Joshua 18

1 The land had been subdued and lay before them. The Israelites gathered together at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting.

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 However, seven of the Israelite tribes had not received their land allocations.

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

3 So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you go on being reluctant to go and take possession of the land that the Lord gave your forefathers?

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 Choose three men from each tribe and I will send them out to explore the land. Then they can write a description regarding the land allocations and bring it to me.

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 They are to divide the land into seven parts, up to the boundary of Judah's land in the south and Joseph's land in 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 Once you have written the description the land, dividing it in seven parts, you will bring it to me here and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our 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 the Levites do not receive a share, for their role as priests of the Lord is their allocation. Also, Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allocation that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan.”

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 As the men started out on their way to explore the land. Joshua told them, “Go throughout the land and write a description of what you find. Then return to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord here 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 So the men went and explored the land and wrote down on a scroll a description of the seven parts, recording the towns in each part. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp in 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 where Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the Lord. There Joshua divided the land up and allotted the different parts to the remaining Israelite tribes.

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

11 The first lot cast went to the tribe of Benjamin, by families. The land allotted lay between that of the tribe of Judah and the tribe 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 Their boundary began at the Jordan, and went north of the slope of Jericho, west through the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

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 Then the boundary went south to Luz (or Bethel) and on down to Ataroth-addar on the mountain 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 Here the boundary turned south along the western side of the mountain facing Beth-horon, finishing at Kiriath-baal (or Kiriath-jearim), a town of the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.

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 The southern boundary began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim. It ran to the spring at 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 then down to the foot of the mountain that faces the valley of Ben-hinnom, at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. Then it went down the valley of Hinnom, along the slope near the Jebusite town, south towards En-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 From there it headed north to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, opposite the heights of Adummim, and then on down to the Stone of Bohan (Reuben's son).

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

18 Then it went along the ridge opposite the Jordan Valley to the north, and then down into the Jordan Valley itself.

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 From there it ran along the north slope of Beth-hoglah, ending at the north bay of the Salt Sea, the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

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 The eastern boundary was the Jordan. These were the boundaries around the land of the tribe of Benjamin, by 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 These were the towns of the tribe of Benjamin, according to families: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

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

22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

and Baethabara, and Sara, and Besana,

23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

and Aeein, and Phara, and Ephratha,

24 Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their associated villages.

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

25 In addition: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Gabaon, and Rama, and Beerotha;

26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,

and Massema, and Miron, and Amoke;

27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

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

28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen towns with their associated villages. This was the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, by 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.