Joshua 18:11-28

Joshua 18:11-28 TPT

The first lot came out for the families of Benjamin. So the first tribe that received territory was the tribe of Benjamin. Joshua assigned them land which lay between the tribe of Judah on the south and the descendants of Joseph on the north. Their northern border began in the east at the Jordan River and went up the slope north of Jericho and westward through the hill country as far as the desert near the city of Beth Aven. The border then went to the slope on the south side of Luz (that is, Bethel) then down to Ataroth Addar on the mountain south of Lower Beth Horon. The border then turned south from the western side of this mountain and went to the city of Kiriath Baal, which is also called Kiriath Jearim, a town of Judah. From the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim, the boundary extended to Mount Ephron and went from there to the fountain of the Waters of Nephtoah. It continued down to the foot of the mountain on the north side of the Valley of Rephaites, where the Hinnom Valley begins. From there it went south through the Hinnom Valley to the south slope of Jerusalem and then downward to En Rogel. From there the boundary turned sharply northward to En Shemesh and on to Geliloth, facing the ascent of Adummim, and descended to the Boulder of Bohan, son of Reuben. Then it passed north of the ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley. From there it descended into the valley, passing north of the ridge of Beth Hoglah. The southern border ended where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea. The eastern border was the Jordan River. The families of the tribe of Benjamin received as their possession the land within these borders. There were twelve cities, along with the towns around them, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were another fourteen cities, along with the towns around them, which also belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. These cities were Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. Joshua assigned this land and all these cities to the tribes of Benjamin.