Bible in 90 Days
The Borders of Judah
15 This was the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah according to their clans. It extended south to the border with Edom and through the Negev to the Wilderness of Zin in the extreme south.
2 Their border on the south started from the south end of the Dead Sea,[a] from the bay[b] that faces south.
3 It goes south from the Ascent of Akrabbim and crosses over to Zin and ascends from south of Kadesh Barnea.
Then it crosses over to Hezron and ascends to Adar and curves around to Karka.
4 Then it crosses over to Azmon and goes out to the Stream of Egypt.[c]
The border ends at the Mediterranean Sea.
This is your southern border.
5 The border on the east is the Dead Sea,[d] up to the mouth of the Jordan.
The border on the north side starts from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.
6 The border ascends to Beth Hoglah and crosses over north of Beth Arabah.
Then the border ascends to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben.
7 Then the border ascends to Debir from the Valley of Achor and turns north toward Gilgal, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, which is south of the streambed.
Then the border crosses over to the waters of En Shemesh, ending at En Rogel.
8 Then the border ascends through the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the slope of the Jebusites on the south side of Jerusalem.
Then the border ascends to the top of the mountain that is across the Valley of Hinnom on the west side, where Hinnom meets the north end of the Valley of Rephaim.
9 Then the border bends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah and goes out to the cities of Mount Ephron.
Then the border bends toward Baalah—that is, Kiriath Jearim.
10 The border curves around from Baalah westward to Mount Seir and crosses over to the slope of Mount Jearim from the north—that is, Kesalon—and descends to Beth Shemesh, then crosses over to Timnah.
11 The border goes out to the slope of Ekron, on the north.
Then the border bends to Shikkeron and crosses over Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabne’el, and the border ends at the sea.
12 The border on the west—the Mediterranean Sea[e] is the border.
This is the border on all sides for the descendants of Judah according to their clans.
An Inheritance for Caleb
13 To Caleb son of Jephunneh, Joshua gave a portion among the people of Judah, in keeping with the word of the Lord to Joshua, namely, the city of Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak). Kiriath Arba is now called Hebron. 14 Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath Sepher.
16 Caleb said, “If anyone attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Aksah to him as his wife.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb,[f] captured Kiriath Sepher, and Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him as his wife.
18 When she came to Othniel, she pressured him to ask her father for some pastureland.[g] As she dismounted from the donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
19 She said, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the dry Negev, you should also give me springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
The Cities in Judah
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans.
21 The cities at the southern edge of the tribe of the people of Judah along the border with Edom in the Negev are:
Kabze’el, 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, Iyim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine cities and their villages.[h]
33 In the Shephelah the cities are:
Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, 36 Sha’araim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim[i]—fourteen cities and their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilan, Mizpah, Jokthe’el, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Na’amah, and Makkedah—sixteen cities and their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Akzib, and Mareshah—nine cities and their villages.
45 Ekron and its surrounding towns[j] and its villages.
46 West of Ekron, all the towns that are near Ashdod and their villages.
47 Also Ashdod with its surrounding towns and its villages.
Gaza with its surrounding towns and its villages, as far as the Stream of Egypt, with the Mediterranean Sea as the boundary.
48 In the hill country the cities were:
Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven cities and their villages.
52 Arab, Rumah, Eshan, 53 Janum, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities and their villages.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezre’el, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah—ten cities and their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Ma’arath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon—six cities and their villages.
⎣Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Kolan, Tatem, Shoresh, Kerem, Gallim, Bether and Manoko—eleven cities and their villages.⎦ [k]
60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah—two cities and their villages.
61 In the wilderness:
Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, 62 Nibshan, Ir Melah, and En Gedi—six cities and their villages.
63 But as for the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah were not able to drive them out. The Jebusites have lived with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
Ephraim and Manasseh
16 The allotment for the descendants of Joseph starts from the Jordan of Jericho and from the waters of Jericho on the east and extends up through the wilderness, ascending from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel. 2 Then it goes out from Bethel to Luz[l] and crosses over to the border of the Arkites at Ataroth. 3 It descends westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth Horon and as far as Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
4 So the descendants of Joseph—the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim—received their inheritance.
Ephraim
5 The border of the descendants of Ephraim was arranged according to their clans.
The southern border of their inheritance, starting from the east end, extends from Ataroth Addar up to Upper Beth Horon.
