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.

The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The land was subdued before them.

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

Seven tribes remained among the children of Israel, which had not yet divided their inheritance.

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?

Joshua said to the children of Israel, "How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, 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 for you three men of each tribe. I will send them, and they shall arise, walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come to me.

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.

They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall live in his borders on the south, and the house of Joseph shall live in their borders on the north.

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.

You shall survey the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah 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 Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave 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.”

The men arose and went. Joshua commanded those who went to survey the land, saying, "Go walk through the land, survey it, and come again to me. I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiloh."

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.

The men went and passed through the land, and surveyed it by cities into seven portions on a scroll. They came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

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

Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah. There Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.

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.

The lot of the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin came up according to their families. The border of their lot went out between the descendants of Judah and the descendants 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.

Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.

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.

The border passed along from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel), southward. The border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies on the south of Lower Beth Horon.

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.

The border extended, and turned around on the west quarter southward, from the mountain that lies before Beth Horon southward; and ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west quarter.

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.

The south quarter was from the farthest part of Kiriath Jearim. The border went out westward, and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.

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,

The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusites southward, and went down to En Rogel.

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

It extended northward, went out at En Shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim. It went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

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 it passed on to the north to the shoulder of Beth Arabah, and went down to the Arabah.

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,

The border passed along to the side of Beth Hoglah northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border.

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.

The Jordan was its border on the east quarter. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin, by the borders around it, according to their families.

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

Now the cities of the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth Hoglah, and Emek Keziz,

22 Beth-arabah and Zemaraim and Bethel,

and Beth Arabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23 and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah,

and Avvim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

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

and Chephar Ammoni, and Ophni, and Geba; twelve cities with their villages.

25 Gibeon and Ramah and Beeroth,

Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

26 and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah,

and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

27 and Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah,

and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

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 Zelah, Haeleph, and Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), and Gibeath, and Kiriath Jearim; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin according to their families.