Joshua 18

1 And all the sons of Israel gathered together at Shiloh, and there they stationed the Tabernacle of the Testimony. And the land was subjected to them.

And all the congregation of the children of Israel were assembled at Selo, and there they pitched the tabernacle of witness; and the land was subdued by them.

2 But there remained seven tribes of the sons of Israel which had not yet received their possessions.

And the sons of Israel remained, [even] those who [had] not received their inheritance, seven tribes.

3 And Joshua said to them: “For how long will you draw back in idleness, and not enter to possess the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given to you?

And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, How long will you be slack to inherit the land, which the Lord our God has given you?

4 Select three men from each tribe, so that I may send them, and they may go forth and circle through the land, and may describe it according to the number of each multitude, and may bring back to me what they have written down.

Appoint of yourselves three men of each tribe, and let them rise up and go through the land, and let them describe it before me, as it will be proper to divide it.

5 Divide the land for yourselves into seven parts. Let Judah be its bounds on the southern side, and the house of Joseph to the north.

And they came to him: and he divided to them seven portions, [saying], Juda shall stand to them a border southward, and the sons of Joseph shall stand to them northward.

6 The land that is in the middle, between these, write it down in seven parts. And you shall come to me, so that I may cast lots for you about this, before the Lord your God.

And do you divide the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, and I will give you a lot before the Lord our God.

7 But there is no portion among you for the Levites. Instead, the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad and Reuben, and the one half tribe of Manasseh, have already received their possessions beyond the Jordan in the eastern region, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave to them.”

For the sons of Levi have no part amongst you; for the priesthood of the Lord [is] his portion; and Gad, and Ruben, and the half tribe of Manasse, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave to them.

8 And when the men had risen up, so that they might go out to describe the land, Joshua instructed them, saying, “Circle through the land, and describe it, and return to me, so that I may cast lots for you about this, before the Lord, in Shiloh.”

And the men rose up and went; and Joshua charged the men who went to explore the land, saying, Go and explore the land, and come to me, and I will bring you forth a lot here before the Lord in Selo.

9 And so they went out. And surveying it, they divided it into seven parts, writing it in a book. And they returned to Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh.

And they went, and explored the land: and they viewed it, and described it according to the cities, seven parts in a book, and brought [the book] to Joshua.

10 And he cast lots before the Lord, at Shiloh, and he divided the land to the sons of Israel, in seven parts.

And Joshua cast the lot for them in Selo before the Lord.

11 And the first lot went to the sons of Benjamin, by their families, so that they would possess the land between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

And the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came forth first according to their families: and the borders of their lot came forth between the children of Juda and the children of Joseph.

12 And their border toward the north was from the Jordan, continuing on, near the side of Jericho in the northern region, and from there, ascending toward the west to the mountains, and extending to the wilderness of Bethaven.

And their borders were northward: the borders shall go up from Jordan behind Jericho northward, and shall go up to the mountain westward, and the issue of it shall be Baethon of Mabdara.

13 And it continues to the south beside Luz, which is Bethel. And it descends into Ataroth-addar, at the mountain which is to the south of lower Beth-horon.

And the borders will go forth thence to Luz, behind Luz, from the south of it; this is Baethel: and the borders shall go down to Maatarob Orech, to the hill country, which is southward of Baethoron the lower.

14 And it turns aside, circling toward the sea, to the south of the mountain which looks out toward Beth-horon, toward the southwest. And its exits are toward Kiriath-baal, which is also called Kiriath-jearim, a city of the sons of Judah. This is their region, toward the sea, in the west.

And the borders shall pass through and proceed to the part that looks towards the sea, on the south, from the mountain in front of Baethoron southward, and its termination shall be at Cariath-Baal, this is Cariath-Jarin, a city of the children of Juda; this is the part towards the west.

15 But to the south, the border goes on from the part of Kiriath-jearim toward the sea, and it continues as far as the Fountain of the waters of Nephtoah.

And the south side on the part of Cariath-Baal; and the borders shall go across to Gasin, to the fountain of the water of Naphtho.

16 And it descends to that part of the mountain which looks out toward the Valley of the sons of Hinnom. And it is opposite the northern region, in the furthest part of the Valley of the Rephaim. And it descends into Geennom, (that is, the Valley of Hinnom, ) near the side of the Jebusite toward the south. And it extends to the Fountain of Rogel,

And the borders shall extend down on one side, this is in front of the forest of Sonnam, which is on the side of Emec Raphain northward, and it shall come down to Gaeenna behind Jebusai southward: it shall come down to the fountain of Rogel.

17 crossing from there to the north, and going out to En-Shemesh, that is, to the Fountain of the Sun.

And [the borders] shall go across to the fountain of Baethsamys:

18 And it passes through to the hills that are opposite the region of the Ascent of Adummim. And it descends to Abenboen, that is, so the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. And it continues on, at the northern side, to the plains. And it descends into the flatlands.

and shall proceed to Galiloth, which is in front by the going up of Aethamin; and they shall come down to the stone of Baeon of the sons of Ruben; and shall pass over behind Baetharaba northward, and shall go down to the borders behind the sea northward.

19 And it advances before Beth-hoglah, to the north. And its exits are to the north, opposite the bay of the very salty sea, in the southern region at the end of the Jordan,

And the termination of the borders shall be at the creek of the salt sea northward to the side of Jordan southward: these are their southern borders.

20 which is its border to the east. This is the possession of the sons of Benjamin, with their borders all around, and by their families.

And Jordan shall be their boundary on the east: this [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, these [are] their borders round about according to their families.

21 And their cities were: Jericho and Beth-hoglah and the Abrupt Valley,

And the cities of the children of Benjamin according to their families [were] Jericho, and Bethagaeo, and the Amecasis,

22 Beth-arabah and Zemaraim and Bethel,

and Baethabara, and Sara, and Besana,

23 and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah,

and Aeein, and Phara, and Ephratha,

24 the town of Ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities, and their villages;

and Carapha, and Cephira, and Moni, and Gabaa, twelve cities and their villages:

25 Gibeon and Ramah and Beeroth,

Gabaon, and Rama, and Beerotha;

26 and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah,

and Massema, and Miron, and Amoke;

27 and Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah,

and Phira, and Caphan, and Nacan, and Selecan, and Thareela,

28 and Zela, Haeleph, and Jebus, which is Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath: fourteen cities, and their villages. This is the possession of the sons of Benjamin, according to their families.

and Jebus (this is Jerusalem); and Gabaoth, Jarim, thirteen cities, and their villages; this [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.