Land Still to Be Taken

13 When Joshua was very old, the Lord said to him, “Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to ·take [possess; conquer]. ² This is what is left: the regions of Geshur and of the Philistines [^Cthe southern coastline along the Mediterranean Sea]; ³ the area from the Shihor River [^CWadi el-Arish located below Gaza] ·at the border [east; ^Lin front] of Egypt ·to [^Lto the border of] Ekron in the north, which ·belongs to the Canaanites [^Lis regarded/counted as Canaanite]; the five Philistine ·leaders [rulers; lords] at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites, ⁴ ·who live south of the Canaanite land, from Arah of the Sidonians [^Cthe people of the northern coastal plains] to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites; ⁵ the ·Gebalites [^Cinhabitants of the city of Byblos, located north of modern Beirut], and the area of Lebanon east of Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

⁶ “The Sidonians are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, but I will ·force [drive] all of them out ahead of the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel]. Be sure to ·remember this land when you divide the land among the Israelites [^Lallocate this land to Israel as an inheritance], as I ·told [commanded] you.

⁷ “Now divide the land ·among [^Las an inheritance among] the nine tribes and ·West [^Lthe half-tribe of] Manasseh.”

Dividing the Land

⁸ ·East Manasseh and [^LWith it; ^Creferring to the other half-tribe of Manasseh] the tribes of Reuben and Gad had received their ·land [inheritance]. The Lord’s servant Moses had given them the land east of the Jordan River [Deut. 3:18–20]. ⁹ ·Their land started at [^LFrom] Aroer at the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] ·and continued to [or including] the town in the middle of the ravine, and it included the whole ·plain [or plateau] from Medeba to Dibon. ¹⁰ All the towns ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in the city of Heshbon, were in that land. The land continued to the area where the Ammonites lived. ¹¹ Gilead [12:3] was also there, as well as the area where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived, and all of Mount Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah. ¹² All the kingdom of Og king of Bashan was in the land [12:4–5]. Og was ·one of the last [^Lfrom the remnant] of the Rephaites, and in the past he ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had ·defeated [struck] them and had taken their land. ¹³ Because the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] did not ·force [drive] out the people of Geshur and Maacah, they still live among the Israelites today.

¹⁴ The tribe of Levi was the only one that ·did not get any land [^Lhe gave no inheritance]. Instead, they were given all the burned sacrifices [^Ca portion of the food offerings] made to the Lord, the God of Israel, as he had promised them [14:3–4; Num. 3:45; 35:1–8].

¹⁵ Moses had given each ·family group [clan] from the tribe of Reuben some land: ¹⁶ Theirs was the land from Aroer near the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; 12:1] to the town of Medeba, including the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ·ravine [valley]; ¹⁷ Heshbon and all ·the [^Lits] towns on the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, ¹⁸ Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, ¹⁹ Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, ²⁰ Beth Peor, the ·hills [slopes] of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. ²¹ So that land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that Sihon king of the Amorites had ruled from the town of Heshbon. Moses had defeated him along with the leaders of the Midianites, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All these ·leaders [princes] ·fought together with [or were subjects of] Sihon and lived in that country. ²² The ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] ·killed [^Lslayed with the sword] many people during the fighting, including Balaam of Beor, who ·tried to use magic to tell the future [practiced divination; Num. 22–24]. ²³ The land given to Reuben stopped at the shore of the Jordan River. So the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben included all these towns and their villages.

²⁴ This is the land Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to all its ·family groups [clans]: ²⁵ the land of Jazer and all the towns of Gilead; half the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near Rabbah; ²⁶ the area from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim; the area from Mahanaim to the land of Debir; ²⁷ in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the ·other land [rest of the kingdom] Sihon king of Heshbon had ruled east of the Jordan River and continuing to the end of Lake ·Galilee [^LKinnereth]. ²⁸ ·All this land went to [^LThis is the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Gad, including all these towns and their villages.

²⁹ This is the land Moses had given to ·East [^Lthe half-tribe of] Manasseh. Half of all the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Manasseh were given this land: ³⁰ The land started at Mahanaim and included all of Bashan [12:4] and the land ruled by Og king of Bashan; all the towns of Jair in Bashan, sixty cities in all; ³¹ half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities where Og king of Bashan had ruled. All this went to the ·family [or descendants; ^Lchildren/sons] of Makir son of Manasseh, and half of all his ·sons [descendants] were given this land.

³² Moses had given this land to these tribes on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River east of Jericho [Num. 32:32, 39–42]. ³³ But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi because the Lord, the God of Israel, promised that he himself would be the gift for the Levites [v. 14; 18:7; Num. 18:20; Deut. 18:1–8].

14 Eleazar the priest [the son of Aaron; Ex. 28:1; Num. 34:17], Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [^Lheads of the fathers] of all the tribes of Israel decided what land to give to the people in the land of Canaan. ² The Lord had commanded Moses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine-and-a-half tribes threw lots [^Ccasting lots left the decision to God; the Urim and Thummim may have been used; Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21] to decide which land they would receive. ³ Moses had already given the two-and-a-half tribes their land east of the Jordan River. But the tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance] like the others. ⁴ The sons of Joseph had ·divided into [^Lbecome] two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance]. It was given only some towns in which to live and pastures for its ·animals [^Lcattle and property]. ⁵ The Lord had told Moses how to give the land to the tribes of Israel, and the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] divided the land.