6 Then the border goes out to the sea.[m]
Starting at Mikmethath on the northeast, the border curves around toward the southeast, toward Ta’anath Shiloh, and it crosses over on the east of Janoah.
7 Then it descends from Janoah to Ataroth and to Na’arath. It touches Jericho and goes out to the Jordan.[n]
8 From Tappuah the border goes west to the streambed of the Kanah. It ends at the sea.[o]
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim according to their clans. 9 It also includes the cities that were set apart for the descendants of Ephraim in the middle of the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10 But the Ephraimites did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites have lived within Ephraim to this day, but they have become a labor force of slaves.
Manasseh
17 The second allotment went to the tribe of Manasseh, even though he was the firstborn of Joseph.
To Makir,[p] the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a warrior—to him went Gilead and Bashan.
2 The next allotment went to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh according to their clans: that is, to the sons[q] of Abiezer, to the sons of Helek, to the sons of Asriel, to the sons of Shechem, to the sons of Hepher, and to the sons of Shemida. These were the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, the males according to their clans.
3 Now Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. 4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the other leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.”
So, in keeping with the word of the Lord, he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
5 Thus the portions of Manasseh were assigned as ten portions, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan, which are in the region east of the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead went to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.
7 The border of Manasseh extends from Asher to Mikmethath, which is close to Shechem. Then the border turns to the right[r] toward the inhabitants of En Tappuah. 8 The land of Tappuah belongs to Manasseh, but Tappuah, on the border of Manasseh, belongs to the descendants of Ephraim.
9 Then the border descends to the streambed of the Kanah.
South of the streambed, these cities belonging to Ephraim are located among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh is north of the streambed, and it ends at the sea. 10 The land to the south belongs to Ephraim and the land to the north belongs to Manasseh, and the sea is its border. The borders touch Asher on the northwest and Issachar on the northeast.
11 Also belonging to Manasseh but lying within the territory of Issachar and Asher are Beth Shan and its surrounding towns,[s] Ibleam and its surrounding towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its surrounding towns, the inhabitants of Endor and its surrounding towns, the inhabitants of Ta’anach and its surrounding towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its surrounding towns; also three cities of the Nephet.[t]
12 But the people of Manasseh were not able to take possession of these cities, and the Canaanites were determined to continue living in this land. 13 When the people of Israel grew strong, they made the Canaanites serve as a labor force, but they did not drive them out completely.
14 The descendants of Joseph spoke with Joshua. They said, “Why did you give us an inheritance of only one lot and one portion, even though we are a numerous people, whom the Lord has blessed right up to the present?”
15 But Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear some land for yourself in the territory of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too confining for you.”
16 The descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not sufficient for us, and all the Canaanites living in the valleys have iron chariots,[u] both those in Beth Shan and its surrounding towns and those in the Valley of Jezre’el.”
17 But Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “Because you are a numerous people and you have great strength, you will not have just one allotment, 18 but you will also have the hill country. Even though it is forest, you will clear it, and all of it will be yours, because you will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they are strong.”
The Other Tribes
18 Then the whole community of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and they set up the Tent of Meeting there, since the land had been subdued by their advance. 2 Seven tribes remained among the people of Israel to whom no inheritance had yet been apportioned.
3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long are you going to keep delaying before you go and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given to you? 4 You yourselves are to appoint three men for each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go out and walk throughout the land. They are to write a description of it as a basis for each of their inheritances, and then come back to me. 5 They are to divide it into seven shares. Judah will remain in its territory in the south, and the house of Joseph will remain in its territory north of that. 6 You are to write a description of the land in seven parts and bring it to me here. Then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites have no portion in your midst because the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance, and Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance in the region to the east, on the other side of the Jordan, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to them.”
8 So the men set out on their tour. Joshua had given a command to write a description of the land to the men who were going out, “Go, walk around throughout the land. Write a description of it and return to me. I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”
9 So the men went and passed through the land, and they wrote a description of it on a scroll with the lists of cities divided into seven portions. Then they came to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there Joshua assigned the land to the people of Israel portion by portion.
Benjamin
11 First, the lot came up for the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin according to their clans. The territory of their lot stretched out between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph.
