Joshua 13

1 Joshua was old and advanced in age, and the Lord said to him: “You have grown old, and are aged, and a very wide land remains, which has not yet been divided by lot,

When Joshua was very old, Yahweh said to him, “Joshua, you are now an old man, but there is still a lot of land [for your army] to capture.

2 specifically, all of Galilee, Philistia, and all of Geshur;

Here is a list of the land that remains: The Geshur region and all the area where the Philistia people-group live;

3 from the muddy river, which irrigates Egypt, as far as the border of Ekron toward the north, the land of Canaan, which is divided among the rulers of Philistia: the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gathites, and the Ekronites;

the area where the Canaan people-group live, from the Shihor River [in the south] at the [eastern] border of Egypt, to Ekron [city] in the north; the rulers of the five [cities] of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the area where the Avva people-group live,

4 truly, to the south are the Hivites, all the land of Canaan, and Mearah of the Sidonians, as far as Aphek and the borders of the Amorite

which is south of the area where the Canaan people-group live;

5 and his confines; also, the region of Lebanon toward the east, from Baalgad, under mount Hermon, until you enter into Hamath;

the area where the Gebal people-group live; and all the Lebanon area east of Baal-Gad [city] at the bottom of Hermon Mountain, as far as Lebo-Hamath.

6 all who live in the mountains from Lebanon, as far as the waters of Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians. I am the One who will wipe them out, before the face of the sons of Israel. Therefore, let their land become a part of the inheritance of Israel, just as I have instructed you.

All the people of the Sidon people-group live in the hilly area from Lebanon to Misrephoth-Maim, but I will force them to leave that area before you Israelis arrive there. Be sure to give that area to the Israeli people when you divide the land among them, like I told you to do.

7 And now, divide the land as a possession to the nine tribes, and to the one half tribe of Manasseh.”

Divide all that land among the nine Israeli tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh, [the tribes that do not have land on the east side of the Jordan River].”

8 With them, Reuben and Gad have possessed the land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, delivered to them beyond the river Jordan, on the eastern side:

Half of the tribe of Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already been told what land they would receive, because Moses, the man who served Yahweh [well], had already assigned to them the land on the east side of the Jordan [River].

9 from Aroer, which is situated on the bank of the torrent Arnon and in the midst of the valley, and all the plains of Medeba, as far as Dibon;

Their land extended from Aroer [town] at the Arnon River gorge to the town in the middle of the gorge. It included the whole plain from Medeba [town south] to Dibon [town].

10 and all the cities of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, even to the borders of the sons of Ammon;

All the towns ruled by King Sihon were in that area. The land extended to where the Ammon people-group lived.

11 and Gilead, as well as the borders of Geshur and Maacati, and all of mount Hermon, and all of Bashan, as far as Salecah;

The Gilead area was also there, and the regions where the people of the Geshur and Maacah people-groups lived, and all of Hermon Mountain and all the Bashan region [south] to Salecah.

12 the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned at Ashtaroth and Edrei, (he was among the last of the Rephaim). And Moses struck and destroyed them.

All the land ruled by Og, the king who ruled the Bashan [region], was in that land. Og was one of the last descendants of Repha; previously he had ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei [cities], but [the armies of] Moses had defeated their armies and had taken their land from them.

13 And the sons of Israel were not willing to destroy Geshur and Maacati, and so they have lived in the midst of Israel, even to the present day.

But the Israelis did not force the people of the Geshur and Maacah [people-groups] to leave their land, so they still live among the Israeli people.

14 But to the tribe of Levi, he did not give a possession. Instead, the sacrifices and victims of the Lord, the God of Israel, these are his inheritance, just as he spoke to him.

The tribe of Levi was the only tribe that did not get any land. Instead, just like Yahweh promised, they continued to receive [food from] the sacrifices that were given to Yahweh, the God whom the Israelis [worship], the sacrifices that were burned [on the sacred altar].