Caleb’s Land

⁶ One day ·some men from the tribe of Judah [^Lthe sons/descendants of Judah] went to Joshua at Gilgal [4:19]. Among them was Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. He said to Joshua, “You remember what the Lord said at Kadesh Barnea when he was speaking to ·the prophet Moses [^LMoses, the man of God] about you and me [Num. 14:6–9, 24, 30]. ⁷ Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me to ·look at [spy out] the land where we were going. I was forty years old then. When I came back, I ·told Moses what I thought about the land [brought back an honest report; ^Lbrought him word as it was in my heart; Num. 13:30]. ⁸ The other men who went with me ·frightened the people [^Lmade the heart of the people melt; Num. 13:27–29; 14:1–4], but I ·fully believed the Lord would allow us to take the land [or remained loyal to the Lord; ^Lfollowed the Lord]. ⁹ So that day Moses ·promised [swore to; made an oath to] me, ‘The land where ·you went [^Lyour foot has trodden] will become your ·land [inheritance], and your children will own it forever. I will give you that land because you ·fully believed in [or remained loyal to; ^Lfollowed] the Lord, my God.’

¹⁰ “Now then, [^Llook; ^Tbehold] the Lord has kept his promise. He has kept me alive for forty-five years from the time he said this to Moses during the time ·we all [^LIsrael] wandered in the ·desert [wilderness]. Now ·here [^Llook; ^Tbehold] I am, eighty-five years old. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out, ·and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then [^Lmy strength then is like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in]. ¹² So give me the mountain country the Lord promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that the ·Anakite people [Anakim] lived there and the cities were large and well protected. But now with the Lord helping me, I will ·force [drive] them out, just as the Lord said.”

¹³ Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him the city of Hebron [^Csouthwest of Jerusalem in the Judean hills] as his ·own [^Linheritance]. ¹⁴ Hebron still ·belongs to [remains the inheritance of] the family of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he ·had faith and obeyed [remained loyal to; ^Lwholly followed] the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ (In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba, named for Arba, the greatest man among the Anakites.)

After this ·there was peace in the land [^Lthe land had rest from war].

Land for Judah

15 The ·land that was given to [allotment for] the tribe of Judah was divided among all the ·family groups [clans]. It went all the way to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin in the far south, at the border of Edom.

² The southern border of Judah’s land started at the south end of the ·Dead [^LSalt] Sea ³ and went south of ·Scorpion Pass [or the ascent of Akrabbim] to Zin. From there it passed to the south of Kadesh Barnea and continued past Hezron to Addar. From Addar it turned and went to Karka. ⁴ It continued to Azmon, the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt, and then to the ·Mediterranean Sea [^LSea]. This was the southern border.

⁵ The eastern border was the shore of the ·Dead [^LSalt] Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan River.

The northern border started at the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River. ⁶ Then it went to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the stone of Bohan son of Reuben. ⁷ Then ·the northern border went [^Lthe border went up] through the Valley of Achor to Debir where it turned toward the north and went to Gilgal. Gilgal is ·across from the road that goes through [^Lopposite] Adummim Pass, on the south side of the ·ravine [valley; gorge]. The border continued to the waters of En Shemesh and stopped at En Rogel. ⁸ Then it went through the Valley of ·Ben [the Son of] Hinnom, next to the southern ·side [slope] of the Jebusite city (·which is called [that is,] Jerusalem). There the border went to the top of the hill on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of the Valley of ·Giants [^LRaphaim]. ⁹ From there it went to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and then it went to the cities near Mount Ephron. There it turned and went toward Baalah, ·which is called [that is,] Kiriath Jearim. ¹⁰ At Baalah the border turned west and went toward Mount Seir. It continued along the ·north side [northern slope] of Mount Jearim (also called Kesalon) and ·came [or descended] to Beth Shemesh. From there it ·went past [or crossed to] Timnah ¹¹ to the ·hill north [northern slope] of Ekron. Then it turned toward Shikkeron and ·went past [or crossed to] Mount Baalah and continued on to Jabneel, ending at the sea.

¹² The ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea was the western border. Inside these borders lived the ·family groups [clans] of Judah.

¹³ The Lord had commanded Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh ·part of the land [a portion] in Judah, so he gave Caleb the town of Kiriath Arba, ·also called [that is,] Hebron [14:13]. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹⁴ Caleb ·forced [drove] out the three ·Anakite families [^Lsons of Anak] living in Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. ¹⁵ Then he left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.) ¹⁶ Caleb said, “I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.” ¹⁷ Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife. ¹⁸ When Acsah came to ·Othniel [^Lhim; ^Ccould be Othniel or Caleb], she ·told him to ask [or asked] her father for a field.

So Acsah went to her father. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”

¹⁹ Acsah answered, “·Do me a special favor [^LGive me a blessing]. Since you have given me land in ·southern Canaan [^Lthe Negev], also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

²⁰ ·The tribe of Judah got the land God had promised them [^LThis is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah]. ·Each family group got part of the land [^L…according to its clans].

²¹ The tribe of Judah got all these towns in the ·southern part of Canaan [extreme south; ^LNegev] near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (also called Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, ²⁸ Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. There were twenty-nine towns and their villages.

³³ The tribe of Judah got these towns in the ·western foothills [lowlands]: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (also called Gederothaim). There were fourteen towns and their villages.

³⁷ Judah was also given Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. There were sixteen towns and their villages.

⁴² Judah was also given Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah. There were nine towns and their villages.

⁴⁵ Judah was also given Ekron and all the small towns and villages near it; ⁴⁶ the area west of Ekron and all the villages and small towns near Ashdod; ⁴⁷ Ashdod and the small towns and villages around it; the villages and small towns around Gaza as far as the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt and along the coast of the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea.

