Joshua 17

1 Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn son, namely for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because Machir was a man of war.

And then came the lot for the tribe of Menasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph: to wit, for Machir the first-born of Menasseh, the father of Gil'ad; because he was a man of war, therefore he obtained Gil'ad and Bashan.

2 So this allotment was for the rest of the descendants of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.

There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Menasseh after their families; for the children of Abi'ezer, and for the children of Chelek, and for the children of Assriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Chepher, and for the children of Shemida': these were the male children of Menasseh the son of Joseph after their families.

3 But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

But Zelophchad, the son of Chepher, the son of Gil'ad, the son of Machir, the son of Menasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters, Machlah, and No'ah, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD.

And they came near before Elazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give unto us an inheritance among our brethren. And he gave them, according to the order of the Lord, an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

5 Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan,

And there fell ten portions of Menasseh, beside the lands of Gil'ad and Bashan, which were on the other side of the Jordan;

6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

Because the daughters of Menasseh obtained an inheritance among his sons: and the land of Gil'ad belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

7 Now the border of Manasseh went from Asher to Michmethath near Shechem, then southward to include the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

And the boundary of Menasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, that lieth before Shechem; and the boundary went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of 'En-tappuach.

8 The region of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh, belonged to Ephraim.

To Menasseh belonged the land of Tappuach; but Tappuach on the borders of Menasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;

9 From there the border continued southward to the Brook of Kanah. There were cities belonging to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Sea.

And the boundary descended unto the brook Kanah, southward of the brook; these cities belonging to Ephraim are in the midst of the cities of Menasseh; and the boundary of Menasseh was on the north side of the river, and its terminations were toward the sea:

10 Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s was to the north, having the Sea as its border and adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Menasseh's, and the sea was [there] his boundary; and on Asher they touched on the north, and on Issachar on the east.

11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.

And to Menasseh belonged in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and its towns, and Yible'am and its towns, together with the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of 'En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Ta'anach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, namely the three districts.

12 But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.

Yet the children of Menasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of these cities; but the Canaanites succeeded to dwell in this land;

13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.

Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were become strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but they did not drive them out.

14 Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”

And the children of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, seeing I am a numerous people, to which extent the Lord hath hitherto blessed me?

15 Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”

And Joshua said unto them, If thou art a numerous people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down [a space] for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, if the mountain of Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

16 “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”

And the children of Joseph said, The mountain will not be enough for us; and chariots of iron are belonging to all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley, to those who are at Beth-shean and its towns, and to those who are in the valley of Yizre'el.

17 So Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You have many people and great strength. You shall not have just one allotment,

And Joshua said unto the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Menasseh, as followeth, Thou art a numerous people, and hast great power; thou shalt not have one lot only;

18 because the hill country will be yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and although they are strong, you can drive them out.”

But the mountain shall be thine; it is indeed a wood, yet thou canst cut it down; and the terminations of it shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, though they be strong.