Joshua 13

1 Now Joshua was old, well stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old, stricken in years, and of the land there remaineth yet very much to be taken possession of.

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 This is the land that yet remaineth: All the circles of the Philistines, and all [the land of the] Geshurites,

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 Shichor, which runneth before Egypt, even unto the boundary of 'Ekron northward, is counted to the Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazzathites, and the Ashdodites, the Eshkelonites, the Gittites, and the 'Ekronites; also the 'Avvim;

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 On the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Me'arah that belongeth to the Zidonians, up to Aphek, up to the border of the Emorites;

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

5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the rising of the sun, from Ba'al-gad under mount Chermon up to the entrance of Chamath.

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 the inhabitants of the mountain from Lebanon unto Missrephoth-mayim, all the Zidonians: these will I drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

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 this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Menasseh.

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 him the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave unto them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord hath given them;

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 'Aro'er, that is upon the bank of the brook Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the brook, and all the plain of Medeba up to 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 Sichon the king of the Emorites, who reigned over Cheshbon, up to the border of the children 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 Gil'ad, and the territory of the Geshurites and Ma'achathites, and all mount Chermon, and all Bashan up to Salchah;

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 All the kingdom of 'Og in Bashan, who reigned in 'Ashtaroth and in Edre'i; who had been left of the remnant of the Rephaim; and Moses smote them, and cast them out.

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 Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites and the Ma'achathites; but the Geshurites and the Ma'achathites continued to dwell in the midst of the Israelites until this 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 Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance: the fire-offerings of the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he hath spoken unto them.

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 And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben according to their families;

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

16 And their territory was from 'Aro'er, that is on the bank of the brook Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the brook, and all the plain by 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 Cheshbon, and all its cities that are in the plain; Dibon, and Bamoth-ba'al, and Beth-ba'al-me'on,

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

18 And Yahzah, and Kedemoth, and Mepha'ath,

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 And Kiryathayim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-hashachar on the mount of the valley,

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

20 And Beth-pe'or, and the declivities of Pisgah, and Beth-hayeshimoth,

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

21 And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sichon the king of the Emorites, who reigned in Cheshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Chur, and Reba', the dukes of Sichon, the dwellers of the country.

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 Bil'am the son of Be'or, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among their 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 boundary of the children of Reuben was the Jordan, and its bordering territory. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and their 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 unto the tribe of Gad, unto the children of Gad according to their families;

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

25 And their territory was Ya'zer, and all the cities of Gil'ad, and half the land of the children of 'Ammon, up to 'Aro'er that is before 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 Cheshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Machanayim up to the border of Debir;

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

27 And in the valley, Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sichon the king of Cheshbon, the Jordan and its bordering territory, up to the edge of the sea of Kinnereth on the other side of the Jordan eastward.

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 inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities and their villages.

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

29 And Moses gave unto the half tribe of Menasseh; and it belonged to the half tribe of the children of Menasseh after 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 And their territory was from Machanayim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of 'Og the king of Bashan, and all the villages of Ya'ir, which are in Bashan, sixty cities;

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 half Gil'ad and 'Ashtaroth, and Edre'i, the cities of the kingdom of 'Og in Bashan, [belonged] unto the children of Machir the son of Menasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir after 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 These are they to whom Moses did distribute an inheritance in the plans of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.

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 unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the Lord the God of Israel is himself their inheritance, as he hath spoken unto them.

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.