12 Their northern border starts at the Jordan.
Then the border ascends to the slope of Jericho on the north.
Then it ascends westward through the hill country.
It ends at the Wilderness of Beth Aven.
13 The border crosses over from there to Luz, to the slope on the south side of Luz (Luz is Bethel).
Then the border descends to Ataroth Addar on the mountain that is south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 This is the border on the western side.
From the mountain that is facing the south side of Beth Horon, the border bends and curves around toward the south. It ends at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah.
This is the western side.
15 On the southern side, the border begins from the edge of Kiriath Jearim.
Then the border goes out toward the sea and goes out to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah.
16 Then the border descends to the edge of the mountain that faces the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is north of the Valley of Rephaim.
Then it descends through the Valley of Hinnom to the southern slope of the Jebusite city and descends to En Rogel.
17 Then it bends north and goes out to En Shemesh.
Then it goes out to Geliloth, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and descends to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben.
18 Then it passes northward to the slope facing the Arabah and descends into the Arabah.
19 The border then passes on to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah, and the border ends at the northern bay of the Dead Sea at the southern end of the Jordan.
This is the southern border.
20 The Jordan River is its border on the eastern side.
This is the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin, on the basis of the borders enclosing it, according to their clans.
21 The cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were:
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ha’ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities and their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Be’eroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpe’el, Taralah, 28 Zela, Ha’eleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeath, Kiriath—fourteen cities and their villages.
This is the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin according to their clans.
Simeon
19 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, according to their clans. Their inheritance was located within the inheritance of the descendants of Judah.
2 As their inheritance they received:
Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities and their villages.[v]
7 Also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities and their villages.
8 All the villages that are around these cities, as far as Baalath Be’er (which is Ramah of the Negev).
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Simeon according to their clans. 9 Part of the share of the descendants of Judah became the inheritance of the descendants of Simeon. Because the portion of the descendants of Judah was too large for them, the descendants of Simeon received an inheritance within Judah’s inheritance.
Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for the descendants of Zebulun according to their clans.
The border of their inheritance reaches as far as Sarid.
11 Their border ascends toward the west to Maralah and touches Dabbesheth.
Then it touches the streambed that is next to Jokneam.
12 Then it turns from Sarid eastward toward the rising of the sun on the border of Kisloth Tabor. Then it goes out to Daberath and ascends to Japhia.
13 From there it passes on the east, along the side that is toward the sunrise, to Gath Hepher, to Eth Kazin, and goes out to Rimmon, which is marked off to Neah.[w]
14 Then the border curves around it on the north to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtah El, 15 Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—twelve cities and their villages.[x]
16 This is the inheritance of the descendants of Zebulun according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the descendants of Issachar according to their clans.
18 Their territory extended to Jezre’el, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border touches Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh, and their border ends at the Jordan—sixteen cities and their villages.
23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Issachar according to their clans—the cities and their villages.
Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Asher according to their clans.
25 Their border enclosed Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad, and Mishal, and it touches on Carmel on the west, and on Shihor Libnath.
27 Then it turns on the east to Beth Dagon and touches the territory of Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El to the north, also Beth Emek, and Neiel.
Then it goes out to Kabul in the north, 28 to Ebron,[y] Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon.
29 Then the border turns toward Ramah, to the fortified city of Tyre.
Then the border turns toward Hosah, and it ends at the sea.
It extends from Hebel[z] to Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two[aa] cities and their villages.
31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Asher according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for the descendants of Naphtali, for the descendants of Naphtali according to their clans.
33 Their border extends from Heleph, from the oak in Za’annim, past Adami Nekeb, and Jabne’el to Lakkum. It ends at the Jordan.
34 Then the border turns west to Aznoth Tabor and goes out from there to Hukkok. It touches Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah[ab] at the Jordan on the east.
35 The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinneret, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh—nineteen cities and their villages.[ac]
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali according to their clans—the cities and their villages.
Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the descendants of Dan according to their clans.
41 The territory of their inheritance includes Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Sha’alabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Yarkon, and Rakkon, with the border close to Joppa.
47 But the territory of the descendants of Dan slipped away from them. So the descendants of Dan went up and fought against Leshem. They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword. They took possession of it and lived in it, and they named Leshem “Dan” after Dan, their forefather.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Dan according to their clans—these cities and their villages.