⁴⁸ Judah was also given these towns in the ·mountains [hill country]: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (also called Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. There were eleven towns and their villages.

⁵² They were also given Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), and Zior. There were nine towns and their villages.

⁵⁵ Judah was also given Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. There were ten towns and their villages.

⁵⁸ They were also given Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. There were six towns and their villages.

⁶⁰ They were also given the two towns of Rabbah and Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim) and their villages.

⁶¹ Judah was given these towns in the ·desert [wilderness]: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, ⁶² Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. There were six towns and all their villages.

⁶³ The ·army [people; ^Lsons] of Judah was not able to ·force [drive] out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites still live among the people of Judah to this day.

Land for Ephraim and Manasseh

16 This is the ·land [allotment] the ·tribe [^Lsons; descendants] of Joseph received. It started at the Jordan River near Jericho and continued to the ·waters [springs] of Jericho, just east of the city. The border went up from Jericho to the ·mountains [hill country] of Bethel [^Clocated northwest of Jersusalem]. ² Then it continued from Bethel ·(also called Luz) [or to Luz] ·to [crossing over to] the Arkite border at Ataroth. ³ From there it went west to the ·border [^Lterritory] of the Japhletites and continued to the area of the Lower Beth Horon. Then it went to Gezer and ended at the sea.

⁴ So Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, received their ·land [inheritance].

⁵ This is the land that was given to the ·family groups [clans] of Ephraim: Their border [^Lof their inheritance] started at Ataroth Addar in the east, went to Upper Beth Horon, ⁶ and then to the sea. From Micmethath [^Lon the north] it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and ·continued eastward [or passing by it on the east] to Janoah. ⁷ Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah. It continued until it touched Jericho and stopped at the Jordan River. ⁸ The border went from Tappuah west to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook] and ended at the sea. This is all the ·land [inheritance] that was given to each ·family group [clan] in the tribe of the Ephraimites. ⁹ ·Many of the towns were actually within Manasseh’s borders, but the people of Ephraim got those towns and their villages [^L…and the cities set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages]. ¹⁰ The Ephraimites could not ·force the Canaanites to leave [drive out the Canaanites living in] Gezer, so the Canaanites still live among the Ephraimites today, but they became ·slaves [forced laborers] of the Ephraimites.

17 Then land was ·given [allotted] to the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s ·first son [firstborn; Gen. 41:51]. Manasseh’s ·first son [firstborn] was Makir [Gen. 50:23], the ·father of Gilead [or ancestor of the Gileadites]. ·Makir was a great soldier [or His descendants were great solders], so the lands of Gilead and Bashan were given to his family. ² ·Land [An allotment] was also given to the other ·family groups of Manasseh [^Lsons/descendants of Manasseh, by their clans]—[^Lthe sons/descendants of] Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were ·all the other sons [the male descendants] of Manasseh son of Joseph.

³ Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, who was the son of Gilead, who was the son of Makir, who was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad had no sons, but he had five daughters, named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴ They ·went to [presented themselves before] Eleazar the priest [14:1; 19:51; 21:1] and to Joshua son of Nun and all the leaders. They said, “The Lord told Moses to give us land ·like the men received [^Lamong/or along with our brothers; Num. 26:33; 27:1–7].” So ·Eleazar [or Joshua; ^Lhe] obeyed the Lord and gave the daughters ·some land [an inheritance], ·just like [or among] the brothers of their father. ⁵ So the tribe of Manasseh had ten sections of land ·west of the Jordan River and two more sections, [^Lin addition to] Gilead and Bashan [12:3–4], on the east side of the Jordan River. ⁶ The daughters of Manasseh received ·land just as the sons did [^Lan inheritance among/along with his sons]. Gilead was given to the rest of the ·families [sons; descendants] of Manasseh.

⁷ The ·lands [border] of Manasseh ·were in the area between Asher and [^Lran from Asher to] Micmethath, ·near [or east of] Shechem. The border went south to the ·En Tappuah area [^Linhabitants of En Tappuah], ⁸ which belonged to Manasseh, except for the town of Tappuah. It was along the border of Manasseh’s land and belonged to the ·sons [people; tribe] of Ephraim. ⁹ The border of Manasseh continued south to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook]. The cities in this area of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the ravine and went to the sea. ¹⁰ The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north belonged to Manasseh. The ·Mediterranean Sea [^Lsea] was the western border. The border touched Asher’s land on the north and Issachar’s land on the east.

¹¹ In the areas of Issachar and Asher, the people of Manasseh ·owned [included; had] these towns: Beth ·Shan [or Shean] and its small towns; Ibleam and its small towns; the people who lived in Dor and its small towns; the people in ·Naphoth Dor [or Dor, that is, Naphoth; ^LDor…the third is Naphoth] and its small towns; the people who lived in Taanach and its small towns; the people in Megiddo and its small towns. ¹² ·Manasseh [^LThe sons/descendants of Manasseh] was not able to defeat those cities, so the Canaanites ·continued [persisted; were determined] to live there. ¹³ When the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] grew strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, although they did not ·force them to leave the land [drive them out completely; Judg. 1:27–28].

¹⁴ The ·people from the tribes [sons/descendants] of Joseph said to Joshua, “You gave ·us [^Lme] only one ·area of land [^Lportion as an inheritance], but ·we are many [^LI am a great] people. Why did you give us only one part of all the land the Lord gave his people?”

