Joshua 18:1–19:48
The Last of the Land Is Divided
18 The entire congregation of the ⌊Israelites⌋a assembled at Shiloh, and they set up there the tent of meeting, and the land was subdued before them.b 2 And seven tribes remained among the ⌊Israelites⌋c who had not been apportioned their inheritance. 3 And Joshua said to the ⌊Israelites⌋,d “⌊How long⌋e will you be slack about going to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,f has given you? 4 Provide three men ⌊from each tribe⌋,g and I will send them so that they may begin to go through the land and write a description of it ⌊according to their inheritance⌋,h and let them come to me. 5 They will divide it among themselves into seven portions; ⌊Judah will maintain its border⌋i from the south, and ⌊the house of Joseph will maintain its border⌋j from the north. 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⌋,k and Joshua commanded the ones going to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk about through the land, write a description, and return to me, and here I will cast a lot for you beforel Yahweh at Shiloh.” 9 And the men went and passed through the land, and they ⌊described⌋m the cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast a lot for them at Shiloh beforen Yahweh, and there he divided the land for the ⌊Israelites⌋,o ⌊to each a portion⌋.p
11 And the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the border of their allotment fellq between the descendantsr of Judah and the descendantss 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⌋t 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⌋u Beth-Horon to the south. ⌊It ends⌋v at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town belonging to the descendantsw 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 footx of the mountain, which is opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom,y which is in the valley of Rephaim to the north; then it goes down the valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusitesz 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 Arabaha to the north, and it goes down to the Arabah.b 19 The border passes on to the slope of Beth-hoglah to the north and ⌊ends⌋c at the north bay of the Salt Sead 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 descendantse 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 descendantsf of Benjamin according to their families.
19 The second allotment ⌊fell⌋a for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendantsb of Simeon, according to their families. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the descendantsc 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.d This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendantse of Simeon according to their families. 9 Part of the portion allotted to the descendantsf of Judah became the inheritance of the descendantsg of Simeon because the portion for the descendantsh of Judah was ⌊too large for them⌋,i so the descendantsj of Simeon inherited from their inheritance.
10 The third allotment came up for the descendantsk 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 touchesl Dabbesheth, then the wadim 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⌋n 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 descendantso of Zebulun according to their families, these cities and their villages.
17 The fourth allotment ⌊fell⌋p for Issachar, for the descendantsq 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⌋r at the Jordan; sixteen cities and their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendantss of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.
24 The fifth allotment ⌊fell⌋t for the tribe of the descendantsu 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⌋v to Beth-dagon and touches Zebulun and the valley of Yiptah-El to the northw 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⌋x 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 descendantsy of Asher according to their families, these cities and their villages.
32 The sixth allotment ⌊fell⌋z 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⌋a at the Jordan; 34 then the border turns to the west, to Aznoth Tabor, and continues from there to Hukok, and it touchesb Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on ⌊the east⌋c at the Jordan. 35 ⌊The fortified cities⌋d 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.
40 The seventh lot ⌊fell⌋e for the tribe of the descendantsf 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 descendantsg of Dan continued ⌊beyond them⌋,h because the descendantsi of Dan went up and fought with Lesham, and they captured and struck it with ⌊the edge of the sword⌋,j and they took possession of it and settled in it; and they called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.k 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendantsl of Dan according to their families, these cities and their villages.