The Book of Joshua

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 18 -

Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,

there were still seven tribes of Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.

So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me

and divide the land into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.

When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.

The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”

As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”

So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.

And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.

Benjamin’s Inheritance

The first lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

On the north side their border began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho, headed west through the hill country, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.

On the west side the border curved southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the western side.

On the south side the border began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended westward to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.

Then it went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel.

From there it curved northward and proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

Then it went on to the northern slope of Beth-arabah (a) and went down into the valley.

The border continued to the northern slope of Beth-hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea,(b) at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

On the east side the border was the Jordan. These were the borders around the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

These were the cities of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus 18:28 LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, 18:28 Hebrew Gibeath and Kiriath-jearim 18:28 LXX; Hebrew Kiriath —fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin .

Footnotes

(a)18:18 LXX; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah

(b)18:19 That is, the Dead Sea

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.

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

Joshua said to the children of Israel, “How long will you neglect to go in to possess the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe. I will send them, and they shall arise, walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; then they shall come to me.

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.

You shall survey the land into seven parts, and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”

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 the LORD in Shiloh.”

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

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

Benjamin’s Inheritance

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

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.

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

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 (also called Kiriath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west quarter.

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.

The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En Rogel.

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

It passed along to the side opposite the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah.

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.

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

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

Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

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

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

Zelah, Eleph, the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.