation of Yahweh: ‘What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel by turning away today from following Yahweh, by building for yourselves an altar to rebel today against Yahweh? 17 Is not the sin of Peor enough for us,[hh] from which we have not cleansed ourselves today, and for which a plague came to the congregation of Yahweh, 18 that you must turn today from following Yahweh? If you rebel today against Yahweh, tomorrow he will be angry with all of the congregation of Israel; 19 if, however, the land of your property is unclean, cross over to the land of Yahweh’s property, where Yahweh’s tabernacle resides,[hi] and take possession among us. But you must not rebel against Yahweh or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of Yahweh our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit treachery with devoted things,[hj] and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And he alone[hk] did not perish because of his iniquity.’”
21 And the descendants[hl] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke with the heads of the clans[hm] of Israel, 22 “Yahweh, God of gods! Yahweh, God of gods knows. And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or treachery against Yahweh, do not spare us this day 23 for building for ourselves an altar to turn away from Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings,[hn] grain offerings,[ho] or fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself take vengeance. 24 But in fact, we have done this because of anxiety, because of a reason, saying, ‘In the future your children may say to our children, ‘What is the relationship between you and Yahweh the God of Israel?[hp] 25 Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, the descendants[hq] of Reuben and Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.’ So your children may put an end to our children worshiping[hr] Yahweh. 26 So we said, ‘Let us build immediately for ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings[hs] or for sacrifices;[ht] 27 instead, it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us for performing the serving of Yahweh in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings; so that your children may not say in the future to our children, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ 28 And we thought, if they say to us and to our children in the future, we can say, ‘Look at this replica of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors[hu] made, not for burnt offerings[hv] or sacrifices;[hw] rather, it is a witness between us and you.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh, to turn today from following Yahweh, to build an altar for burnt offerings,[hx] grain offerings,[hy] or sacrifices,[hz] instead of the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.”
30 Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the clans[ia] of Israel who were with him heard the words that the descendants[ib] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh spoke, and they were satisfied.[ic] 31 Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, said to the descendants[id] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Yahweh. Therefore you have rescued the Israelites[ie] from the hand of Yahweh.”
32 And Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, and the leaders returned from the descendants[if] of Reuben and Gad, from the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan to the Israelites,[ig] and they gave them their report.[ih] 33 The report satisfied the Israelites;[ii] they blessed God, and they did not speak of going up for battle against them to destroy the land in which the descendants[ij] of Reuben and Gad were living.[ik] 34 The descendants[il] of Reuben and Gad called the altar Witness, “Because,” they said, “it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”
Joshua’s Farewell Address
23 And it happened, after a long time,[im] after Yahweh had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and after Joshua was old and well-advanced in years,[in] 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officials, and he said to them, “I am old and well-advanced in years,[io] 3 and you have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations for your sake,[ip] for Yahweh your God is fighting for you. 4 Look! I have allotted to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, to the Great Sea[iq] in the west.[ir] 5 And Yahweh your God will push them back before you[is] and drive them out of your sight,[it] and you will possess their land, just as Yahweh your God promised to you. 6 Be very strong to observe carefully all that is written in the scroll of the law of Moses so as not to turn aside from it, to the right or left, 7 so as not to go among these remaining nations with you; do not profess[iu] the name of their gods, and do not swear by them, serve them, or bow down to them.[iv] 8 But hold fast to Yahweh your God, just as you have done up to this day. 9 Yahweh has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you, nobody has withstood[iw] you to this day. 10 One of your men put to flight a thousand, for Yahweh your God is fighting for you, just as he promised you. 11 Take utmost care for the sake of your life to love Yahweh your God, 12 for if indeed you turn back and join these remaining nations among you,[ix] and you intermarry with them, marrying their women and they yours,[iy] 13 know for certain that Yahweh your God will not continue to drive out[iz] these nations from before you; they will be for you a snare and a trap, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you.
14 Look! I am about to die,[ja] and you know in all your hearts[jb] and souls[jc] that not one thing failed[jd] from all the good things that Yahweh your God promised concerning you; everything has been fulfilled;[je] not one thing failed.[jf] 15 But just as all the good things[jg] came to you that Yahweh your God promised, so will Yahweh bring to you all the bad things[jh] until he has destroyed you from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded to you, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, Yahweh’s anger will be kindled[ji] against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you.”