An Inheritance for Joshua
49 When they had finished distributing the land as an inheritance by assigning borders, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 According to the command of the Lord, they gave him the city that he had requested, Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built up the city and lived in it.
51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the tribes of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished distributing the land.
Cities of Refuge
20 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua 2 and told him to give the people of Israel the following directions:
Designate for yourselves the cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses. 3 A person who takes a life may flee to one of them, if that person has killed someone by accident, without intent. These cities are to serve for you as a refuge from the avenger[ad] of blood.
4 The person is to flee to one of these cities and stand at the entrance to the gate of the city and state his case before a hearing of the elders of that city. They are to receive him into the city and give him a place where he can live with them. 5 When the avenger of blood pursues him, the elders are not to hand over the person who took a life to the avenger, because that person killed his fellow man without intent, and he had not been his enemy previously. 6 The killer is to live in that city until he stands in front of the community for judgment, and then until the death of the high priest who presides in those days. At that time the one who took a life may return to his city and to his house—to the city from which he fled.
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Also in the region on the east side of the Jordan of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the appointed cities for all the people of Israel and for the aliens residing among them, so that anyone killing a person accidentally could flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood before he stood trial in the presence of the community.
Cities for the Priests and Levites
21 Then the leading fathers[ae] of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leading fathers of the tribes of the people of Israel. 2 When they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said, “The Lord commanded through Moses to give us cities to live in, together with their pasturelands for our livestock.”
3 So from their own inheritance the people of Israel gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands according to the command of the Lord.
4 The clans of Kohath, one of the descendants of Levi, received the first lot. Those who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, from the Simeonites, and from the tribe of Benjamin. 5 The remaining Kohathites received by lot ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants of Merari according to their clans received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The people of Israel assigned cities and their pasturelands to the Levites by lot, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Cities for the Priests
9 The tribe of the descendants of Judah and the tribe of the descendants of Simeon gave the cities, named below, 10 to the descendants of Aaron, who were from the Kohathite clan of the people of Levi, because the first lot was theirs.
11 They gave them Kiriath Arba in the hill country of Judah and its pasturelands which surround it. (Kiriath Arba is Hebron.) (Arba was the father of the Anakites.) 12 But the outlying countryside of the city and its villages they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 In this way they gave the descendants of Aaron the priest these cities: Hebron, the city of refuge for one who takes a life, together with 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, Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands—nine cities from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin, they gave Gibeon and its pasturelands, Geba and its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth and its pasturelands, and Almon and its pasturelands—four cities.
19 All the cities for the descendants of Aaron the priest totaled thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
Cities for Kohathite Levites
20 For the rest of the clans of the Levites descended from Kohath, the cities of their allotment came from the tribe of Ephraim.
21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for one who takes a life, 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 they gave Eltekeh and its pasturelands, Gibbethon and its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon and its pasturelands, Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands—four cities.
25 From the half tribe of Manasseh, they gave Ta’anach and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands—two cities.
26 The total was ten cities and their pasturelands for the remaining clans of the descendants of Kohath.
Cities for the Gershonite Levities
27 To the descendants of Gershon, one of the clans of the Levites, these cities were given.
From the half tribe of Manasseh: the city of refuge for someone who had killed a man, namely, Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands, also Be’eshterah and its pastureland—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, and Rehob and its pasturelands—four cities.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali: the city of refuge for someone who had killed a man, namely, Kedesh in Galilee and its pasturelands, Hammoth Dor and its pasturelands, and Kartan and its pasturelands—three cities.
33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their clans totaled thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
Cities for the Merarite Levites
34 To the clans of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, these cities were given.
From the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah and its pasturelands, Nahalal and its pasturelands—four cities.
36 From the tribe of Reuben: Bezer and its pasturelands, Jahzah and its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mepha’ath and its pasturelands—four cities.
38 From the tribe of Gad: the city of refuge for one who takes a life, namely, Ramoth in Gilead and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, 39 Heshbon and its pasturelands, Jazer and its pasturelands. All the cities totaled four.
40 All the cities for the descendants of Merari according to their clans, the rest of the clans of the Levites—their allotment was twelve cities.
