Joshua 18

1 Then the whole assembly of the people of Israel met together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there and they conquered the land before 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 There were still seven tribes among the people of Israel whose inheritance had not been assigned.

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

3 Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going into the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given 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 Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will set out and survey the land up and down. They will write out a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then they will come back 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 will divide it into seven sections. Judah will remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph will continue in their territory 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 You will describe the land in seven sections and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh 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 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance, beyond Jordan. This is the inheritance that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave 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 So the men got up and went. Joshua commanded those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description of it and return to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh at 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 The men left and walked up and down in the land and wrote a description of it in a scroll by its cities in seven sections, listing the cities in each section. Then they returned to Joshua in 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 Then Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before Yahweh. It was there that Joshua assigned the land to the people of Israel, and to each was given his portion of the land.

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

11 The assignment of land for the tribe of Benjamin clan by clan. The territory of their assigned land was located between the descendants of Judah and the descendants 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 On the north side, their border began at the Jordan. The border went up to the ridge north of Jericho, and then up through the hill country westward. There it reached 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 From there the border passed along south in the direction of Luz (the same place as Bethel). Then the border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies south of 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 The boundary then went in another direction: On the western side it turned toward the south, heading toward the mountain across from Beth Horon. This boundary ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city that belonged to the tribe of Judah. This formed the border on the western side.

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 south side began just outside of Kiriath Jearim. The border went from there to Ephron, to the spring 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 The boundary then went down to the border of the mountain which was opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which was at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It then went down to the Valley of Hinnom, south of the slope of the Jebusites, and continued down to 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 It turned northward, going in the direction of En Shemesh, and from there it went out to Geliloth, which was opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

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

18 It passed on to the north of the shoulder of Beth Arabah and down to the Arabah.

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 The border passed on to the north shoulder of Beth Hoglah. The border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the boundary on the south.

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 Jordan formed its border on the eastern side. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, and it was given clan by clan, border after border, all around.

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 Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had these cities: 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. There were twelve cities, including their villages.

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

25 There were also the cities of 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 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (the same as Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen cities, including their villages. This was the inheritance of Benjamin for their clans.

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.