Chapter 17

Territory of Manasseh

1 Now this was the lot for the tribe of aManasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, 1were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.

2 So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer and for the sons of Helek and for the sons of Asriel and for the sons of Shechem and for the sons of Hepher and for the sons of Shemida; these were the male 1descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3 However, aZelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

4 They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So aaccording to the 1command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.

5 Thus there fell ten portions 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 aland of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

7 The border of Manasseh 1ran from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; then the border went 2southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but aTappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim.

9 The aborder went down to the 1brook of Kanah, southward of the 1brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh), and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the 1brook and 2it ended at the sea.

10 The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side to Manasseh, and the sea was 1their border; and they reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east.

11 In Issachar and in Asher, aManasseh had Beth-shean and its towns and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, the third is bNapheth.

12 aBut the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.

13 It came about when the sons of Israel became strong, athey put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not 1drive them out completely.

14 Then the asons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the Lord has thus far blessed?”

15 Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go 1up to the forest and 2clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

16 The sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have achariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”

17 Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only,

18 but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall 1clear it, and to its 2farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall 3drive out the Canaanites, even though they have achariots of iron and though they are strong.”

Chapter 18

Rest of the Land Divided

1 Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at aShiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

2 There remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.

3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “aHow long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?

4 “Provide for yourselves three men from 1each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall 2return to me.

5 “They shall divide it into seven portions; aJudah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.

6 “You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. aI will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.

7 “For athe Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the Lord is 1their inheritance. Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

8 Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in aShiloh.”

9 So the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

10 And aJoshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

The Territory of Benjamin

11 Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot 1lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

12 aTheir border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and 1it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

13 From there the border continued to aLuz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of blower Beth-horon.

14 The border extended from there and turned round on the west side southward, from the hill which lies before Beth-horon southward; and 1it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side.

15 Then the asouth side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah.

16 The border went down to the edge of the hill which is in the avalley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel.

17 It extended northward and went to En-shemesh and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the astone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

18 It continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward and went down to the Arabah.

19 The border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the 1border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border.

20 Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, according to their families and according to its borders all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho and Beth-hoglah and Emek-keziz,

22 and Beth-arabah and Zemaraim and Bethel,

23 and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah,

24 and Chephar-ammoni and Ophni and aGeba; twelve cities with their villages.

25 Gibeon and Ramah and Beeroth,

26 and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah,

27 and Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah,

28 and aZelah, Haeleph and the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the bsons of Benjamin according to their families.

Chapter 19

Territory of Simeon

1 Then the second lot 1fell to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.

2 So they had as their inheritance Beersheba or 1Sheba and Moladah,

3 and Hazar-shual and Balah and Ezem,

4 and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah,

5 and Ziklag and Beth-marcaboth and Hazar-susah,

6 and Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

7 Ain, Rimmon and Ether and Ashan; four cities with their villages;

8 and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the 1Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.

9 The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, for the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of 1Judah’s inheritance.

Territory of Zebulun

10 Now the third lot came up for the sons of Zebulun according to their families. And the territory of their inheritance was as far as Sarid.

11 Then their border went up to the west and to Maralah, it then 1touched Dabbesheth and reached to the 2brook that is before Jokneam.

12 Then it turned from Sarid to the east toward the sunrise as far as the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and 1up to Japhia.

13 From there it continued eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and it proceeded to Rimmon 1which stretches to Neah.

14 The border circled around it on the north to Hannathon, and 1it ended at the valley of Iphtahel.

15 Included also were Kattah and Nahalal and Shimron and Idalah and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages.

16 This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Territory of Issachar

17 The fourth lot 1fell to Issachar, to the sons of Issachar according to their families.

18 Their territory was to Jezreel and included Chesulloth and aShunem,

19 and Hapharaim and Shion and Anaharath,

20 and Rabbith and Kishion and Ebez,

21 and Remeth and En-gannim and En-haddah and Beth-pazzez.

22 The border reached to aTabor and Shahazumah and Beth-shemesh, and 1their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages.

23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.

Territory of Asher

24 Now the fifth lot 1fell to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families.

25 Their territory was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph,

26 and Allammelech and Amad and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and to Shihor-libnath.

27 It turned toward the 1east to Beth-dagon and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on 2north to aCabul,

28 and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great aSidon.

29 The border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and 1it ended at the sea by the region of aAchzib.

30 Included also were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages.

31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Territory of Naphtali

32 The sixth lot 1fell to the sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families.

33 Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim and Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and 1it ended at the Jordan.

34 Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and proceeded from there to Hukkok; and it reached to Zebulun on the south and 1touched Asher on the west, and to Judah at the Jordan toward the 2east.

35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer and aHammath, Rakkath and bChinnereth,

36 and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor,

37 and Kedesh and Edrei and En-hazor,

38 and Yiron and Migdal-el, Horem and Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.

Territory of Dan

40 The seventh lot 1fell to the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families.

41 The territory of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh,

42 and Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Ithlah,

43 and Elon and Timnah and Ekron,

44 and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath,

45 and Jehud and Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon,

46 and Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory over against 1Joppa.

47 The territory of the asons of Dan proceeded 1beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and possessed it and 2settled in it; and they called 3bLeshem Dan after the name of Dan their father.

48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

49 When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance in their midst to Joshua the son of Nun.

50 In accordance with the 1command of the Lord they gave him the city for which he asked, aTimnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and 2settled in it.

51 aThese are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the 1households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.