¹⁵ And Joshua answered them, “If you have too many people, go up to the forest and ·make a place [clear out land] for yourselves to live there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaites. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is too small for you.”

¹⁶ The ·people [^Lsons/descendants] of Joseph said, “It is true. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is not enough for us, but the Canaanites who live in the valley have ·strong armies [^Liron chariots], both in Beth Shan and all the small towns in that area, and in the Valley of Jezreel.”

¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the ·people [^Lhouse] of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “There are many of you, and you have great power. You should be given more than one ·share of land [allotment]. ¹⁸ You also will have the ·mountain [hill] country. It is a forest, but you can ·cut down the trees and make it a good place to live [^Lclear it and possess its farthest border]. You will own all of it because you will ·force the Canaanites to leave the land [drive out the Canaanites] even though they have ·powerful weapons [^Liron chariots] and are strong.”

The Rest of the Land Divided

18 All of the Israelites [^Lthe whole congregation of the sons/^Tchildren of Israel] gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent [Ex. 33:7–11]. The land was now under their control. ² But there were still seven tribes of Israel that had not yet received their ·land [inheritance].

³ So Joshua said to the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel]: “·Why do you wait so long [^LHow long will you delay] to take your land? The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you. ⁴ Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to study the land. They will ·describe in writing [or make a map of] the land their tribe wants as its ·share [inheritance], and then they will come back to me. ⁵ They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will keep their land in the south, and the ·people [house] of Joseph will keep their land in the north. ⁶ You should ·describe [or map out] the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord our God. ⁷ But the Levites do not ·get any part of these lands [have an allotment among you], because ·they are priests, and their work is to serve [^Ltheir portion/inheritance is the priesthood of] the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh have received the ·land [inheritance] promised to them, which is east of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave it to them [Deut. 3:18–20].”

⁸ So the men who were chosen to map the land started out. Joshua told them, “Go and study the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me, and I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.” ⁹ So the men left and ·went into [passed through] the land. They ·described [mapped out] in a scroll each town in the seven parts of the land. Then they came back to Joshua, who was still at the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ There Joshua ·threw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord to ·choose [apportion] the lands that should be given to each tribe.

Land for Benjamin

¹¹ The first ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Benjamin. Each ·family group [clan] received some land between the land of Judah and the land of Joseph. This is the land chosen for Benjamin: ¹² The northern border started at the Jordan River and went along the northern ·edge [slope] of Jericho, and then it went west into the ·mountains [hill country]. That boundary continued ·until it was just east [^Lto the desert/wilderness] of Beth Aven. ¹³ From there it ·went [crossed] south to Luz (also called Bethel) and then down to Ataroth Addar, which is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

¹⁴ At the hill to the south of Beth Horon, the border turned and went south near the western side of the hill. It went to Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a town ·where people of Judah lived [^Lof the sons/descendants of Judah]. This was the western border.

¹⁵ The southern border started ·near [at the edge of] Kiriath Jearim and went west to the ·waters [spring] of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ Then ·it [^Lthe boundary] went down to the bottom of the hill, which was near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley just south of the Jebusite city to En Rogel. ¹⁷ There it turned north and went to En Shemesh. It continued to Geliloth ·near [opposite] the Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the ·great Stone [^LStone] of Bohan son of Reuben. ¹⁸ The border continued to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Arabah and went down into the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah]. ¹⁹ From there it went to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north shore of the ·Dead [^LSalt] Sea, ·where the Jordan River flows into the sea [^Lat the mouth of the Jordan in the south]. This was the southern border.

²⁰ The Jordan River was the border on the eastern side. So this was the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin with the borders on all sides.

²¹ The ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin received these cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, ²² Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve towns and all their villages.

²⁵ The tribe of Benjamin also received Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen towns and their villages. All these areas are the lands the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin were given.

Land for Simeon

19 The second ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Simeon. Each ·family group [clan] received some of the land ·inside the area [in the midst of the inheritance of the sons/descendants] of Judah. ² They received Beersheba (also called Sheba), Moladah, ³ Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, ⁶ Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen. There were thirteen towns and their villages.

⁷ They received the towns of Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, four towns and their villages. ⁸ They also received all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (this is the same as Ramah in ·southern Canaan [^Lthe Negev]). So ·these were the lands given to [this was the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Simeon. ⁹ The land of the Simeonites was taken from part of the land of Judah. Since Judah had much more land than they needed, the Simeonites received ·part of their land [^Ltheir inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance].

Land for Zebulun

¹⁰ The third ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Zebulun [^Cin southwestern Galilee, north of West Manasseh and east of the coastal tribe of Asher]. Each ·family group [clan] of Zebulun received some of the land. The border of Zebulun went as far as Sarid. ¹¹ Then it went west to Maralah and ·came near [touched] Dabbesheth and then ·near [^Lthe brook/valley in front of/east of] Jokneam. ¹² Then it turned ·to the east [^Leastward toward the sunrise]. It went from Sarid to the area of Kisloth Tabor and on to Daberath and ·to [^Lup to] Japhia. ¹³ It continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin, ending at Rimmon. There the border turned and went toward Neah. ¹⁴ At Neah it turned again and went to the north to Hannathon and continued to the Valley of Iphtah El. ¹⁵ Inside this border were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.

¹⁶ So these are the towns and the villages that were given to the ·family groups [clans] of Zebulun.

Land for Issachar

¹⁷ The fourth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Issachar [^Cin southern Galilee, southeast of Zebulun and north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Issachar received some of the land. ¹⁸ Their land included Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.

²² The border of their land touched the area called Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh and stopped at the Jordan River. There were sixteen towns and their villages.

