Joshua 17-18

New English Translation

17 The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land.^[a] The descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received land, for they were warriors.^[b] They were assigned Gilead and Bashan.^{[c] 2} The rest of Manasseh’s descendants were also assigned land^[d] by their clans, including the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

³ Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴ They went before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord told Moses to assign us land among our relatives.”^[e] So Joshua^[f] assigned them land among their uncles, as the Lord had commanded.^{[g] 5} Manasseh was allotted ten shares of land,^[h] in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, ⁶ for the daughters of Manasseh were assigned land among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

⁷ The border of Manasseh went^[i] from Asher to Micmethath, which is near^[j] Shechem. It then went south toward those who live by En Tappuah.^{[k] 8} (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah, located on the border of Manasseh, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.) ⁹ The border then descended southward to the Valley of Kanah. Ephraim was assigned cities there among the cities of Manasseh,^[l] but the border of Manasseh was north of the valley and ended at the sea. ¹⁰ Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s to the north. The sea was Manasseh’s^[m] western border and their territory^[n] touched Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. ¹¹ Within Issachar’s and Asher’s territories Manasseh was assigned Beth Shean, Ibleam, the residents of Dor, the residents of Endor, the residents of Taanach, the residents of Megiddo, the three of Napheth,^[o] and the towns surrounding all these cities.^{[p] 12} But the men^[q] of Manasseh were unable to conquer these cities; the Canaanites managed^[r] to remain in those areas. ¹³ Whenever the Israelites were strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.^[s]

¹⁴ The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you assigned us only one tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the Lord has enabled us to increase in number.”^{[t] 15} Joshua replied to them, “Since you have so many people,^[u] go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” ¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph said, “The whole hill country^[v] is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.”^{[w] 17} Joshua said to the family^[x] of Joseph—to both Ephraim and Manasseh: “You have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal allotment. ¹⁸ The whole hill country^[y] will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it, and it will be entirely yours.^[z] You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”

The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting.^[aa] Though they had subdued the land,^{[ab] 2} seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land.^{[ac] 3} So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long do you intend to put off occupying^[ad] the land the Lord God of your ancestors^[ae] has given you? ⁴ Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them out to walk through the land and make a map of it for me.^{[af] 5} Divide it into seven regions.^[ag] Judah will stay^[ah] in its territory in the south, and the family^[ai] of Joseph in its territory in the north. ⁶ But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the Lord our God. ⁷ But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their inheritance is to serve the Lord.^[aj] Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allotted land^[ak] east of the Jordan, which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned them.”

⁸ When the men started out, Joshua told those going to map out the land, “Go, walk through the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will draw lots for you before the Lord here in Shiloh.” ⁹ The men journeyed^[al] through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven regions on a scroll. Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord and divided the land among the Israelites according to their allotted portions.

Benjamin’s Tribal Lands

¹¹ The first lot belonged to the tribe of Benjamin^[am] by its clans. Their allotted territory was between Judah and Joseph.^{[an] 12} Their northern border started at the Jordan, went up to the slope of Jericho on the north, ascended westward to the hill country, and extended to the wilderness of Beth Aven. ¹³ It then crossed from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south (that is, Bethel), and descended to Ataroth Addar located on the hill that is south of lower Beth Horon. ¹⁴ It then turned on the west side southward from the hill near Beth Horon on the south and extended to Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city belonging to the tribe^[ao] of Judah. This is the western border.^{[ap] 15} The southern side started on the edge of Kiriath Jearim and extended westward to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ The border then descended to the edge of the hill country near the Valley of Ben Hinnom located in the Valley of the Rephaites to the north. It descended through the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites to the south and then down to En Rogel. ¹⁷ It went northward, extending to En Shemesh and Geliloth opposite the Pass^[aq] of Adummim, and descended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. ¹⁸ It crossed to the slope in front of the rift valley to the north and descended into the rift valley.^{[ar] 19} It then crossed to the slope of Beth Hoglah to the north and ended at the northern tip of the Salt Sea^[as] at the mouth of the Jordan River.^[at] This was the southern border. ²⁰ The Jordan River bordered it on the east. These were the borders of the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans.^[au]

²¹ These cities belonged to the tribe^[av] of Benjamin by its clans: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, ²² Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—a total of twelve cities and their towns.

²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city^[aw] (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath—a total of fourteen cities and their towns.^[ax] This was the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin^[ay] by its clans.