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18 Then all the people of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there. The land around them had been taken in battle. There were still seven family groups among the people of Israel who had not received their share of land. So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you wait before going in to take the land the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? Choose three men from each of these seven family groups. I will send them to go through the land and write down what they find it to be like, to be shared by each family. Then they will return to me. They will divide it into seven parts. Judah will stay in his land in the south. The house of Joseph will stay in their land in the north. You will write down how the land should be divided into seven parts, then bring it to me. I will draw names for you here before the Lord our God. The Levites have no share of land among you. Being the religious leaders for the Lord is their share. Gad and Reuben and the half-family group of Manasseh have received their land east of the Jordan. The Lord’s servant Moses gave it to them.”

As the men got up to go, Joshua told them, “Go and walk through the land. Write down what you find, and return to me. Then I will draw names for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” The men went and passed through the land. They wrote in a book the cities they found and divided them into seven parts. Then they returned to Joshua among the tents at Shiloh. 10 Joshua drew names for them in Shiloh before the Lord. There he divided the land among the people of Israel, a part for each family.

11 The first name drawn was for the families of the people of Benjamin. The share of their land was between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. 12 The north side of their land was from the Jordan up to the north side of Jericho. Then it went west through the hill country, ending at the desert of Beth-aven. 13 The side of their land went from there south to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel). Then it went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill south of the valley land of Beth-horon. 14 The side of their land turned west from there around the south side of the hill before Bethhoron. It ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the people of Judah. This was the west side. 15 The south side was from the side of Kiriath-jearim west to the well of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the side of their land went down to the side of the hill in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, south of the side of the Jebusites, and down to En-rogel. 17 Then it went north to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth by the hill of Adummim, then down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18 It went on to the north side of Beth-arabah, and down to the Arabah. 19 Then the side of their land went along the north side of Beth-hoglah. And it ended at the north waters of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south side. 20 The east side of their land was the Jordan. This was the land with its sides, given to the family group of Benjamin.

21 The cities of the people of Benjamin for their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Betharabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba, twelve cities with their towns. 25 And there were Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath, fourteen cities with their towns. This is the land that was given to the families of the people of Benjamin.

19 The second name drawn was for the families of the people of Simeon. Their land was in the center of the land of the people of Judah. They had in their land the cities of Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen, thirteen cities with the towns around them. There were Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, four cities with their towns. And they had all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, also known as Ramah of the Negev. This was the land given to the families of the people of Simeon. The land of the people of Simeon was taken from the land of the people of Judah. For the share of the people of Judah was too large for them. So the people of Simeon received a share of land in the center of Judah’s land.

10 The third name drawn was for the families of the people of Zebulun. The share of their land was as far as Sarid. 11 The side of their land went from there west to Marealah, touched Dabbesheth, and on to the river by Jokneam. 12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise as far as the land of Chisloth-tabor, then on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 From there it went east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, Eth-kazin, and on to Rimmon, turning toward Neah. 14 Then the side of their land turned north to Hannathon, and ended at the valley of Iphtahel. 15 In their land were Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. In all there were twelve cities with the towns around them. 16 This is what was given to the families of the people of Zebulun, these cities with the towns around them.

17 The fourth name drawn was for the families of the people of Issachar. 18 Their land spread to Jezreel. In it were Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Bethpazzez. 22 Their land spread to Tabor, Shahazumah, Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan, with sixteen cities and their towns. 23 This is what was given to the families of the people of Issachar, the cities with the towns around them.

24 The fifth name drawn was for the families of the people of Asher. 25 In their land were Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. It spread west to Carmel and Shihor-libnath. 27 It turned east to Beth-dagon and to Zebulun along the valley of Iphtahel north to Bethemek and Neiel. Then it went on north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as the big city of Sidon. 29 From there the side of their land turned toward Ramah and then to the strong city of Tyre, turned again to Hosah, and ended at the sea near Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities with the towns around them. 31 This is what was given to the families of the people of Asher, these cities with the towns around them.

32 The sixth name drawn was for the people of Naphtali, for the families of the people of Naphtali. 33 Their land spread from Heleph, from the big tree in Zaanannim. It went through Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum. And it ended at the Jordan. 34 The side of their land turned from there west to Aznoth-tabor, and went on to Hukkok. It spread to Zebulun in the south, Asher in the west, and to Judah at the Jordan in the east. 35 The strong cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities with their towns. 39 This is what was given to the families of the people of Naphtali, the cities with their towns.

40 The seventh name drawn was for the families of the people of Dan. 41 In their land were 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, with the land near Joppa. 47 The people of Dan needed more land. So they went up and fought with Leshem and took it with the sword. They took it for themselves and lived in it. And they gave it the name Leshem Dan after the name of Dan their father. 48 This is what was given to the families of the people of Dan, these cities with their towns.

49 When they finished dividing the land and giving to each family group their share, then the people of Israel gave some land among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 As the Lord had told them, they gave him the city he asked for. They gave him Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and lived in it.

51 This is the land which was given by Eleazar the religious leader, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the houses of the families of the people of Israel. It was given by drawing names in Shiloh before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. So they finished dividing the land.