Joshua 14

Division of the Land West of the Jordan

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

Allotment for Caleb

Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal,^a and Caleb son of Jephunneh^b the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God^c at Kadesh Barnea^d about you and me.^e I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea^f to explore the land.^g And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,^h but the others who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.ⁱ I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.^j So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance^k and that of your children^l forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’

“Now then, just as the Lord promised,^m he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel movedⁿ about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!^o I am still as strong^p today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous^q to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.^r You yourself heard then that the Anakites^s were there and their cities were large and fortified,^t but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

Then Joshua blessed^u Caleb son of Jephunneh^v and gave him Hebron^w as his inheritance.^x So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.^y (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba^z after Arba,^a who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest^b from war.