Joshua 13-16

Contemporary English Version

The Land Israel Had Not Yet Taken

13 Many years later, the Lord told Joshua:

Now you are very old, but there is still a lot of land that Israel has not yet taken. ^2-7 (A) First, there is the Canaanite territory that starts at the Shihor River just east of Egypt and goes north to Ekron. The southern part of this region belongs to the Avvites and the Geshurites,^[a] and the land around Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron belongs to the five Philistine rulers.

The other Canaanite territory is in the north. Its northern border starts at the town of Arah, which belongs to the Sidonians. From there, it goes to Aphek,^[b] then along the Amorite border^[c] to Hamath Pass.^[d] The eastern border starts at Hamath Pass and goes south to Baal-Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon, and its southern boundary runs west from there to Misrephoth-Maim.^[e] This northern region includes the Lebanon Mountains and the land that belongs to the Gebalites^[f] and the Sidonians who live in the hill country from the Lebanon Mountains to Misrephoth-Maim.

With my help, Israel will capture these Canaanite territories and force out the people who live there. But you must divide up the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea^[g] among the nine tribes and the half of Manasseh that don't have any land yet. Then each tribe will have its own land.

The Land East of the Jordan River

^8 (B) Moses had already given land east of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. ⁹ This region stretched north from the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley, and included the town of Aroer on the northern edge of the valley. It covered the flatlands of Medeba north of Dibon, ¹⁰ and took in the towns that had belonged to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. Some of these towns were as far east as the Ammonite border.

^11-12 Geshur and Maacah were part of this region, and so was the whole territory that King Og had ruled, that is, Gilead, Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far east as Salecah. Og had lived in Ashtaroth part of each year, and he had lived in Edrei the rest of the year. Og had been one of the last of the Rephaim,^[h] but Moses had defeated Sihon and Og and their people^[i] and had forced them to leave their land. ¹³ However, the Israelites did not force the people of Geshur and Maacah to leave, and they still live there among the Israelites.

Why Moses Did Not Give Land to the Levi Tribe

^14 (C) Moses did not give any land to the Levi tribe, because the Lord God of Israel had told them, “Instead of land, you will receive the sacrifices offered at my altar.”

The Land Moses Gave to the Reuben Tribe

¹⁵ Moses gave land to each of the clans in the Reuben tribe. ¹⁶ Their land started in the south at the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley, took in the town of Aroer on the northern edge of the valley, and went as far north as the flatlands around Medeba. ^17-21 The Amorite King Sihon had lived in Heshbon and had ruled the towns in the flatlands. Now Heshbon belonged to Reuben, and so did the following towns in the flatlands: Dibon, Bamoth-Baal, Beth-Baal-Meon, Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-Shahar on the hill in the valley, Beth-Peor, Slopes of Mount Pisgah, and Beth-Jeshimoth.

Moses defeated Sihon and killed him and the Midianite chiefs who ruled parts of his kingdom for him. Their names were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. ²² The Israelites also killed Balaam the son of Beor, who had been a fortuneteller.

²³ This region with its towns and villages was the land for the Reuben tribe, and the Jordan River was its western border.

The Land Moses Gave to the Gad Tribe

²⁴ Moses also gave land to each of the clans in the Gad tribe. ²⁵ It included the town of Jazer, and in the Gilead region their territory took in the land and towns as far east as the town of Aroer^[j] just west of Rabbah.^[k] This was about half of the land that had once belonged to the Ammonites. ²⁶ The land given to Gad stretched from Heshbon in the south to Ramath-Mizpeh and Betonim in the north, and even further north to Mahanaim and Lidebor.^{[l] 27} Gad also received the eastern half of the Jordan River valley, which had been ruled by King Sihon of Heshbon. This territory stretched as far north as Lake Galilee,^[m] and included the towns of Beth-Haram, Beth-Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon. ²⁸ These regions with their towns and villages were given to the Gad tribe.

The Land Moses Gave to Half the Manasseh Tribe

²⁹ Moses gave land east of the Jordan River to half of the clans from the Manasseh tribe. ^30-31 Their land started at Mahanaim and took in the region that King Og of Bashan had ruled, including Ashtaroth and Edrei, the two towns where he had lived. The villages where the Jair clan settled were part of Manasseh's land, and so was the northern half of the region of Gilead. The clans of this half of Manasseh had 60 towns in all.

The Manasseh tribe is sometimes called the Machir tribe, after Manasseh's son Machir.

³² That was how Moses divided up the Moab Plains to the east of Jericho on the other side of the Jordan River, so these two and a half tribes would have land of their own. ^33 (D) But Moses did not give any land to the Levi tribe, because the Lord had promised that he would always provide for them.

