Joshua 14–19

Division of the Land West of the Jordan

14Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance^e in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar^f the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel^g allotted^h to them.^{i 2}Their inheritances were assigned by lot^j to the nine and a half tribes,^k as the Lord had commanded through Moses. ³Moses had granted the two and a half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan^l but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest,^{m 4}for Joseph’s descendants had become two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim.ⁿ The Levites received no share of the land but only towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.^{o 5}So the Israelites divided the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.^p

Allotment for Caleb

⁶Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal,^q and Caleb son of Jephunneh^r the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God^s at Kadesh Barnea^t about you and me.^{u 7}I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea^v to explore the land.^w And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,^{x 8}but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.^y I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.^{z 9}So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance^a and that of your children^b forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’^a

¹⁰“Now then, just as the Lord promised,^c he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved^d about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!^{e 11}I am still as strong^f today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous^g to go out to battle now as I was then. ¹²Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.^h You yourself heard then that the Anakitesⁱ were there and their cities were large and fortified,^j but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

¹³Then Joshua blessed^k Caleb son of Jephunneh^l and gave him Hebron^m as his inheritance.^{n 14}So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.^{o 15}(Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba^p after Arba,^q who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest^r from war.

Allotment for Judah

15:15–19pp—Jdg 1:11–15

15The allotment for the tribe of Judah, according to its clans, extended down to the territory of Edom,^s to the Desert of Zin^t in the extreme south.^u

²Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Dead Sea,^{v 3}crossed south of Scorpion Pass,^w continued on to Zin and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea.^x Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka. ⁴It then passed along to Azmon^y and joined the Wadi of Egypt,^z ending at the Mediterranean Sea. This is their^a southern boundary.

⁵The eastern boundary^a is the Dead Sea^b as far as the mouth of the Jordan.

The northern boundary^c started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan, ⁶went up to Beth Hoglah^d and continued north of Beth Arabah^e to the Stone of Bohan^f son of Reuben. ⁷The boundary then went up to Debir^g from the Valley of Achor^h and turned north to Gilgal,ⁱ which faces the Pass of Adummim south of the gorge. It continued along to the waters of En Shemesh^j and came out at En Rogel.^{k 8}Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom^l along the southern slope of the Jebusite^m city (that is, Jerusalemⁿ). From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley^o at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.^{p 9}From the hilltop the boundary headed toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah,^q came out at the towns of Mount Ephron and went down toward Baalah^r (that is, Kiriath Jearim).^{s 10}Then it curved westward from Baalah^t to Mount Seir,^u ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), continued down to Beth Shemesh^v and crossed to Timnah.^{w 11}It went to the northern slope of Ekron,^x turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah^y and reached Jabneel.^z The boundary ended at the sea.

¹²The western boundary is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.^a

These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.

¹³In accordance with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb^b son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba^c, that is, Hebron.^d (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)^{e 14}From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites^f—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai,^g the sons of Anak.^{h 15}From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). ¹⁶And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksahⁱ in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” ¹⁷Othniel^j son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

¹⁸One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him^b to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

¹⁹She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev,^k give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.^l

²⁰This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, according to its clans:

²¹The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev^m toward the boundary of Edom were:

Kabzeel,ⁿ Eder,^o Jagur, ²²Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³Kedesh,^p Hazor,^q Ithnan, ²⁴Ziph,^r Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor),^{s 26}Amam, Shema, Moladah,^{t 27}Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, ²⁸Hazar Shual,^u Beersheba,^v Biziothiah, ²⁹Baalah,^w Iyim, Ezem,^{x 30}Eltolad,^y Kesil, Hormah,^{z 31}Ziklag,^a Madmannah,^b Sansannah, ³²Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain^c and Rimmon^d—a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages.

³³In the western foothills:

Eshtaol,^e Zorah,^f Ashnah,^{g 34}Zanoah,^h En Gannim,ⁱ Tappuah,^j Enam, ³⁵Jarmuth,^k Adullam,^l Sokoh,^m Azekah,^{n 36}Shaaraim,^o Adithaim and Gederah^p (or Gederothaim)^c—fourteen towns and their villages.

³⁷Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, ³⁸Dilean, Mizpah,^q Joktheel,^{r 39}Lachish,^s Bozkath,^t Eglon,^{u 40}Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, ⁴¹Gederoth,^v Beth Dagon,^w Naamah and Makkedah^x—sixteen towns and their villages.

⁴²Libnah,^y Ether, Ashan,^{z 43}Iphtah, Ashnah,^a Nezib, ⁴⁴Keilah,^b Akzib^c and Mareshah^d—nine towns and their villages.

⁴⁵Ekron,^e with its surrounding settlements and villages; ⁴⁶west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod,^f together with their villages; ⁴⁷Ashdod,^g its surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt^h and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.ⁱ

⁴⁸In the hill country:

Shamir,^j Jattir,^k Sokoh,^{l 49}Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir^m), ⁵⁰Anab,ⁿ Eshtemoh,^o Anim, ⁵¹Goshen,^p Holon^q and Giloh^r—eleven towns and their villages.

⁵²Arab, Dumah,^s Eshan, ⁵³Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴Humtah, Kiriath Arba^t (that is, Hebron) and Zior—nine towns and their villages.

⁵⁵Maon,^u Carmel,^v Ziph,^w Juttah,^{x 56}Jezreel,^y Jokdeam, Zanoah,^{z 57}Kain, Gibeah^a and Timnah^b—ten towns and their villages.

⁵⁸Halhul, Beth Zur,^c Gedor,^{d 59}Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon—six towns and their villages.^d

⁶⁰Kiriath Baal^e (that is, Kiriath Jearim^f) and Rabbah^g—two towns and their villages.

⁶¹In the wilderness:^h

Beth Arabah,ⁱ Middin, Sekakah, ⁶²Nibshan, the City of Salt and En Gedi^j—six towns and their villages.

⁶³Judah could not^k dislodge the Jebusites^l, who were living in Jerusalem;^m to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.ⁿ

Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh

16The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan, east of the springs of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert^o into the hill country of Bethel.^{p 2}It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz^q),^a crossed over to the territory of the Arkites^r in Ataroth,^{s 3}descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon^t and on to Gezer,^u ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.^v

⁵This was the territory of Ephraim, according to its clans:

The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar^w in the east to Upper Beth Horon^{x 6}and continued to the Mediterranean Sea. From Mikmethath^y on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah^z on the east. ⁷Then it went down from Janoah^a to Ataroth^b and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan. ⁸From Tappuah^c the border went west to the Kanah Ravine^d and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, according to its clans. ⁹It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.^e

¹⁰They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.^f

17This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh^g as Joseph’s firstborn,^h that is, for Makir,ⁱ Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead^j and Bashan^k because the Makirites were great soldiers. ²So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh^l—the clans of Abiezer,^m Helek, Asriel,ⁿ Shechem, Hepher^o and Shemida.^p These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

³Now Zelophehad son of Hepher,^q the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters,^r whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. ⁴They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord’s command.^{s 5}Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land…