Joshua Recounts Their History
24 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Long ago[jj] your ancestors[jk]—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river,[jl] and they served other gods. 3 I took your ancestor[jm] Abraham from beyond the river[jn] and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I increased his offspring; I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. 6 When I brought out your ancestors[jo] from Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your ancestors[jp] with chariots[jq] and horsemen to the Red Sea.[jr] 7 They cried out to Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea over them[js] and covered them; your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for many days. 8 And I brought you to the land of the Amorites[jt] who lived beyond the Jordan; they fought you, and I gave them into your hand; you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.[ju] 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand, 11 and you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the citizens of Jericho, the Amorites,[jv] the Perizzites,[jw] the Canaanites,[jx] the Hittites,[jy] the Girgashites,[jz] the Hivites,[ka] and the Jebusites,[kb] fought against you, and I gave them into your hand. 12 I sent before you the hornet and they drove out before you two kings of the Amorites;[kc] but not by your sword or bow. 13 I gave to you a land that you have not labored on, and cities that you have not built, and you live[kd] in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you have not planted.’
The Israelites Promise to Serve Yahweh
14 “So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors[ke] served beyond the river[kf] and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. 15 But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors[kg] served beyond the river,[kh] or the gods of the Amorites[ki] in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.” 16 And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods, 17 for Yahweh our God brought us and our ancestors[kj] from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and did these great signs before our eyes. He protected us along the entire way that we went, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 And Yahweh drove out all the people before us, the Amorites[kk] who live[kl] in the land. We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy and jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster to you; he will destroy you after he has done good to you.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve Yahweh.” 22 And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves to serve Yahweh.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Yahweh the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve Yahweh our God, and we will listen to his voice.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant[km] with the people on that day, and he established for them a statute and a judgment at Shechem. 26 Then Joshua wrote these words in a scroll of the law of God, and he took a large stone and set it up there under a large tree, which is at the shrine of Yahweh. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away to their inheritance.
29 After these things Joshua son of Nun servant of Yahweh died; he was one hundred and ten years old.[kn] 30 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, at Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who lived long after Joshua, and who had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel.[ko] 32 The bones of Jacob, which the Israelites[kp] had brought out from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in a piece of land that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money;[kq] it became an inheritance for the descendants[kr] of Joseph. 33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, which had been given to his son Phinehas.
Israel Continues Its Conquest
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites[ks] inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites[kt] to fight against them?” 2 And Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand.” 3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotment, and let us fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into your allotment.” And Simeon went with him. 4 And Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites[ku] and the Perizzites[kv] into their hand, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 At Bezek they came upon Adoni-bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites[kw] and the Perizzites.[kx] 6 And Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued after him; they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.[ky] 7 Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes[kz] cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; just as I have done, so God has repaid to me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 The descendants[la] of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they captured it, put it to the sword,[lb] and set the city on fire.[lc] 9 Afterward the descendants[ld] of Judah pursued to fight against the Canaanites[le] who were living in the hill country, the Negev,[lf] and the Shephelah.[lg] 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites[lh] living in Hebron (the former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 And from there they went to the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him Acsah my daughter as a wife.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife. 14 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from the donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”[li] 15 And she said to him, “Give me a gift;[lj] you have given me the land of the Negev,[lk] and give me also a spring of water.” And Caleb gave to her the upper and lower spring.[ll]
16 The descendants[lm] of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the descendants[ln] of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev[lo] near Arad. And they went[lp] and settled with the people. 17 And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites[lq] inhabiting Zephath; they utterly destroyed it, so he called the name of the city Hormah. 18 Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. 19 And Yahweh was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. 20 They gave Hebron to Caleb just as Moses said, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. 21 But the descendants[lr] of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites[ls] who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived among the descendants[lt] of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22 Likewise, the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph spied out Bethel (the former name of the city was Luz). 24 And when the spies saw a man leaving the city,[lu] they said to him, “Please show us the entrance of the city, and we will deal kindly[lv] with you.” 25 So he showed them the entrance of the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword,[lw] but they let go the man and all his family. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city and named it Luz; this is its name to this day.
27 Manasseh did not drive out Beth-Sean and its towns, or Taanach and its towns, or the inhabitants[lx] of Dor and its towns, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the Canaanites[ly] were determined to live in this land. 28 And it happened, when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites[lz] to forced labor, but they never totally drove them out. 29 Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites[ma] living in Gezer, so the Canaanites[mb] lived in their midst in Gezer. 30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol, so the Canaanites[mc] lived in their midst and became subjected to forced labor. 31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob, 32 so the Asherites[md] lived in the midst of the Canaanites,[me] the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.
33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or Beth-anath, but lived in the midst of the Canaanites,[mf] the inhabitants of the land; the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.
