Joshua 18

1 Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,

And all the congregation of the children of Israel were assembled at Selo, and there they pitched the tabernacle of witness; and the land was subdued by them.

2 there were still seven tribes of Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.

And the sons of Israel remained, [even] those who [had] not received their inheritance, seven tribes.

3 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, How long will you be slack to inherit the land, which the Lord our God has given you?

4 Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me

Appoint of yourselves three men of each tribe, and let them rise up and go through the land, and let them describe it before me, as it will be proper to divide it.

5 and divide the land into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.

And they came to him: and he divided to them seven portions, [saying], Juda shall stand to them a border southward, and the sons of Joseph shall stand to them northward.

6 When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.

And do you divide the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, and I will give you a lot before the Lord our God.

7 The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”

For the sons of Levi have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord [is] his portion; and Gad, and Ruben, and the half tribe of Manasse, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave to them.

8 As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”

And the men rose up and went; and Joshua charged the men who went to explore the land, saying, Go and explore the land, and come to me, and I will bring you forth a lot here before the Lord in Selo.

9 So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.

And they went, and explored the land: and they viewed it, and described it according to the cities, seven parts in a book, and brought [the book] to Joshua.

10 And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.

And Joshua cast the lot for them in Selo before the Lord.

11 The first lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:

And the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came forth first according to their families: and the borders of their lot came forth between the children of Juda and the children of Joseph.

12 On the north side their border began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho, headed west through the hill country, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

And their borders were northward: the borders shall go up from Jordan behind Jericho northward, and shall go up to the mountain westward, and the issue of it shall be Baethon of Mabdara.

13 From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.

And the borders will go forth thence to Luz, behind Luz, from the south of it; this is Baethel: and the borders shall go down to Maatarob Orech, to the hill country, which is southward of Baethoron the lower.

14 On the west side the border curved southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the western side.

And the borders shall pass through and proceed to the part that looks toward the sea, on the south, from the mountain in front of Baethoron southward, and its termination shall be at Cariath-Baal, this is Cariath-Jarin, a city of the children of Juda; this is the part toward the west.

15 On the south side the border began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended westward to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.

And the south side on the part of Cariath-Baal; and the borders shall go across to Gasin, to the fountain of the water of Naphtho.

16 Then it went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel.

And the borders shall extend down on one side, this is in front of the forest of Sonnam, which is on the side of Emec Raphain northward, and it shall come down to Gaeenna behind Jebusai southward: it shall come down to the fountain of Rogel.

17 From there it curved northward and proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

And [the borders] shall go across to the fountain of Baethsamys:

18 Then it went on to the northern slope of Beth-arabah and went down into the valley.

and shall proceed to Galiloth, which is in front by the going up of Aethamin; and they shall come down to the stone of Baeon of the sons of Ruben; and shall pass over behind Baetharaba northward, and shall go down to the borders behind the sea northward.

19 The border continued to the northern slope of Beth-hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

And the termination of the borders shall be at the creek of the salt sea northward to the side of Jordan southward: these are their southern borders.

20 On the east side the border was the Jordan. These were the borders around the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

And Jordan shall be their boundary on the east: this [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, these [are] their borders round about according to their families.

21 These were the cities of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

And the cities of the children of Benjamin according to their families [were] Jericho, and Bethagaeo, and the Amecasis,

22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

and Baethabara, and Sara, and Besana,

23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

and Aeein, and Phara, and Ephratha,

24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.

and Carapha, and Cephira, and Moni, and Gabaa, twelve cities and their villages:

25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Gabaon, and Rama, and Beerotha;

26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

and Massema, and Miron, and Amoke;

27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

and Phira, and Caphan, and Nacan, and Selecan, and Thareela,

28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim —fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

and Jebus (this is Jerusalem); and Gabaoth, Jarim, thirteen cities, and their villages; this [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.