Joshua 13-14

New International Version

Land Still to Be Taken

13 When Joshua had grown old,^(A) the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.

²“This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines^(B) and Geshurites,^(C) ³from the Shihor River^(D) on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron^(E) on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite though held by the five Philistine rulers^(F) in Gaza, Ashdod,^(G) Ashkelon,^(H) Gath and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites^(I) ⁴on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek^(J) and the border of the Amorites;^(K) ⁵the area of Byblos;^(L) and all Lebanon^(M) to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon^(N) to Lebo Hamath.^(O)

⁶“As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim,^(P) that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out^(Q) before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you,^(R) ⁷and divide it as an inheritance^(S) among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.”

Division of the Land East of the Jordan

⁸The other half of Manasseh,^[a] the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the Lord, had assigned^(T) it to them.^(U)

⁹It extended from Aroer^(V) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau^(W) of Medeba as far as Dibon,^(X) ¹⁰and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon,^(Y) out to the border of the Ammonites.^(Z) ¹¹It also included Gilead,^(AA) the territory of the people of Geshur and Maakah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salekah^(AB)— ¹²that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan,^(AC) who had reigned in Ashtaroth^(AD) and Edrei.^(AE) (He was the last of the Rephaites.^(AF)) Moses had defeated them and taken over their land.^(AG) ¹³But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur^(AH) and Maakah,^(AI) so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.^(AJ)

¹⁴But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the food offerings presented to the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them.^(AK)

¹⁵This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, according to its clans:

¹⁶The territory from Aroer^(AL) on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba^(AM) ¹⁷to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau,^(AN) including Dibon,^(AO) Bamoth Baal,^(AP) Beth Baal Meon,^(AQ) ¹⁸Jahaz,^(AR) Kedemoth,^(AS) Mephaath,^(AT) ¹⁹Kiriathaim,^(AU) Sibmah,^(AV) Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, ²⁰Beth Peor,^(AW) the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth— ²¹all the towns on the plateau^(AX) and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs,^(AY) Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba^(AZ)—princes allied with Sihon—who lived in that country. ²²In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor,^(BA) who practiced divination.^(BB) ²³The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, according to their clans.^(BC)

²⁴This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, according to its clans:

²⁵The territory of Jazer,^(BD) all the towns of Gilead^(BE) and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;^(BF) ²⁶and from Heshbon^(BG) to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim^(BH) to the territory of Debir;^(BI) ²⁷and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah,^(BJ) Sukkoth^(BK) and Zaphon^(BL) with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Galilee^[b]^(BM)). ²⁸These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Gadites,^(BN) according to their clans.

²⁹This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, according to its clans:

³⁰The territory extending from Mahanaim^(BO) and including all of Bashan,^(BP) the entire realm of Og king of Bashan^(BQ)—all the settlements of Jair^(BR) in Bashan, sixty towns, ³¹half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan).^(BS) This was for the descendants of Makir^(BT) son of Manasseh—for half of the sons of Makir, according to their clans.^(BU)

³²This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab^(BV) across the Jordan east of Jericho.^(BW) ³³But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance;^(BX) the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance,^(BY) as he promised them.^(BZ)

Division of the Land West of the Jordan

14 Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance^(CA) in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar^(CB) the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel^(CC) allotted^(CD) to them.^(CE) ²Their inheritances were assigned by lot^(CF) to the nine and a half tribes,^(CG) as the Lord had commanded through Moses. ³Moses had granted the two and a half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan^(CH) but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest,^(CI) ⁴for Joseph’s descendants had become two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim.^(CJ) The Levites received no share of the land but only towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.^(CK) ⁵So the Israelites divided the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.^(CL)

Allotment for Caleb

⁶Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal,^(CM) and Caleb son of Jephunneh^(CN) the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God^(CO) at Kadesh Barnea^(CP) about you and me.^(CQ) ⁷I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea^(CR) to explore the land.^(CS) And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,^(CT) ⁸but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.^(CU) I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.^(CV) ⁹So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance^(CW) and that of your children^(CX) forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’^[c]

¹⁰“Now then, just as the Lord promised,^(CY) he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved^(CZ) about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!^(DA) ¹¹I am still as strong^(DB) today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous^(DC) to go out to battle now as I was then. ¹²Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.^(DD) You yourself heard then that the Anakites^(DE) were there and their cities were large and fortified,^(DF) but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

¹³Then Joshua blessed^(DG) Caleb son of Jephunneh^(DH) and gave him Hebron^(DI) as his inheritance.^(DJ) ¹⁴So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.^(DK) ¹⁵(Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba^(DL) after Arba,^(DM) who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)