41 So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the descendants of Israel totaled forty-eight cities and their pasturelands. 42 These cities consisted of each city and its pasturelands that surround it. It was that way for all these cities.
43 So the Lord gave to Israel all of the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and lived in it. 44 The Lord gave them rest all around, in fulfillment of everything that he had sworn to their fathers. Not one person out of all their enemies had withstood them. The Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one promise out of all the good promises that the Lord had promised to the house of Israel failed.[af] They all came true!
Dismissal of the Transjordan Tribes
22 Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have carried out everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in everything that I commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers for many days[ag] now, right up till today, and you have carried out the commands of the Lord your God. 4 Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, just as he promised them. So now return to your tents, to the land assigned as your possession, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to you east of the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to follow the commandment and teaching that Moses, the servant of the Lord, decreed to you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to cling to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 Then Joshua blessed them and dismissed them, and they went to their tents. 7 (To the half tribe of Manasseh Moses had made a grant of land in Bashan, and to the other half of that tribe Joshua had made a grant among their brothers west of the Jordan.) So when Joshua dismissed them to their tents, he blessed them 8 and said to them, “Return to your tents with very great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with a lot of clothing. Divide the plunder taken from your enemies with your brother Israelites.”
9 So the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh set out to return home. They left the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to travel to the land of Gilead, to the land assigned as their possession, which they had acquired there by the word of the Lord through Moses.
The Threat of War
10 When they came to Geliloth by the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a conspicuously large altar. 11 The people of Israel heard about it and said, “See, the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh have built the altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at Geliloth of the Jordan, on the side of the river that belongs to the people of Israel.” 12 When the people of Israel heard this, the whole commuity of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13 Then the people of Israel sent the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar to the people of Reuben, to the people of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. 14 Together with him they sent ten tribal leaders, a leader for each fathers’ house[ah] for all the tribes of Israel. Each one was a head of his fathers’ house according to the divisions[ai] of Israel.
15 They came to the people of Reuben, to the people of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them. They said, 16 “This is what the whole community of the Lord has said: Why have you committed such an unfaithful act against the God of Israel by turning from the Lord today? When you built an altar for yourselves, you rebelled against the Lord today. 17 Was the sin of Peor so trivial—something from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, and for which a plague came on the community of the Lord— 18 so that today you have to turn away from the Lord? This is what will happen if you rebel against the Lord today: Tomorrow he will be furious against the whole community of Israel! 19 But by all means, if the land you have received as your possession is unclean, cross over to the Lord’s own land where the Dwelling of the Lord has its home and take your possession among us. But do not rebel against the Lord, and do not make us rebels by your act of building an altar for yourselves apart from the altar of the Lord our God! 20 When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things, did it not bring anger against the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who perished because of his guilt!”
The Response of the Tribes
21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh responded to the heads of the divisions of Israel:
22 By God, the true God, the Lord! By God, the true God, the Lord![aj] He knows, and Israel will know too. If we acted in rebellion or if we acted in unfaithfulness against the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we acted to build an altar for ourselves to turn from the Lord, or if we acted to offer up burnt offerings or grain offerings on it, or if we acted to make sacrifices of fellowship offerings on it, let the Lord himself demand an accounting from us.
24 But in truth, we did this because we were concerned that in the future your children would say to our children, “What connection do you have to the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord placed a border between us and you people of Reuben and Gad, namely, the Jordan. You have no portion in the Lord.” Then your children would stop our children from fearing the Lord.
26 So we said, “Come on now, let us build an altar—but not for burnt offerings and not for sacrifice.” 27 Rather, it is to be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us concerning our right to perform the worship of the Lord before him by our burnt offerings, by our sacrifices, and by our fellowship offerings, so that your children cannot say in the future to our children, “You have no share in the Lord.”
28 So we said, “If they say that to us and to our generations in the future, then we will say, ‘Look at the replica of the altar of the Lord that our fathers made—but not for burnt offerings and not for sacrifice. Rather it is a witness between us and you.’”
29 Far be it from us to rebel[ak] against the Lord and to turn today from the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for fellowship offerings apart from the altar of the Lord our God that is in front of his dwelling.
