Joshua 18

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The Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh

16 The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, iinto the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel. Then jgoing from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to Ataroth, the territory of the Archites. Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower kBeth-horon, then to lGezer, and it ends at the sea.

mThe people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was nAtaroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is oMichmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah, then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and pto Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan. From qTappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans, together with qthe towns that were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages. 10 However, rthey did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made sto do forced labor.

17 Then allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was tthe firstborn of Joseph. To uMachir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, vwere allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. And allotments were made wto the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.

Now xZelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: xMahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached yEleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, zThe Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers. So according to the mouth of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides athe land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan, because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to bMichmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. The land of cTappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim. cThen the boundary went down to the brook Kanah. These cities, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasseh, belong to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea, 10 the land to the south being Ephraim’s and that to the north being Manasseh’s, with the sea forming its boundary. On the north Asher is reached, and on the east Issachar. 11 Also in Issachar and in Asher dManasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of dDor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of dTaanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of dMegiddo and its villages; ethe third is Naphath.1 12 fYet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. 13 Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites gto forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

14 Then hthe people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, Why have you given me but ione lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am ja numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me? 15 And Joshua said to them, If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and kthe Rephaim, since lthe hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you. 16 The people of Joseph said, The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have mchariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in nthe Valley of Jezreel. 17 Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, 18 but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, othough they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.

Allotment of the Remaining Land

18 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at pShiloh and set up qthe tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. So Joshua said to the people of Israel, rHow long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. They shall divide it into seven portions. sJudah shall continue in his territory on the south, tand the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. uAnd I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. vThe Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage. wAnd Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.

So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh. So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua xcast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, yto each his portion.

The Inheritance for Benjamin

11 The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. 12 zOn the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. aThen the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of bBeth-aven. 13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of cLuz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to dAtaroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower eBeth-horon. 14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the fwestern side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (gthat is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side. 15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron,1 gto the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks hthe Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of iRephaim. And it then goes down the hValley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to jEn-rogel. 17 Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to kthe stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 and passing on to the north of lthe shoulder of Beth-arabah2 it goes down to lthe Arabah. 19 Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of kBeth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of mthe Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were nJericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Gebatwelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, oJebus3 (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah4 and Kiriath-jearim5fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

The Inheritance for Simeon

19 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans, pand their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah. qAnd they had for their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhenthirteen cities with their villages; Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashanfour cities with their villages, together with all the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Simeon according to their clans. rThe inheritance of the people of Simeon formed part of the territory of the people of Judah. Because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them, the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

The Inheritance for Zebulun

10 The third lot came up for the people of Zebulun, according to their clans. And the territory of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid. 11 Then their boundary goes up swestward and on to Mareal and touches Dabbesheth, then the brook that is east of tJokneam. 12 From Sarid it goes in the other direction eastward toward the sunrise to the boundary of Chisloth-tabor. From there it goes to Daberath, then up to Japhia. 13 From there it passes along on the east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon it bends toward Neah, 14 then on the north the boundary turns about to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtahel; 15 and Kattath, Nahalal, uShimron, Idalah, and Bethlehemtwelve cities with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the people of Zebulun, according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Issachar

17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the people of Issachar, according to their clans. 18 Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, vShunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez. 22 The boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordansixteen cities with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Issachar, according to their clansthe cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Asher

24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touches wCarmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then it turns eastward, it goes to Beth-dagon, and touches Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel. Then it continues in the north to xCabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as ySidon the Great. 29 Then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab,1 Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehobtwenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Naphtali

32 The sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, for the people of Naphtali, according to their clans. 33 And their boundary ran from Heleph, from zthe oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. 34 Then the boundary turns awestward to Aznoth-tabor and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan. 35 The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, bChinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, cHazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemeshnineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Naphtali according to their clansthe cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Dan

40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans. 41 And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 dShaalabbin, dAijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 and Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against eJoppa. 47 When fthe territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor. 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Joshua

49 When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, gTimnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.

51 hThese are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot iat Shiloh before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua, Say to the people of Israel, jAppoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand kat the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city luntil he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.

So they set apart mKedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and nShechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and oKiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) pin the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed qBezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and rRamoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and sGolan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and tfor the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.