²³ These cities and towns were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Issachar.

Land for Asher

²⁴ The fifth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Asher [^Calong the Mediterranean coast north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Asher received some of the land. ²⁵ Their land included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, ²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal.

The western border touched Mount Carmel and Shihor Libnath. ²⁷ Then it turned east and went to Beth Dagon, touching Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. Then it went north of Beth Emek and Neiel and passed north to Cabul. ²⁸ From there it went to Abdon,^[a] Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah and continued to Greater Sidon. ²⁹ Then the border went back south toward Ramah and continued to the ·strong, walled [fortified] city of Tyre. There it turned and went toward Hosah, ending at the sea. This was in the area of Aczib, ³⁰ Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.

³¹ These cities and their villages were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [^Lthe sons/descendants of] Asher.

Land for Naphtali

³² The sixth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [^Lsons; descendants] of Naphtali [^Ceast and north of the Sea of Galilee]. Each ·family group [clan] of Naphtali received some of the land. ³³ The border of their land started at the ·large tree [^Loak] in Zaanannim, ·which is near [or in] Heleph. Then it went through Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan River. ³⁴ Then it went to the west through Aznoth Tabor and ·stopped at [extended to] Hukkok. It ·went to the area of [touched] Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah, at the Jordan River, on the east. ³⁵ The ·strong, walled [fortified] cities inside these borders were called Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, ³⁸ ·Iron [or Yirom], Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and all their villages.

³⁹ The towns and the villages around them were ·in the land that was given to [the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [^Lthe sons/descendants of] Naphtali.

Land for Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [^Lsons; descendants] of Dan [^Lbetween Ephraim and Judah along the Mediterranean coast]. Each ·family group [clan] of Dan received some of the land. ⁴¹ ·Their land [^LThe territory of their inheritance] included 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, and the area ·near [or opposite] Joppa.

⁴⁷ (·But the Danites had trouble taking their land [^LWhen the territory of the sons/descendants of Dan was lost to them…]. They went and fought against Leshem [or Laish; ^Cin the far north between Naphtali and West Manasseh], defeated it, and ·killed the people who lived there [^Lstruck it with the edge of the sword]. So the Danites ·moved into [^Ltook possession and settled in] the town of Leshem and changed its name to Dan, because he was the father of their tribe.) ⁴⁸ All of these towns and villages were given to the ·family groups [clans] of Dan.

Land for Joshua

⁴⁹ After ·the leaders [^Lthey] finished dividing the land and giving it to the different tribes, the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] gave Joshua son of Nun ·his land [an inheritance] also. ⁵⁰ They gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, just as the Lord commanded. He built up the town and lived there.

⁵¹ So these ·lands [inheritances] were given to the different tribes of Israel. Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [^Lheads of the fathers] of each tribe divided up the land by lots at Shiloh. They met in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent [18:1]. Now they were finished dividing the land.

Cities of Safety

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] to ·choose [designate] the special cities of ·safety [refuge], as I had Moses command you to do [Num. 35:1–8]. ³ If a person kills someone accidentally and without meaning to kill him, that person may go to a city of ·safety [refuge] to hide. There the killer will be safe from the ·relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; ^Lavenger of blood].

⁴ “When the killer ·runs [flees] to one of those cities, he must stop at the entrance ·gate [^Lof the city gate], stand there, and tell the ·leaders of the people [^Lelders of that city] what happened [^Cthe council of leaders met at the city gate and held trials there; Deut. 21:19; Ruth 4:1]. Then that person will be allowed to enter the city and will be given a place to live among them. ⁵ But if the ·one who is chasing him [near-relative; ^Lavenger of blood] follows him to that city, ·the leaders of the city [^Lthey] must not hand over the ·killer [manslayer]. It was an accident. He did not hate him beforehand or kill him on purpose. ⁶ ·The killer [^LHe] must stay in the city until ·a court comes to a decision [^Lhe stands before the congregation for judgment] and until the high priest dies [Num. 35:25–28; ^Cthe high priest’s death may have marked a general amnesty]. Then he may go back home to the town from which he ran away.”

⁷ So the Israelites chose these cities to be cities of ·safety [refuge]: Kedesh in Galilee in the ·mountains [hill country] of Naphtali; Shechem in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah; ⁸ Bezer ·on the east side of the Jordan River near [^Lbeyond the Jordan east of] Jericho in the ·desert [wilderness plain] in the land of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead in the land of Gad; and Golan in Bashan in the land of Manasseh. ⁹ Any Israelite or ·anyone living among them [resident alien; sojourner] who killed someone accidentally was to be allowed to run to one of these cities of ·safety [refuge]. There he would not be killed, before he ·was judged [^Lstood before the congregation], by the ·relative who had the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; ^Lavenger of blood].

Towns for the Levites

21 The heads of the ·Levite families [^Lfathers of the Levites] went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the ·families [fathers] of all the tribes of Israel. ² At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said to them, “The Lord commanded Moses that you give us towns where we may live and pastures for our animals.” ³ So the Israelites obeyed this command of the Lord and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures ·for their own land [^Lfrom their own inheritance/possessions]: ⁴ The Kohath ·family groups [clans] were part of the tribe of Levi [^Cthe three sons of Levi were Kohath, Gershom, and Merari; Ex. 6:16; Num. 3:17]. Some of the Levites in the Kohath ·family groups [clans] were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were ·given [allotted; given by lot] thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The ·other family groups [^Lrest of the sons/descendants] of Kohath were given ten towns in the areas of Ephraim, Dan, and ·West [^Lthe half-tribe of] Manasseh.

