< Joshua 18 >

1 And the whole Congregation of the children of Israel, came together at Shiloh: for they set vp the Tabernacle of the Congregation there, after the land was subiect vnto them.
The Israeli people captured all the land [that they were able to], but there were still seven tribes that had not been allotted any land. The Israeli people all gathered at Shiloh, and they set up the Sacred Tent there.
2 Nowe there remained among the children of Israel seuen tribes, to whom they had not deuided their inheritance.
3 Therefore Ioshua said vnto the children of Israel, Howe long are ye so slacke to enter and possesse the land which the Lord God of your fathers hath giuen you?
Joshua said to them, “Why are you waiting a long time to take control of [the rest of] the land that Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [worshiped], has promised to give to you [RHQ]?
4 Giue from among you for euery tribe three men, that I may sende them, and that they may rise, and walke through the land, and distribute it according to their inheritance, and returne to me.
Choose three men from each of your seven tribes. Then I will send them to explore [the parts of] the land [which you have not occupied yet. When they finish exploring it], they must write a report, in which they will (make a map/show the boundaries) of the land that each tribe wants to receive.
5 And that they may deuide it vnto them into seuen parts, (Iudah shall abide in his coast at the South, and the house of Ioseph shall stand in their coastes at the North)
They will divide the remaining land into seven parts. The tribe of Judah will keep its land in the south, and the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will keep their land in the north.
6 Ye shall describe the land therefore into seuen partes, and shall bring them hither to me, and I will cast lottes for you here before the Lord our God.
But in their report, the men from the seven tribes should describe the seven parts of the remaining land [that they wish to receive], and bring the report to me. While Yahweh is watching, I will (cast lots/throw marked stones) [to decide which land should be allotted to each tribe].
7 But the Leuites shall haue no part among you: for the Priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: also Gad and Reuben and halfe the tribe of Manasseh haue receiued their inheritance beyond Iorden Eastward, which Moses the seruant of the Lord gaue them.
But the tribe of Levi will not be allotted any land, because their [reward is that they will be] Yahweh’s priests. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already been allotted their land on the east side of the Jordan [River], just as Moses, the man who served God [well], decided, [so they will not get any more land].”
8 Then the men arose, and went their way: and Ioshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Depart, and goe through the land, and describe it, and returne to me, that I may here cast lottes for you before the Lord in Shiloh.
When the men who were chosen [got ready to] leave, Joshua told them, “Go and explore the land. Then write a report of what you have seen, and bring it back to me. Then while Yahweh is watching, I will (cast lots/throw marked stones) here at Shiloh, [to determine what area each tribe will receive].”
9 So the men departed, and passed through the lande, and described it by cities into seuen partes in a booke, and returned to Ioshua into the campe at Shiloh.
So the men left and walked through the area. Then they described in a scroll each town that was in the seven parts [into which they had divided] the land. Then they returned to Joshua, who was still at Shiloh.
10 Then Ioshua cast lottes for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Ioshua deuided the land vnto the children of Israel, according to their portions:
[After Joshua read their report], while Yahweh was watching, he (cast lots/threw marked stones) to choose which land would be allotted to each of the seven Israeli tribes.
11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Beniamin came foorth according to their families, and the cost of their lot lay betweene the children of Iudah, and the children of Ioseph.
The first tribe that was allotted land was the tribe of Benjamin. Each clan in that tribe was allotted some of the land that was between the area that was allotted to the tribe of Judah and the area that was allotted to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
12 And their coast on the Northside was from Iorden, and the border went vp to the side of Iericho on the Northpart, and went vp through the mountaines Westward, and the endes thereof are in the wildernesse of Beth-auen:
The northern border started at the Jordan [River] and extended west along the northern side of Jericho, into the hilly area. From there the border extended west to the desert near Beth-Aven [town].
13 And this border goeth along from thence to Luz, euen to the Southside of Luz (the same is Beth-el) and this border descendeth to Atroth-addar, neere the mount, that lyeth on the Southside of Beth-horon the nether.
From there it extended southwest to Luz (which is [now named] Bethel). From there it extended southwest to Ataroth-Addar [town], which is on the hill south of Lower Beth-Horon [city].
14 So the border turneth, and compasseth the corner of the Sea Southward, from the mount that lyeth before Beth-horon Southward: and the endes thereof are at Kiriath-baal (which is Kiriath-iearim) a citie of the children of Iudah: this is the Westquarter.
At the hill south of Beth-Horon, the border turned and extended south to Kiriath-Baal [town], which is [also named] Kiriath-Jearim. That is a town where people of the tribe of Judah live. That was the western border of the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin.
15 And the Southquarter is from the ende of Kiriath-iearim, and this border goeth out Westward, and commeth to the fountaine of waters of Nephtoah.
The southern border of their land started near Kiriath-Jearim and extended west to Nephtoah Springs.
16 And this border descendeth at the ende of the mountaine, that lyeth before the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the valley of the gyants Northward, and descendeth into the valley of Hinnom by the side of Iebusi Southwarde, and goeth downe to En-rogel,
From there it extended south to the bottom of the hill, near Ben-Hinnom Valley, on the north side of Repha Valley. The border extended south along the Hinnom Valley, south of the city where the Jebus people-group lived, to En-Rogel.
17 And compasseth from the North, and goeth foorth to En-shemesh, and stretcheth to Geliloth, which is toward the going vp vnto Adummim, and goeth downe to the stone of Bohan the sonne of Reuben.
From there the border extended west to En-Shemesh, and continued to Geliloth near Adummim Pass. Then it extended to the great stone of Reuben’s son Bohan.
18 So it goeth along to the side ouer against the plaine Northward, and goeth downe into the plaine.
From there the border extended to the northern edge of Beth-Arabah [town] and down into the Jordan [River] Valley.
19 After, this border goeth along to the side of Beth-hoglah Northward: and the endes thereof, that is, of the border, reach to the point of the salt Sea Northward, and to the ende of Iorden Southward: this is the Southcoast.
From there it extended east to the northern edge of Beth-Hoglah [town] and ended at the north end of the Dead Sea, where the Jordan [River flows into the Dead Sea]. That was the southern boundary [of the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin].
20 Also Iorden is the border of it on the Eastside: this is the inheritance of the children of Beniamin by the coastes thereof rounde about according to their families.
The Jordan [River] was the eastern boundary of the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. Those were the boundaries of the land allotted to them.
21 Nowe the cities of the tribe of the children of Beniamin according to their families, are Iericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,
The cities in the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin were Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz,
22 And Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el,
Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 And Auim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 And Chephar, Ammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba: twelue cities with their villages.
Kephar-Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. Altogether there were fourteen towns and the surrounding villages.
25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
The tribe of Benjamin also had the towns of Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 And Zela, Eleph, and Iebusi, (which is Ierusalem) Gibeath, and Kiriath: fourteene cities with their villages: this is the inheritance of the children of Beniamin according to their families.
Zelah, Haeleph, the city where the Jebus people-group lived (which is [now named] Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. Altogether there were 14 towns and the surrounding villages. All that area was allotted to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

< Joshua 18 >