34 The Amorites pressed[mg] the descendants[mh] of Dan to the hill country, and they did not allow them to come down to the plain; 35 the Amorites were determined to live in Har-heres,[mi] in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy on them, and they became subjected to forced labor. 36 The border of the Amorites[mj] ran from the ascent of Akrabbim from Sela and upward.
Israel Disobeys Yahweh
2 And the angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you to the land that I had promised to your ancestors.[mk] I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And as for you, do not make a covenant[ml] with the inhabitants of this land; break down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice. Why would you do such a thing?[mm] 3 Now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; they will become as thorns[mn] for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 And as the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the Israelites,[mo] the people wept bitterly.[mp] 5 And they called the name of this place Bokim,[mq] and there they sacrificed to Yahweh.
Joshua Dies
6 And Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites[mr] went each to their[ms] own inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who saw all the great work Yahweh had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.[mt] 9 They buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnah-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10 Moreover, that entire generation was gathered to their[mu] ancestors,[mv] and another generation grew up after them who did not know Yahweh or the work he had done for Israel.[mw]
Israel Worships the Baals
11 The Israelites[mx] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they served[my] the Baals. 12 They abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors,[mz] who brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed[na] other gods from the gods of the people who were around them; and they bowed down to them, and they provoked the anger of Yahweh. 13 They abandoned Yahweh, and they served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of Yahweh was kindled[nb] against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of plunderers; and they plundered them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies from all sides. They were unable to withstand their enemies any longer. 15 Whenever[nc] they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them to harm them, just as Yahweh warned, and just as Yahweh had sworn to them. And they were very distressed.[nd]
16 Then Yahweh raised up leaders,[ne] and they delivered them from the hand of their plunderers. 17 But they did not listen to their leaders,[nf] but lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned away quickly from the way that their ancestors[ng] went, who had obeyed the commandment of Yahweh; they did not do as their ancestors. 18 And when Yahweh raised leaders[nh] for them, Yahweh was with the leader,[ni] and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the leader,[nj] for Yahweh was moved by their groaning because of their persecutors and oppressors. 19 But when the leader[nk] died they relapsed and acted corruptly, more than their ancestors,[nl] following other gods, serving them,[nm] and bowing down to them. They would not give up their deeds or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of Yahweh burned[nn] against Israel, and he said, “Because this people transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors,[no] and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will not again drive out anyone from before them from the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel whether or not they would observe the way of Yahweh, to walk in it just as their ancestors[np] did.” 23 So Yahweh left those nations; he did not drive them out at once, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Some Nations Remain in the Land
3 These are the nations that Yahweh left, to test Israel by them (that is, to test all those who had not experienced[nq] any of the wars of Canaan, 2 in order that the generations of Israel would know war, to teach those who had not experienced it[nr] before): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites,[ns] the Sidonians,[nt] and the Hivites[nu] living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon up to Lebo-Hamath. 4 They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors[nv] through the hand of Moses. 5 And the Israelites[nw] lived in the midst of the Canaanites,[nx] the Hittites,[ny] the Amorites,[nz] the Perizzites,[oa] the Hivites,[ob] and the Jebusites.[oc] 6 And they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.[od]
Othniel
7 The Israelites[oe] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They forgot Yahweh their God, and they served the Baals and the Asheroth.[of] 8 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled[og] against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites[oh] served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 The Israelites[oi] cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for the Israelites[oj] who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 And the spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and he prevailed over[ok] Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So the land rested forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12 And again the Israelites[ol] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and Amalekites,[om] and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the Israelites[on] served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15 And the Israelites[oo] cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite and a left-handed man.[op] And the Israelites[oq] sent a tribute to Eglon king of Moab through him.[or] 16 Ehud made for himself a short, two-edged[os] sword (a cubit in length), and he fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud[ot] had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he turned back from the sculptured stones[ou] that were near Gilgal, and he said, “I have a secret message[ov] for you, O king.” And he[ow] said, “Silence!” So all those standing in his presence went out, 20 and Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upper room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God[ox] for you.” So he got up from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand for the sword on his right thigh, and he thrust it into his[oy] stomach. 22 And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not draw back the sword from his stomach; and it went protruding out the back.[oz] 23 And Ehud went out the vestibule, and he closed the doors of the upper room and locked them behind him.
24 After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they thought,[pa] “Surely he is relieving himself[pb] in the cool inner room.” 25 And they waited so long they became embarrassed because he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors, and there their lord was lying on the ground dead.
26 And Ehud escaped while they delayed. He passed by the sculptured stones[pc] and escaped to Seirah. 27 And when he arrived he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites[pd] went down from the hill country with him leading them.
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