⁶ The ·people from the Gershon family groups [^Lsons/descendants of Gershom] were given thirteen towns ·in the land [^Lfrom the clans of the tribe] of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the East Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷ The ·family groups [^Lclans of the sons/descendants] of Merari were given twelve towns in the areas of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸ So the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] gave the Levites these towns and the pastures around them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁹ These are the names of the towns that came from the ·lands [^Ltribe of the sons/descendants] of Judah and Simeon. ¹⁰ The first ·choice of towns [^Llot] was given to the Kohath ·family groups [clans] of the Levites. ¹¹ They gave them Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, and all its pastures in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹² But the fields and the villages around Kiriath Arba had been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh [^Las his possession].

¹³ So they gave the city of Hebron to the descendants of Aaron (Hebron was a city of ·safety [^Lrefuge for the killer/manslayer]). They also gave them the towns of Libnah, ¹⁴ Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵ Holon, Debir, ¹⁶ Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, and all the pastures around them. Nine towns were given from these two tribes.

¹⁷ ·They also gave the people of Aaron these cities that belonged to [^LAnd from] the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸ Anathoth, and Almon. They gave them these four towns and the pastures around them.

¹⁹ So these thirteen towns with their pastures were given to the priests, who were from the ·family [^Lsons; descendants] of Aaron.

²⁰ The other Kohathite ·family groups [clans] of the Levites were ·given [allotted] these towns from the tribe of Ephraim: ²¹ Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim (which was a city of ·safety [^Lrefuge for the killer/manslayer]), Gezer, ²² Kibzaim, and Beth Horon. There were four towns and their pastures.

²³ The tribe of Dan gave them Eltekeh, Gibbethon, ²⁴ Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. There were four towns and their pastures.

²⁵ ·West [^LThe half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon and the pastures around these two towns.

²⁶ So these ten towns and the pastures around them were given to the rest of the Kohathite ·family groups [clans].

²⁷ The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] of the Levite tribe were given these towns: ·East [^LThe half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Golan in Bashan, which was a city of ·safety [^Lrefuge for the killer/manslayer], and Be Eshtarah, and the pastures around these two towns.

²⁸ The tribe of Issachar gave them Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹ Jarmuth, and En Gannim, and the pastures around these four towns.

³⁰ The tribe of Asher gave them Mishal, Abdon, ³¹ Helkath, and Rehob, and the pastures around these four towns.

³² The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee (a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, and the pastures around these three towns.

³³ So the Gershonite ·family groups [clans] received thirteen towns and the pastures around them.

³⁴ The Merarite ·family groups [clans] (the rest of the Levites) were given these towns: The tribe of Zebulun gave them Jokneam, Kartah, ³⁵ Dimnah, and Nahalal, and the pastures around these four towns.

³⁶ The tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷ Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the pastures around these four towns.

³⁸ The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead (a city of ·safety [^Lrefuge for the killer/manslayer]), Mahanaim, ³⁹ Heshbon, and Jazer, and the pastures around these four towns.

⁴⁰ So the total number of towns given to the Merarite ·family groups [clans] was twelve.

⁴¹ A total of forty-eight towns with their pastures in the ·land [^Lmidst of the possession of the sons/^Tchildren of Israel] of Israel were given to the Levites. ⁴² Each town had pastures around it [^Lthis was true of all the cities].

⁴³ So the Lord gave ·the people [^LIsrael] all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them ·peace [rest] on all sides, as he had ·promised [sworn to] their ancestors. None of their enemies ·defeated [could resist] them; the Lord handed all their enemies ·over to them [^Linto their hands]. ⁴⁵ He kept every promise he had made to the Israelites; each one came true.

Three Tribes Go Home

22 Then Joshua called a meeting of the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [^Lhalf-tribe of] Manasseh. ² He said to them, “You have done everything Moses, the Lord’s servant, told you to do. You have also obeyed ·all my commands [^Lmy voice in all I commanded you]. ³ For a long time you have ·supported [^Lnot abandoned/forsaken] the other Israelites. You have been careful to ·obey the commands [or carry out the task] the Lord your God gave you [Deut. 3:18–20]. ⁴ The Lord your God promised to give the Israelites ·peace [rest], and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you, ·on the east side of [^Lbeyond] the Jordan River. ⁵ But be careful to obey the ·teachings [commandment] and laws Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you: to love the Lord your God and ·obey his commands [^Lwalk in his paths], to ·continue to follow [^Lhold fast to] him and serve him ·the very best you can [^Lwith all your heart and with all your soul].”

⁶ Then Joshua ·said good-bye to [blessed] them, and ·they left and [^Lsent them away and they] went away to their ·homes [^Ltents]. ⁷ Moses had given the land of Bashan to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan River to ·West Manasseh [^Lthe other half]. And he sent them to their homes and he blessed them. ⁸ He said, “Go back to your homes with your riches. You have many animals, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and many beautiful clothes. Divide among ·yourselves [^Lyour brothers] the ·things [plunder] you have taken from your enemies.

⁹ So the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh left the other ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] at Shiloh in Canaan and went back to Gilead. It was their own land, given to them by Moses as the Lord had commanded.

¹⁰ The people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a ·beautiful [or imposing; impressive] altar. ¹¹ The ·other Israelites still at Shiloh [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] heard about the altar these three tribes built at the border of Canaan at Geliloth, near the Jordan River on Israel’s side. ¹² All the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] became very angry at these three tribes, so ·they [^Lthe whole assembly/congregation] met together and decided to ·fight [wage war against] them [^Cbecause they considered this idolatry; Deut. 13:12–18].