War Avoided
30 Phinehas the priest heard this, as did the tribal leaders of the community and the heads of the divisions of the tribes of Israel who were with him. They heard the words that the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the people of Manasseh spoke, and they were pleased. 31 So Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the people of Reuben, to the people of Gad, and to the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is among us since you did not act unfaithfully against the Lord. Now you have saved the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”
32 So the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the leaders returned from the people of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead to the people of Israel in the land of Canaan, and they brought them a report. 33 The report pleased the people of Israel, so the people of Israel blessed God, and they did not say anything more about going to war against them to destroy the land that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were living in.
34 The people of Reuben and the people of Gad named the altar “Witness” because they said, “It is a witness between us that the Lord is the one God.”
A Warning and a Promise
23 After many days,[al] when the Lord had given Israel rest from all its enemies all around, when Joshua had grown old and advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel—its elders, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and he said to them:
I have grown old and advanced in years. 3 You yourselves have seen everything that the Lord your God has done for you against all these nations. Yes, the Lord your God was fighting for you! 4 See now, I have allotted to your tribes an inheritance from these nations that remain unconquered, as well as from the nations that I have destroyed. It extends from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them away from you and drive them out of your presence, ⎣until they perish. He will send wild animals among them until he completely destroys them and their kings from your presence⎦[am] and you will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 You must be very resolute in carrying out all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses by not turning from it to the right or to the left, 7 by not intermingling with these nations that remain with you. Do not ever call on or swear by the names of their gods. Never serve them and never bow down to them. 8 But hold fast to the Lord your God, just as you have been doing to this day.
9 The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations from among you. As for you, no one has stood up against you to this day. 10 One of you would put a thousand to flight because the Lord your God himself was fighting for you, just as he promised you. 11 Therefore, for your own sakes be very careful to love the Lord your God.
12 But if you do turn away and keep close company with the remnant of these nations that remain with you, and if you intermarry with them and intermingle with them and they with you, 13 then know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations from among you, but they will become a trap and a snare for you, a whip for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from your good land that the Lord your God has given you.
14 See now, I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one promise out of all the good promises that the Lord your God promised you has failed. All of them have come true for you. Not one promise from him has failed.[an]
15 But just as every good promise that the Lord your God promised to you has come true for you, likewise the Lord will cause every promise of disaster to come true for you until he has destroyed you from this good land that the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God that he commanded you, and you go and serve other gods, and you bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land that he has given you.
The Meeting at Shechem
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and he summoned the elders of Israel, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Then Joshua told all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said.”
God’s Message
From ancient times your ancestors, including Terah, who was the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they served other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from across the River, and I caused him to walk through the whole land of Canaan. I multiplied his seed,[ao] and I gave Isaac to him, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted Egypt with the plagues I sent there. Afterward I brought you out. 6 I brought your fathers out from Egypt, and you came to the sea. With chariots and charioteers the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea. 7 They cried out to the Lord, and he set darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them so that it covered them. Your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for many days.[ap]
8 I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan, and they fought against you. But I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land after I had destroyed them before you.
9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he blessed you time after time. In this way I rescued you from his power.
11 Then you crossed over the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho and the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites fought against you, but I gave them into your hand. 12 I sent the hornet before you, and it drove them out before you, as it drove out the two kings of the Amorites.
It was not by your sword and not by your bow!
13 So I have given you a land for which you did not labor. I gave you cities that you did not build, but you have been living in them. I gave you vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant, but you are eating from them.
Joshua’s Admonition
14 Joshua said, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly and faithfully. Remove the gods that your fathers served in the region across the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if you see no benefit in serving the Lord,[aq] then choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household—we will serve the Lord!”
16 The people responded by saying, “Far be it from us[ar] to forsake the Lord in order to serve other gods! 17 For the Lord our God, he is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, where we were slaves. He is the one who performed these great signs right before our eyes and protected us on the whole journey that we made and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 The Lord drove out of our presence all the peoples and the Amorites who were living in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God!”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God.[as] He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and you serve foreign gods, then he will turn and cause disaster for you, and he will put an end to you after he has done good for you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will most certainly serve the Lord!”
22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves in order to serve him.”
The people said, “We are witnesses!”
23 Joshua said, “Now, therefore, remove the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will listen to his voice.”
25 That day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and he affirmed for them a statute and ordinance there at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was at the holy place of the Lord.
