Joshua 14-15

GOD’S WORD Translation

The First Stage in Dividing the Land

14 This is the land that the people of Israel inherited in Canaan. The priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the heads of Israel’s tribes distributed it to the people. ² The land inherited by the nine-and-a-half tribes was determined by drawing lots as the Lord had commanded through Moses. ³ Moses had given the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan River. He did not give any land as an inheritance to Levi’s tribe, ⁴ because Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, formed two tribes. The Levites were not given a share of the land. Joseph’s descendants gave the Levites cities to live in with pasturelands for their cattle and everything they had. ⁵ So the people of Israel divided the land as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Special Land for Caleb

⁶ Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. ⁷ I was 40 years old when the Lord’s servant Moses sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. I reported to him exactly what I thought. ⁸ But my companions discouraged the people. However, I was completely loyal to the Lord my God. ⁹ On that day Moses swore this oath: ‘The land your feet walked on will be a permanent inheritance for you and your descendants because you were completely loyal to the Lord my God.’

¹⁰ “So look at me. The Lord has kept me alive as he promised. It’s been 45 years since Israel wandered in the desert when the Lord made this promise to Moses. So now look at me today. I’m 85 years old. ¹¹ I’m still as fit to go to war now as I was when Moses sent me out. ¹² Now give me this mountain region which the Lord spoke of that day. You heard that the people of Anak are still there and that they have large, fortified cities. If the Lord is with me, I can force them out, as he promised.”

¹³ So Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. ¹⁴ Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the people of Anak. So the land had peace.

Judah’s Land

15 The lot was drawn for the families of the tribe of Judah. Their territory extends as far south as the territory of Edom and the desert of Zin. ² The southern border starts from the south end of the Dead Sea ³ and goes south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then passes Zin and goes up south of Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hezron, up to Addar, around to Karka, ⁴ and on to Azmon. It comes out at the River of Egypt so that the border ends at the Mediterranean Sea. This is the southern border.

⁵ The eastern border is the Dead Sea as far north as the mouth of the Jordan River.

The northern border starts from the north end of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan ⁶ and goes up to Beth Hoglah. It then passes north to Beth Arabah and goes up to the Rock of Bohan, son of Reuben. ⁷ From the valley of Achor, the border goes up to Debir and turns north to the region that faces the Adummim Pass, south of the valley. Then the border passes the Springs of En Shemesh and ends at En Rogel. ⁸ It continues up the valley of Ben Hinnom to the south slope of the Jebusite city Jerusalem. It then goes to the top of the mountain that overlooks the valley of Hinnom to the west at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. ⁹ From the top of that mountain the border goes around to the spring of Nephtoah. From there it goes to the cities of Mount Ephron and around to Baalah (now called Kiriath Jearim). ¹⁰ From Baalah the border turns west to Mount Seir and over to the north slope of Mount Jearim (now called Chesalon). Then it goes down to Beth Shemesh and on to Timnah. ¹¹ From there the border goes on the north side of Ekron and turns to Shikkeron, on to Mount Baalah, and comes out at Jabneel. The border ends at the Mediterranean Sea.

¹² The western border is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. These are the borders around Judah that belong to their families.

¹³ Joshua gave Caleb, son of Jephunneh, a share of land among the people of Judah as the Lord had told them. It was Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron). Arba was the father of Anak. ¹⁴ Caleb forced out Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, three descendants of Anak from Hebron. ¹⁵ From there he marched against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir was called Kiriath Sepher.)

¹⁶ Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to anyone who attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it.” ¹⁷ Then Othniel, son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, captured it. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife. ¹⁸ When she came to Othniel, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”

¹⁹ She answered, “Give me a blessing. Since you’ve given me some dry land, also give me some springs.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

²⁰ This is the land inherited by the families of the tribe of Judah.

²¹ On the farthest edge of the Negev, on the border of Edom, they gave the tribe of Judah 29 cities with their villages: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (now called Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, ²⁸ Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon.

³³ In the foothills they gave Judah 14 cities with their villages: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim.

³⁷ They also gave Judah 16 other cities with their villages: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah.

⁴² An additional nine cities with their villages were given to Judah: Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah.

⁴⁵ Judah also received Ekron with its cities and villages. ⁴⁶ This included all the cities with their villages between Ekron and the Mediterranean Sea and alongside Ashdod. ⁴⁷ Added to this were Ashdod and Gaza with their cities and villages as far as the River of Egypt and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴⁸ In the mountains they gave Judah 11 cities with their villages: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (now called Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh.

⁵² They also gave Judah nine other cities with their villages: Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron), and Zior.

⁵⁵ They also received another ten cities with their villages: Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah.

⁵⁸ Halhul, Bethzur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon were six other cities with their villages that were given to Judah.^[a]

⁶⁰ The two cities of Kiriath Baal (now called Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah with their villages ⌞were given to Judah⌟.

⁶¹ In the desert Judah was given six cities with their villages: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, ⁶² Nibshan, Ir Hamelah, and En Gedi.

⁶³ However, Judah was not able to force out the people of Jebus who lived in Jerusalem. So they still live with Judah in Jerusalem today.