¹³ The ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. ¹⁴ They also sent ·one leader [^Lten leaders, one] from each of the ten tribes at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader ·of his family group [among the clans] of Israelites.

¹⁵ These leaders went to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [^Lthe half-tribe of] Manasseh. They said: ¹⁶ “·All the Israelites [^LThe whole assembly/congregation of the Lord] ask you: ‘Why did you ·turn against [break faith by turning away from] the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is ·against God’s law [^Lrebellion this day against the Lord]. ¹⁷ ·Remember what happened at Peor [^LWasn’t the sin of Peor enough; Num. 24]? We still ·suffer today [^Lhave not cleansed/purified ourselves] because of that sin, for which ·God made many Israelites very sick [^La plague came against the congregation/assembly of the Lord]. ¹⁸ And now are you turning against the Lord and refusing to follow him?

“‘If you ·don’t stop what you’re doing [^Lrebel against the Lord] today, the Lord will be angry with ·everyone in Israel [the whole congregation/assembly] tomorrow. ¹⁹ If your land is ·unclean [^Cin a ritual sense], come over into our land where the Lord’s ·Tent [^TTabernacle] is. Share it with us. But don’t ·turn [rebel] against the Lord and us by building another altar for the Lord our God. ²⁰ ·Remember how [^LIs it not true that…?] Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about ·what must be completely destroyed [^Lthe devoted things; 7:1–26]. That one man broke God’s law, but ·all the Israelites [^Lthe whole assembly/congregation] were punished. ·Achan died because of his sin, but others also died [^LAnd he did not die alone for his sin].’”

²¹ The people from Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh answered [^Lthe heads of the clans of Israel], ²² “·The Lord is God of gods! [or El, God, the Lord] ·The Lord is God of gods [or El, God, the Lord]! God knows, and we want you to know also. If we have ·done something wrong [^Lrebelled or broken faith with the Lord], ·you may kill us [^Ldo not spare us today]. ²³ If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings [1:1–17] or ·grain [^Lgift; tribute; Lev. 2:1] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1], may the Lord himself punish us.

²⁴ “We did not build it for that reason. We feared that someday your people would not accept us as part of your nation. Then they might say, ‘·You cannot worship [^LWhat do you have to do with…?] the Lord, the God of Israel. ²⁵ The Lord made the Jordan River a border between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You ·cannot worship [^Lhave no share/portion in] the Lord.’ So we feared that your children might make our ·children [descendants] stop ·worshiping [^Lfearing] the Lord.

²⁶ “That is why we decided to build this altar. But it is not for burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices. ²⁷ This altar is ·proof to [witness between] you and us and to all our ·children [generations] who will come after us that we ·worship the Lord [^Ldo the service of the Lord before him] with our whole burnt offerings, grain, and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings. This was so your ·children [descendants] would not say to our ·children [descendants], ‘You ·are not the Lord’s [^Lhave no share/portion in the Lord].’

²⁸ “In the future if ·your children [^Lthey] say that to us or our ·children [generations], we can say, ‘See the altar made by our ancestors. It is ·exactly like [a copy/model of] the Lord’s altar, but we do not use it for burnt offerings or sacrifices. It ·shows that we are part of Israel [^Lis a witness between us and you].’

²⁹ “·Truly, we don’t want to be [^LFar be it from us to rebel] against the Lord or to ·stop following [turn away from] him by building an altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], grain [^Lgift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1], or sacrifices. We know the only true altar to the Lord our God is in front of the ·Holy Tent [^TTabernacle].”

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the ·ten leaders [^Lleaders of the congregation, the heads of the clans of the families of Israel,] heard the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, they were ·pleased [satisfied]. ³¹ So Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “·Now [^LToday] we know the Lord is ·with us [^Lin our midst] ·and that you didn’t turn against [or because you have not broken faith with] him. Now ·the Israelites will not be punished by [^Lyou have rescued the Israelites from the hand of] the Lord.”

³² Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and went back to Canaan where they told the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] what had happened. ³³ They were ·pleased [satisfied] and thanked God. So they ·decided not to fight [^Ltalked no more about going to war against] the people of Reuben and Gad and destroy those lands.

³⁴ And the people of Reuben and Gad named the altar ·Proof That We Believe the Lord Is God [^LA Witness Between Us—That the Lord Is God; or Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God”].

The Last Words of Joshua

23 The Lord gave Israel ·peace [rest] from their enemies around them. Many years passed, and Joshua grew very old. ² He called a meeting of ·all [^Lall Israel:] the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, “I am now very old. ³ You have seen what the Lord has done to ·our enemies [^Lthese nations] to help us. The Lord your God fought for you. ⁴ ·Remember that [See; ^TBehold] ·your people have been given their [^LI have alloted to you the] land between the Jordan River and the ·Mediterranean [^LGreat] Sea in the west, the land I promised to give you. ⁵ The Lord your God will ·force [drive] out the people living there. The Lord will push them out ahead of you. And you will ·own the [occupy/possess their] land, as he has promised you.

⁶ “Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything ·commanded [^Lthat is written] in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of Moses. Do not ·stray [^Lturn aside] from it either from the left or the right. ⁷ Don’t ·become friends [associate; mix] with ·the people living among us who are not Israelites [^Lthese nations remaining among you]. Don’t ·say [mention; or invoke] the names of their gods or make anyone swear by them. Don’t serve or ·worship [bow down before] them. ⁸ You must ·continue to follow [^Lhold fast to; cling to] the Lord your God, as you have done ·in the past [^Lto this day].