27 Joshua said to all the people, “See, this stone will be a witness among us and against us, because it has heard all the words that the Lord spoke with us. So it will be a witness among you and against you, so that you do not act deceptively against your God.”
28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each one to his own inheritance.
The End of an Era
29 After these events Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. 30 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Ga’ash.
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced every deed that the Lord had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the descendants of Israel had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the portion of the field that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of silver,[at] and they[au] became a heritage for the sons of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him on the hill that belonged to his son Phinehas, which had been given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.
Military and Political Conditions During the Time of the Judges
1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Who should go up against the Canaanites for us? Who of us should be the first to wage war against them?”
2 The Lord said, “Judah should go up. I have handed over the land to them.”
3 So the tribe of Judah said to the tribe of Simeon, their brothers, “Go up with us to the territory that has been allotted to us, and together we will wage war against the Canaanites. We also will come with you into your allotment.” So Simeon went with Judah.
4 When Judah went up, the Lord delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hand. At Bezek the Israelites struck down ten thousand men. 5 They encountered Adoni-Bezek at Bezek, and they waged war against him and struck down the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
7 So Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their big toes cut off, had to scrounge for scraps of food under my table. God has repaid me with exactly what I did to them.” Israel brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 The men of Judah waged war against Jerusalem and captured it. They struck the city with the edge[av] of the sword and set it on fire.
9 After that, the men of Judah went down to wage war against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the Shephelah.[aw] 10 Judah went up against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron before this was Kiriath Arba). There they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 From there they went up against those who lived at Debir (the name of Debir before this was Kiriath Sepher). 12 Then Caleb said, “To the one who attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I will give my daughter Aksah as his wife.”
13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother,[ax] captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him as his wife.
14 She came to Othniel and pressured him to ask her father for pastureland.[ay] As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me this blessing: Since you gave me land in the dry Negev, give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16 The descendants of the Kenite father-in-law of Moses went up with the people of Judah from the City of Palms[az] to the part of the Wilderness of Judah that was in the Negev near Arad. They went and lived there among the people.
17 The tribe of Judah went along with the tribe of Simeon, its brother tribe. Together they struck down the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They devoted the city to destruction and named the city Hormah.[ba] 18 Judah also captured Gaza with its border region, Ashkelon with its border region, and Ekron with its border region.
19 The Lord was with Judah, and Judah took possession of the hill country, but Judah could not take possession of the land belonging to the people who lived in the valleys and lowlands, because they had iron chariots.[bb]
20 Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had commanded, and he took possession of the land of the three sons of Anak.
21 But the men of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live among the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22 The house of Joseph likewise went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 The house of Joseph sent spies to scout Bethel (the name of the city was formerly Luz). 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us a way into the city, and we will grant you mercy.” 25 The man showed them a way into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and his whole family go. 26 The man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and named it Luz. That is its name to this day.
27 But the tribe of Manasseh did not take possession of Beth Shan and its towns or Ta’anach and its towns. They did not drive out the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, so the Canaanites were determined to keep living in this land. 28 Whenever Israel grew strong, they made the Canaanites perform forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.
29 In the same way, Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living at Gezer. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live among them at Gezer.
30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live among them. Zebulun did subject them to forced labor.
31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Akko, the inhabitants of Sidon, or those in Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 32 Instead, the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites, who continued to live in the land because the Asherites did not drive them out.
33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath. Instead, they continued to live among the Canaanites, who continued to live in the land, but the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath did perform forced labor for Naphtali.
34 The Amorites forced the men of Dan back into the hill country. They did not allow them to come down to the lowlands. 35 The Amorites were determined to continue living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Sha’albim, but the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy on them, and they were put to forced labor. 36 The border of the Amorites stretched from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and beyond.
Religious Conditions During the Time of the Judges
2 The Angel of the Lord[bc] went up from Gilgal to Bokim, and he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt, and I brought you to the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will not break my covenant with you, forever. 2 As for you, do not make a covenant with the people living in this land. You must tear down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So I say, ‘I will not drive them out before you, but they will be traps for you, and their gods will be a snare to you.’”
4 When the Angel of the Lord spoke these things to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept loudly. 5 They named that place Bokim,[bd] and they sacrificed to the Lord there.