The Land West of the Jordan River

14 ^1-5 (E) Nine and a half tribes still did not have any land, although two and a half tribes had already received land east of the Jordan River. Moses had divided that land among them, and he had also said that the Levi tribe would not receive a large region like the other tribes. Instead, the people of Levi would receive towns and the nearby pastures for their sheep, goats, and cattle. And since the descendants of Joseph had become the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, there were still nine and a half tribes that needed land. The Lord had told Moses that he would show those tribes^[n] how to divide up the land of Canaan.

When the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the families and tribes of Israel met to divide up the land of Canaan, the Lord showed them how to do it.

Joshua Gives Hebron to Caleb

^6 (F) One day while the Israelites were still camped at Gilgal, Caleb the son of Jephunneh went to talk with Joshua. Caleb belonged to the Kenaz clan, and many other people from the Judah tribe went with Caleb. He told Joshua:

You know that back in Kadesh-Barnea the Lord talked to his prophet Moses about you and me. ^7 (G) I was 40 years old at the time Moses sent me from Kadesh-Barnea into Canaan as a spy. When I came back and told him about the land, everything I said was true. ⁸ The other spies said things that made our people afraid, but I completely trusted the Lord God. ^9 (H) The same day I came back, Moses told me, “Since you were faithful to the Lord God, I promise that the places where you went as a spy will belong to you and your descendants forever.”

¹⁰ Joshua, it was 45 years ago that the Lord told Moses to make that promise, and now I am 85. Even though Israel has moved from place to place in the desert, the Lord has kept me alive all this time as he said he would. ¹¹ I'm just as strong today as I was then, and I can still fight as well in battle.

¹² So I'm asking you for the hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You were there. You heard the other spies talk about that part of the hill country and the large, walled towns where the Anakim^[o] live. But maybe the Lord will help me take their land, just as he promised.

¹³ Joshua prayed that God would help Caleb, then he gave Hebron to Caleb and his descendants. ¹⁴ And Hebron still belongs to Caleb's descendants, because he was faithful to the Lord God of Israel.

¹⁵ Hebron used to be called Arba's Town,^[p] because Arba had been one of the greatest^[q] of the Anakim.

There was peace in the land.

Judah's Land

15 The clans of the Judah tribe were given land that went south along the border of Edom, and at its farthest point south it even reached the Zin Desert. ² Judah's southern border started at the south end of the Dead Sea. ³ As it went west from there, it ran south of Scorpion Pass^[r] to Zin, and then came up from the south to Kadesh-Barnea. It continued past Hezron up to Addar, turned toward Karka, ⁴ and ran along to Azmon. After that, it followed the Egyptian Gorge and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was also Israel's southern border.

⁵ Judah's eastern border ran the full length of the Dead Sea.

The northern border started at the northern end of the Dead Sea.^{[s] 6} From there it went west up to Beth-Hoglah, continued north of Beth-Arabah, and went up to the Monument of Bohan,^[t] who belonged to the Reuben tribe. ⁷ From there, it went to Trouble Valley^[u] and Debir,^[v] then turned north and went to Gilgal,^[w] which is on the north side of the valley across from Adummim Pass. It continued on to Enshemesh, Enrogel, ⁸ and up through Hinnom Valley on the land sloping south from Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem itself belonged to the Jebusites.

Next, the border went up to the top of the mountain on the west side of Hinnom Valley and at the north end of Rephaim Valley. ⁹ At the top of the mountain it turned and went to Nephtoah Spring and then to the ruins^[x] on Mount Ephron. From there, it went to Baalah, which is now called Kiriath-Jearim.

¹⁰ From Baalah the northern border curved west to Mount Seir and then ran along the northern ridge of Mount Jearim, where Chesalon is located. Then it went down to Beth-Shemesh^[y] and over to Timnah. ¹¹ It continued along to the hillside north of Ekron, curved around to Shikkeron, and then went to Mount Baalah. After going to Jabneel, the border finally ended at the Mediterranean Sea, ¹² which was Judah's western border.

The clans of Judah lived within these borders.

Caleb's Land

(Judges 1.12-15)

^13 (I) Joshua gave Caleb some land among the people of Judah, as God had told him to do. Caleb's share was Hebron, which at that time was known as Arba's Town,^[z] because Arba was the famous ancestor of the Anakim.^[aa]

¹⁴ Caleb attacked Hebron and forced the three Anakim clans of^[ab] Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai to leave. ¹⁵ Next, Caleb started a war with the town of Debir, which at that time was called Kiriath-Sepher. ¹⁶ He told his men, “The man who captures Kiriath-Sepher can marry my daughter Achsah.”

