Joshua 18

Land Distribution at Shiloh

1The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh # Jos 19:51; Jdg 18:31; 1Sm 1:9; 3:3 where it set up the tent of meeting there; the land had been subdued by them. 2Seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance. 3So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, gave you? # Jdg 18:9 4Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go and survey the land, write a description of it for the purpose of their inheritance, and return to me. 5Then they are to divide it into seven portions. Judah is to remain in its territory in the south and Joseph’s family in their # = the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh territory in the north. # Jos 15:1 6When you have written a description of the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots # 1Ch 24:31; 25:8; 26:13,14; Neh 10:34; 11:1; Ps 22:18; Jnh 1:7 for you here in the presence of the Lord our God. # Jos 14:2 7But the Levites among you do not get a portion, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the Lord. # Jos 13:33 Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave them.”

8As the men prepared to go, Joshua commanded them # Lit the ones going around to write down a description of the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, write a description of it, and return to me. I will then cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.” 9So the men left, went through the land, and described it by towns in a document of seven sections. They returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 10Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.

Benjamin’s Inheritance

11The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants by their clans, and their allotted territory lay between Judah’s descendants and Joseph’s descendants.

12Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven. # Jos 16:1 13From there the border went toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); it then went down by Ataroth-addar, over the hill south of Lower Beth-horon. # Jos 16:3

14On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.

15The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extended westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah. 16The border descended to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the south Jebusite slope and downward to En-rogel. 17It curved northward and went to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan # Jos 15:6 son of Reuben. 18Then it went north to the slope opposite the Jordan Valley # LXX reads went northward to Beth-arabah # Or the Arabah and proceeded into the valley. # Or the Arabah 19The border continued to the north slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

20The Jordan formed the border on the east side.

This was the inheritance of Benjamin’s descendants, by their clans, according to its surrounding borders.

Benjamin’s Cities

21These were the cities of the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants by their clans:

Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba — 12 cities, with their villages; 25Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26Mizpeh, # = Mizpah; Jos 11:3,8 Chephirah, Mozah, 27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28Zela, Haeleph, Jebus # Lit Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath # LXX, Syr read Kiriath-jearim — 14 cities, with their villages.

This was the inheritance for Benjamin’s descendants by their clans.

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Joshua 18: HCSB

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