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, each of the descendants of Israel went to his own inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, those who had seen all the great deeds that the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. 9 They buried him within the borders of his inheritance, in Timnath Heres,[be] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Ga’ash.
The Cycle
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who did not know the Lord or the deeds that he had done for Israel. 11 The people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, 12 and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them. They bowed down to them, and they angered the Lord. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtartes.[bf]
14 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of raiders, who plundered them. He sold them into the hand of their enemies around them, and they were not able to stand up in the face of their enemies. 15 Whenever the men of Israel went out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring disaster on them, just as the Lord had said to them and just as the Lord had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
16 Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges,[bg] who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them, 17 but they did not listen even to the judges! Instead, they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way in which their fathers, who had obeyed the commands of the Lord, had once walked. This generation did not act the same way their fathers had acted.
18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, the Lord was with that judge and saved them from their enemies during all the days of that judge, because the Lord had compassion when he heard their groaning under their tormenters and oppressors.
19 But then, after the death of the judge, Israel would turn back and become more corrupt than their fathers by going after other gods, by serving them, and by worshipping them. They refused to let go of their practices and their shameless ways.
20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He said, “Because this nation has violated my covenant, which I commanded to their fathers, and because they did not obey my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out from among them a single one of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 22 I will do this in order to test Israel by means of them. Will Israel keep the way of the Lord and walk upon it as their fathers kept it, or not?” 23 So the Lord gave those nations a reprieve, and he did not drive them out quickly. He did not hand them over to Joshua.
The Land That Remains Unconquered
3 The following are the nations that the Lord left in place in order to test all the Israelites who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2 (This was done so that the generations of Israelites who did not know war would learn how to wage war.) 3 Those who remained were the five serens[bh] of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwell in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.[bi] 4 They remained there to test Israel, in order to know whether or not they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he commanded to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
The Cycles Begin
The First Judge: Othniel Versus the Arameans
5 The people of Israel lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They took the daughters of these peoples as wives for themselves, and they gave their own daughters to the other peoples’ sons. They also served their gods.
7 Then the people of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.[bj] 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim, who was the king of Aram Naharaim.[bk] The Israelites served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years. 9 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who saved them.
The deliverer was Othniel, son of Kenaz, the youngest brother of Caleb.[bl] 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him. He served as Israel’s judge. When he went out to wage war, the Lord gave Cushan Rishathaim, the king of Aram, into his hand, and his hand was strong against Cushan Rishathaim. 11 Then the land was quiet for forty years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.
The Second Judge: Ehud Versus the Moabites
12 Again the people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel because they had committed evil in the eyes of the Lord.
13 Eglon took Ammonites and Amalekites along with him. He advanced and attacked Israel and took possession of the City of Palms. 14 So the people of Israel served Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15 Again the people of Israel called out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a deliverer for them. The deliverer was Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite, who was left-handed.[bm]
The Israelites sent him with a tribute payment for Eglon king of Moab. 16 Ehud made a double-edged sword for himself, about eighteen inches long,[bn] and he strapped it under his clothing on his right thigh.
17 Ehud presented the tribute payment to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he sent the men who had delivered the tribute on their way. 19 But after he himself had passed the carved images that were at Gilgal, Ehud turned back and told the king, “I have a secret for you, O king!”
The king said, “Quiet, everyone,” so all his attendants left the room.
20 Ehud approached Eglon as Eglon was sitting in the cool upper chamber, all alone. Ehud said, “I have something from God for you.” So Eglon stood up from the throne. 21 Ehud reached out his left hand and took the sword that was on his right thigh and drove it into Eglon’s belly. 22 As the hilt went in after the blade, Eglon’s fat closed behind the blade. Ehud did not draw the sword out from Eglon’s belly, and the contents of his bowels came out. 23 Ehud then went out to the vestibule,[bo] shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them. 24 Then off he went!
When Eglon’s servants came back, they were surprised to see that the doors of the upper chamber were locked. They said, “He must be using the toilet.”[bp] 25 They waited until the delay became embarrassing, but no one opened the doors to the upper chamber. Finally they took the key and opened the door. And there he was. Their master was lying on the ground—dead!
26 While they delayed, Ehud had escaped. He passed by the carved images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, ram’s horns were sounded throughout the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites marched down from the hill country with Ehud leading the way.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.