¹⁷ Caleb's nephew Othniel^[ac] captured Kiriath-Sepher, and Caleb let him marry Achsah. ¹⁸ Right after the wedding, Achsah started telling Othniel that he^[ad] ought to ask her father for a field. She went to see her father, and while she was getting down from^[ae] her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What's bothering you?”

¹⁹ She answered, “I need your help. The land you gave me is in the Southern Desert, so I really need some spring-fed ponds^[af] for a water supply.”

Caleb gave her a couple of small ponds, named Higher Pond and Lower Pond.^[ag]

Towns in Judah's Land

²⁰ The following is a list of the towns in each region given to the Judah clans:

^21-32 The first region was located in the Southern Desert along the border with Edom, and it had the following 29 towns with their surrounding villages:

Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Aradah,^[ah] Kedesh, Hazor of Ithnan,^[ai] Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor-Hadattah, Kerioth-Hezron, which is also called Hazor, Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar-Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-Pelet, Hazar-Shual, Beersheba and its surrounding villages,^[aj] Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, and Enrimmon.^[ak]

^33-36 The second region was located in the northern part of the lower foothills, and it had the following 14 towns with their surrounding villages:

Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En-Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim.

^37-41 The third region was located in the southern part of the lower foothills, and it had the following 16 towns with their surrounding villages:

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad, Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmas,^[al] Chitlish, Gederoth, Beth-Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah.

^42-44 The fourth region was located in the central part of the lower foothills, and it had the following nine towns with their surrounding villages:

Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah.

^45-47 The fifth region was located along the Mediterranean seacoast, and it had the following towns with their surrounding settlements and villages:

Ekron and the towns between there and the coast, Ashdod and the larger towns nearby, Gaza, the towns from Gaza to the Egyptian Gorge, and the towns along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

^48-51 The sixth region was in the southwestern part of the hill country, and it had the following eleven towns with their surrounding villages:

Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-Sannah, which is now called Debir, Anab, Eshtemoh,^[am] Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh.

^52-54 The seventh region was located in the south-central part of Judah's hill country, and it had the following nine towns with their surrounding villages:

Arab, Dumah,^[an] Eshan, Janim, Beth-Tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath-Arba, which is now called Hebron, and Zior.

^55-57 The eighth region was located in the southeastern part of the hill country, and it had the following ten towns with their surrounding villages:

Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, Jezreel,^[ao] Jokdeam,^[ap] Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah,^[aq] and Timnah.

^58-59 The ninth region was located in the central part of Judah's hill country, and it had the following six towns with their surrounding villages:

Halhul, Beth-Zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth-Anoth, and Eltekon.

The tenth region was located in the north-central part of Judah's hill country, and it had the following eleven towns with their surrounding villages:

Tekoa, Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem, Peor, Etam, Culon, Tatam, Shoresh, Kerem, Gallim, Bether, and Manahath.^[ar]

⁶⁰ The eleventh region was located in the northern part of Judah's hill country, and it had the following two towns with their surrounding villages:

Rabbah, and Kiriath-Baal, which is also called Kiriath-Jearim.

^61-62 The twelfth region was located in the desert along the Dead Sea, and it had the following six towns with their surrounding villages:

Beth-Arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, Salt Town, and En-Gedi.

The Jebusites

^63 (J) The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem, and the people of the Judah tribe could not capture the city and get rid of them. That's why Jebusites still live in Jerusalem along with the people of Judah.^[as]

Ephraim's Land

16 ^1-4 Ephraim and Manasseh are the two tribes descended from Joseph, and the following is a description of the land they received. The southern border of their land started at the Jordan River east of the spring at Jericho. From there it went west through the desert up to the hill country around Bethel. From Bethel it went to Luz and then^[at] to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.^[au] It continued west down to the land that belonged to the Japhlet clan, then went on to Lower Beth-Horon, Gezer, and the Mediterranean Sea.

⁵ The following is a description of the land that was divided among the clans of the Ephraim tribe. Their southern border started at Ataroth-Addar and went west to Upper Beth-Horon ^6-8 and the Mediterranean Sea. Their northern border started on the east at Janoah, curved a little to the north, then came back south to Michmethath and Tappuah, where it followed the Kanah Gorge west to the Mediterranean Sea.

The eastern border started on the north near Janoah and went between Janoah on the southwest and Taanath-Shiloh on the northeast. Then it went south to Ataroth, Naarah, and on as far as the edge of the land that belonged to Jericho. At that point it turned east and went to the Jordan River. The clans of Ephraim received this region as their tribal land. ⁹ Ephraim also had some towns and villages that were inside Manasseh's tribal land.

^10 (K) Ephraim could not force the Canaanites out of Gezer, so there are still some Canaanites who live there among the Israelites. But now these Canaanites have to work as slaves for the Israelites.