Joshua 18-20
New International Reader's Version
The Rest of the Land Is Divided Up
18 The whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control. 2 But there were still seven tribes in Israel who had not yet received their shares of land.
3 So Joshua spoke to the Israelites. He said, “The Lord, the God of your people, has given you this land. How long will you wait before you begin to take it over? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I’ll send them to map out the land. Then they’ll write a report about its features. The report will point out the share of land each tribe will receive. Then the men will return to me. 5 You must divide the land up into seven shares. Judah must remain in its territory in the south. The people in Joseph’s family line must remain in their territory in the north. 6 Write reports about the features of those seven shares of land. Bring them here to me. Then I’ll cast lots for you in the sight of the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites don’t get any share of your land. That’s because their share is to serve the Lord as priests. The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their shares. They are on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave their shares to them.”
8 The men started out on their way to map out the land. Joshua directed them, “Go and map out the land. Write a report about its features. Then return to me. I’ll cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the sight of the Lord.” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They wrote a report about its features on a scroll. It showed how they divided up the land into seven shares. It listed the towns in each share. The men returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
10 Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh in the sight of the Lord. There he gave out a share of land to each of the remaining tribes in Israel.
Land Is Given to Benjamin
11 The first lot drawn out was for the tribe of Benjamin, according to its family groups. The territory they were given was located between the tribes of the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. Here are the borders of Benjamin’s territory.
12 On the north side their border started at the Jordan River. It went past the north slope of Jericho. Then it headed west into the central hill country. It came to an end at the Desert of Beth Aven. 13 From there the border crossed to the south slope of Bethel. Then it went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 From the hill that faces Beth Horon on the south the border turned south. Then the border went along the west side of the hill. It came to an end at Kiriath Jearim. That town belongs to the people of Judah. That was the border on the west.
15 The border on the south side started at the west edge of Kiriath Jearim. It came to an end at the springs of Nephtoah. 16 It went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Ben Hinnom. The hill is north of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley. It went along the south slope of Jerusalem, where the people of Jebus live. It continued on to En Rogel. 17 Then it curved north. It went to En Shemesh. It continued on to Geliloth. Geliloth faces the Pass of Adummim. The border ran down to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the north slope of Beth Arabah. It went on down into the Arabah Valley. 19 From there it went to the north slope of Beth Hoglah. It came to an end at the north bay of the Dead Sea. That’s where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. That was the border on the south.
20 The Jordan River formed the border on the east side.
Those were the borders that marked out on all sides the land the family groups of Benjamin received as their share.
21 Here is a list of towns given to the tribe of Benjamin, according to its family groups.
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba. The total number of towns and their villages was 12.
25 Here is another list of towns given to Benjamin.
Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath. The total number of towns and their villages was 14.
That was the share of land the family groups of Benjamin received.
Land Is Given to Simeon
19 The second lot drawn out was for the tribe of Simeon, according to its family groups. The share of land they were given was in the territory of Judah.
2 Here is what Simeon’s share included.
Beersheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen. The total number of towns was 13. Some of them had villages near them.
7 Here’s another list of towns given to Simeon.
Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan. The total number of towns was four. Some of them had villages near them. 8 The towns and all the villages around them reached all the way to Ramah in the Negev Desert.
That was the share of land the tribe of Simeon received, according to its family groups. 9 Simeon’s share of land was taken from Judah’s share. That’s because Judah had more land than they needed. So the people of Simeon received their share of land inside the territory of Judah.
Land Is Given to Zebulun
10 The third lot drawn out was for the tribe of Zebulun, according to its family groups. Here are the borders of Zebulun’s territory.
The border of their share of land went as far as Sarid. 11 It ran west to Maralah and touched Dabbesheth. It reached to the valley near Jokneam. 12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise. It went to the territory of Kisloth Tabor. It went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 Then it continued east to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin. It came to an end at Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 There the border went around on the north to Hannathon. It came to an end at the Valley of Iphtah El.
15 Zebulun’s territory included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem.
The total number of towns was 12. Some of them had villages near them.
16 Those towns and their villages were Zebulun’s share, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Issachar
17 The fourth lot drawn out was for the tribe of Issachar, according to its family groups. 18 Here is what Issachar’s share included.
Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh. It came to an end at the Jordan River.
The total number of towns was 16. Some of them had villages near them.
23 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Issachar received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Asher
24 The fifth lot drawn out was for the tribe of Asher, according to its family groups. 25 Here is what Asher’s share included.
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 Then it turned east toward Beth Dagon. It touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. It went north to Beth Emek and Neiel. It went past Kabul on the left. 28 It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah. It reached all the way to Greater Sidon. 29 The border then turned back toward Ramah. It went to Tyre, a city that had high walls around it. It turned toward Hosah. It came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea in the area of Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob.
The total number of towns was 22. Some of them had villages near them.
31 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Asher received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Naphtali
32 The sixth lot drawn out was for Naphtali, according to its family groups.
33 Their border started at Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim. It went past Adami Nekeb and Jabneel. It went to Lakkum and came to an end at the Jordan River. 34 The border ran west through Aznoth Tabor. It came to an end at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south. It touched Asher on the west. It touched the Jordan on the east.
35 The towns that had high walls around them were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh.
The total number of towns was 19. Some of them had villages near them.
39 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Naphtali received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Dan
40 The seventh lot drawn out was for the tribe of Dan, according to its family groups. 41 Here is what Dan’s share of land included.
Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon and Rakkon. Dan’s share included the area that faces Joppa.
