Joshua - Chapter 18

¹ The whole community of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh, and the Tent of Meeting was set up there; the whole country had been subdued for them.

² But among the Israelites there were still seven tribes left who had not received their heritage.

³ Joshua then said to the Israelites, 'How much more time are you going to waste before you go and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors, has given to you?

⁴ Choose three men from each tribe for me to send all over the country so that they can make a survey with a view to their inheritances and then come back to me.

⁵ They will divide the country into seven portions. Judah will remain in his territory in the south, and those of the House of Joseph will remain in their territory in the north.

⁶ You must survey the country in seven sections and bring your findings to me here, so that I can cast lots for you here, in the presence of Yahweh our God.

⁷ The Levites, however, will have no portion with the rest of you; the priesthood of Yahweh will be their heritage. As regards Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they have received their heritage on the further, eastern side of the Jordan, the one given them by Moses, servant of Yahweh.'

⁸ The men stood up and set off. To those who were to survey the country Joshua gave this order, 'Start out, then, go all over the country, survey it, and then come back to me; and I shall cast lots for you here, in the presence of Yahweh, at Shiloh.'

⁹ The men left, went all over the country and surveyed it by towns, in seven sections, writing down their findings in a book, and then went back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.

¹⁰ Joshua cast lots for them in Yahweh's presence at Shiloh, and there Joshua divided the country between the Israelites, share by share.

¹¹ A portion fell first to the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, by clans: the territory of their portion lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

¹² Their northern frontier began at the Jordan, went up the flank of Jericho to the north, climbed westwards through the highlands and came out at the desert of Beth-Aven.

¹³ Thence, the frontier went on to Luz, on the southern flank of Luz -- now Bethel-and then down to Ataroth-Arach, on the mountain south of Lower Beth-Horon.

¹⁴ At this westerly point, the frontier curved round and turned south, from the mountain facing Beth-Horon from the south and came out at Kiriath-Baal, now Kiriath-Jearim, a town of the sons of Judah. That was the western side.

¹⁵ This was the south side: from the tip of Kiriath-Jearim, the frontier went to Gasin and came out near the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah,

¹⁶ it then went down to the edge of the mountain facing the Valley of Hinnom, in the Valley of the Rephaim to the north; it then went down into the Valley of Hinnom, past the southerly flank of the Jebusite, and went down to En-Rogel.

¹⁷ It then curved northwards, coming out at En-Shemesh, and came out at the stone circle opposite the Ascent of Adummim, then went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

¹⁸ It then went on to Cheteph on the flank of Beth-ha-Arabah northwards, and went down into the Arabah;

¹⁹ the frontier then passed round the northern flank of Beth-Hoglah, and the frontier came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. Such was the southern frontier.

²⁰ The Jordan itself formed the frontier on the east. Such was the heritage of the sons of Benjamin as defined by their frontier, by clans.

²¹ The towns of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, by clans, were:

²² Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz;

²³ Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel; Avvim, Parah, Ophrah;

²⁴ Chephar-Ammoni, Ophni, Geba: twelve towns and their villages.

²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth;

²⁶ Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah;

²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah;

²⁸ Zela-ha-Eleph, the Jebusite -- that is, Jerusalem -- Gibeah and Kiriath: fourteen towns with their villages. Such was the heritage of the sons of Benjamin, by clans.

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