⁹ “The Lord has ·forced to leave [driven out] many great and powerful nations. No nation has been able to ·defeat [resist; stand before] you [^Lto this day]. ¹⁰ With his help, one Israelite ·could defeat [routs] a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised to do. ¹¹ So you must be careful to love the Lord your God.

¹² “[^LBut] If you turn away from the way of the Lord and ·become friends with [ally yourselves with; cling to] ·these people who are not part of Israel [the remnant of these nations who remain among you] and marry them, ¹³ the Lord your God will not ·help you defeat [drive out] your enemies. They will be like ·traps [^La snare and a trap] for you, like whips on your back and thorns in your eyes, ·and none of you will be left in [^Luntil you perish from] this good land the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “·It’s almost time for me to die [^LLook, today I am going the way of all the earth]. You know ·and fully believe [^Lin your hearts and souls] that the Lord has not failed to keep a single one of the good promises he made. He has fulfilled every one of them. Not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true, and in the same way, his other promises will come true. He promised that evil will come to you and that he will destroy you from this good land that he gave you. ¹⁶ This will happen if you don’t keep your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord your God. If you go and serve other gods and ·worship [bow down before] them, the ·Lord will become very angry with you [^Langer of the Lord will burn against you]. Then ·none of you will be left in [^Lyou will quickly perish from] this good land he has given you.”

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to ·stand [present themselves] before God.

² Then Joshua said to all the people, “Here’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you: ‘A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods. ³ But I, the Lord, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:4–8]. And I ·gave him many children, including [or multiplied his descendants, beginning with] his son Isaac [Gen. 21]. ⁴ I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau [Gen. 25]. I gave the land around the ·mountains [hill country] of ·Edom [^CHebrew: Seir] to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt [Gen. 46]. ⁵ Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I ·brought many disasters on the Egyptians [^Lplagued Egypt by what I did in their midst; Ex. 1–11]. Afterwards I brought you out [Ex. 12]. ⁶ When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the ·Red Sea [^LSea], and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses. ⁷ So the people called out to the Lord. And ·I [^Lhe] brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them [Ex. 13–15]. ·You yourselves [^LYour eyes] saw what I did ·to the army of [^Lin] Egypt. After that, you lived in the ·desert [wilderness] for a long time.

⁸ “‘Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took ·control [possession] of that land [Num. 21; Deut. 2–3]. ⁹ But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, ·prepared to fight [^Larose and fought] against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you [Num. 22–24], ¹⁰ but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he ·asked for good things to happen to you [^Lkept blessing you]! I ·saved you and brought you out of his power [^Ldelivered you out of his hand].

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the ·people [or leaders] of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I ·handed them over to you [^Lgave them into your hand]. ¹² I sent ·terror [or the hornet; ^Cthe meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain] ahead of you to ·force [drive] out two Amorite kings [2:10; Num. 21:21–35]. ·You took the land without using swords and bows [^LIt was not by your sword or by your bow]. ¹³ I gave you that land where you had not worked. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.’”

¹⁴ Then Joshua said to the people, “Now ·respect [fear; be in awe of] the Lord and serve him ·fully [faithfully; in truth] and sincerely. ·Throw [Put] away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [^LRiver] and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if ·you don’t want [^Lit is undesirable/evil in your eyes] to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [^LRiver], or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my ·family [^Lhouse], we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “·We will never stop following [^LFar be it from us to forsake] the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God who brought ·our [^Lus and our] ancestors out of Egypt. ·We were slaves in that land, but […^Lout of the house of slavery, and] the Lord did great ·things [^Lsigns] for us there. He brought us out and ·protected [preserved] us while we traveled through other lands. ¹⁸ Then he ·forced [drove] out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

¹⁹ Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God [Lev. 19:2] and a jealous God [Ex. 20:5]. If you ·turn against him [rebel] and sin, he will not forgive you. ²⁰ If you ·leave [forsake; abandon] the Lord and serve ·other [foreign] gods, he will ·send you great trouble [bring disaster on you]. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will ·destroy [consume] you.”

²¹ But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

²² Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

The people said, “Yes, we are.”

²³ Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the [^Lforeign] gods that ·you have [are in your midst]. ·Love the Lord, the God of Israel, with all your heart [^LBend your heart toward the Lord, the God of Israel].”

²⁴ Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.”

²⁵ On that day at Shechem Joshua made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] for the people. He made ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·laws [regulations] for them to follow. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [sanctuary; shrine; holy place].

²⁷ Joshua said to all the people, “·See [^TBehold] this stone! It will ·remind you of what we did today [^Lbe a witness against you]. ·It was here the Lord spoke to us today [^LIt has heard all the words the Lord said to us]. It will ·remind you of what happened so you will not [be a witness against you, lest you] ·turn against [are untrue to; deal falsely with] your God.”

Joshua Dies

²⁸ Then Joshua sent the people back ·to their land [^Leach to their own inheritance].

²⁹ After that, Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. ³⁰ They buried him in ·his own land [^Lthe land of his inheritance] at Timnath Serah, in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

³¹ The Israelites served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua who had ·seen [experienced; known] what the Lord had done for Israel.

Joseph Comes Home

³² When the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them [Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19; Heb. 11:22]. They buried them at Shechem, in the ·land [piece of ground] Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem) [Gen. 33:19]. This land ·now belonged to [became the inheritance of] Joseph’s children.

³³ And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, which had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.