15 Therefore, Moses gave a possession to the tribe of the sons of Reuben, according to their families.

Moses had allotted land to each clan in the tribe of Reuben.

16 And their border was from Aroer, which is situated on the bank of the torrent Arnon, and in the midst of the valley of the same torrent, with all the flatlands that lead to Medeba;

Their land extended from Aroer [town] near the Arnon River gorge to Medeba [town]. That included all of the plain [that is near Medeba] and the town in the middle of the gorge.

17 and Heshbon, and all their villages, which are in the plains; also Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and the town of Baalmeon,

It also included Heshbon [city] and all the nearby towns on the plain—Dibon, Bamioth-Baal, Beth-Baal-Meon,

18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the mountain of the steep valley;

Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-Shahar on the hill overlooking the valley,

20 Bethpeor, and the descending slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth;

Beth-Peor, the hills in the Pisgah area, and Beth-Jeshimoth.

21 and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdoms of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who reigned at Heshbon, whom Moses struck down with the leaders of Midian: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the commanders of Sihon, inhabitants of the land.

That land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that King Sihon had previously ruled. But [the army of] Moses had defeated him and the rulers of the Midian people-group: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. The armies of all those rulers fought battles along with the army of Sihon, and they lived in that country.

22 And the sons of Israel killed Balaam, the son of Beor, the seer, with the sword, along with the others who were slain.

The Israeli army killed many people during those battles, including Balaam, [the prophet] from Beor, who tried to use magic to predict/tell what would happen in the future.

23 And the river Jordan was made the border of the sons of Reuben; this is the possession of the Reubenites, by their families, in cities and villages.

The [western] boundary of the land that was allotted to the clans of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan [River].

24 And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad and his sons, by their families, a possession, of which this is the division:

Moses also allotted some land to each clan in the tribe of Gad.

25 the border of Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and one half part of the land of the sons of Ammon, as far as Aroer, which is opposite Rabbah;

Their land included the Jazer [area] and all the towns of the Gilead [area]; half of the land where the Ammon people-group lived, as far as Aroer [town which is] near Rabbah [town];

26 and from Heshbon as far as Ramath, Mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim as far as the borders of Debir;

the area from Heshbon [city] to Ramath-Mizpah and Betonim [towns; the area] from Mahanaim [town] to the Debir region;

27 also, in the valley Beth-haram and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the remaining part of the kingdom of Sihon, the king of Heshbon; the limit of this also is the Jordan, as far as the furthest part of the sea of Chinnereth, beyond the Jordan on the eastern side.

Beth-Haram, Beth-Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon [cities] in the valley; and the other area that King Sihon had ruled on the east side of the Jordan River. That area extended [north] to the southern end of Galilee Lake.

28 This is the possession of the sons of Gad, by their families, in their cities and villages.

All this land, including the towns and villages, was allotted to the tribe of Gad.

29 He also gave, to the one half tribe of Manasseh and to his sons, a possession according to their families,

Moses also had allotted some of the land [on the east side of the Jordan River] to half of the tribe of Manasseh.

30 the beginning of which is this: from Mahanaim, all of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Og, the king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty towns;

Their land extended [north] from Mahanaim [city]. It included all the Bashan region, all the land that King Og had ruled, and all the towns in the Jair area in Bashan. Altogether that area included 60 towns.

31 and one half part of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, to the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, to one half part of the sons of Machir, according to their families.

Their area also included half of the Gilead region, and the cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei where King Og had ruled. All that area was allotted to the clans descended from Manasseh’s son Makir.

32 Moses divided this possession, in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho on the eastern side.

Moses had allotted to those tribes the land that was on the plain of the Moab [region], on the east side of the Jordan [River], across from Jericho.

33 But to the tribe of Levi he did not give a possession. For the Lord, the God of Israel, is himself their possession, just as he spoke to him.

But Moses did not allot any land to the tribe of Levi because Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, promised that he himself would always provide for them.