47 The people of Dan lost their territory. So they went up and attacked Leshem. They captured it. They killed its people with their swords. Then they moved into Leshem and made their homes there. They named it Dan. That’s because they traced their family line back to him.
48 All those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Dan received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Joshua
49 The Israelites finished dividing up the shares of land the tribes received. Then they gave a share to Joshua, the son of Nun. 50 They did what the Lord had commanded them to do. They gave Joshua the town he asked for. It was Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built up the town and made his home there.
51 All those territories were given out by casting lots at Shiloh. The lots were drawn out by Eleazar the priest and by Joshua, the son of Nun. The leaders of the tribes of Israel helped them. The lots were drawn out in front of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So the work of dividing up the land was finished.
Cities to Run to for Safety
20 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, 2 “Tell the Israelites to choose the cities to go to for safety, just as I directed you through Moses. 3 Anyone who kills a person by accident can run there for safety. So can anyone who kills a person without meaning to. The one charged with murder will be kept safe from the nearest male relative of the person killed. 4 Suppose those who are charged with murder run for safety to one of these cities. Then they must stand in the entrance of the city gate. They must state their case in front of the elders of that city. The elders must let them come into their city. The elders must provide a place for them to live in their city. 5 Suppose the nearest male relative of the person killed chases the one charged with murder. Then the elders must not hand them over to that relative. That’s because that person didn’t mean to kill their neighbor. They didn’t make evil plans to do it. 6 They must stay in that city until their case has been brought to the community court. They must stay there until the high priest serving at that time dies. Then they can go back to their own home. They can return to the town they ran away from.”
7 So the Israelites set apart Kedesh in Galilee. It’s in the hill country of Naphtali. They set apart Shechem. It’s in the hill country of Ephraim. They set apart Kiriath Arba. It’s in the hill country of Judah. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. 8 On the east side of the Jordan River near Jericho they chose Bezer. It’s in the desert on the high plains. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Reuben. They chose Ramoth in Gilead. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Gad. They chose Golan in the land of Bashan. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Suppose you kill someone by accident. Or another Israelite does it. Or an outsider who lives among you does it. Then any of you can run for safety to one of these cities that have been chosen. There you won’t be killed by the nearest male relative of the person killed by accident. First your case must be brought to the community court.
Psalm 37
New International Reader's Version
A psalm of David.
37 Don’t be upset because of sinful people.
Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.
2 Like grass, they will soon dry up.
Like green plants, they will soon die.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live in the land and enjoy its food.
4 Find your delight in the Lord.
Then he will give you everything your heart really wants.
5 Commit your life to the Lord.
Here is what he will do if you trust in him.
6 He will make the reward for your godly life shine like the dawn.
He will make the proof of your honest life shine like the sun at noon.
7 Be still and wait patiently for the Lord to act.
Don’t be upset when other people succeed.
Don’t be upset when they carry out their evil plans.
8 Turn away from anger and don’t give in to wrath.
Don’t be upset, because that only leads to evil.
9 Sinful people will be destroyed.
But those who put their hope in the Lord will receive the land.
10 In a little while, there won’t be any more sinners.
Even if you look for them, you won’t be able to find them.
11 But those who are free of pride will be given the land.
They will enjoy peace and success.
12 Sinful people make plans to harm those who do what is right.
They grind their teeth at them.
13 But the Lord laughs at those who do evil.
He knows the day is coming when he will judge them.
14 Sinners pull out their swords.
They bend their bows.
They want to kill poor and needy people.
They plan to murder those who lead honest lives.
15 But they will be killed by their own swords.
Their own bows will be broken.
16 Those who do what is right may have very little.
But it’s better than the wealth of many sinners.
17 The power of those who are evil will be broken.
But the Lord takes good care of those who do what is right.
18 Those who are without blame spend their days in the Lord’s care.
What he has given them will last forever.
19 When trouble comes to them, they will have what they need.
When there is little food in the land, they will still have plenty.
20 But sinful people will die.
The Lord’s enemies may be like flowers in the field.
But they will be swallowed up.
They will disappear like smoke.
21 Sinful people borrow and don’t pay back.
But those who are godly give freely to others.
22 The Lord will give the land to those he blesses.
But he will destroy those he curses.
23 The Lord makes secure the footsteps
of the person who delights in him,
24 Even if that person trips, he won’t fall.
The Lord’s hand takes good care of him.
25 I once was young, and now I’m old.
But I’ve never seen godly people deserted.
I’ve never seen their children begging for bread.
26 The godly are always giving and lending freely.
Their children will be a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good.
Then you will live in the land forever.
28 The Lord loves those who are honest.
He will not desert those who are faithful to him.
Those who do wrong will be completely destroyed.
The children of sinners will die.
29 Those who do what is right will be given the land.
They will live in it forever.
30 The mouths of those who do what is right speak words of wisdom.
They say what is honest.
31 God’s law is in their hearts.
Their feet do not slip.
32 Those who are evil hide and wait for godly people.
They want to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not leave the godly in their power.
He will not let them be found guilty when they are brought into court.
34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Live as he wants you to.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
When sinners are destroyed, you will see it.
35 I saw a mean and sinful person.
He was doing well, like a green tree in its own land.
36 But he soon passed away and was gone.
Even though I looked for him, I couldn’t find him.
37 Consider honest people who are without blame.
People who seek peace will have a tomorrow.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed.
Those who are evil won’t have a tomorrow.
39 The Lord saves those who do what is right.
He is their place of safety when trouble comes.
40 The Lord helps them and saves them.
He saves them from sinful people
because they go to him for safety.
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