Joshua 18

1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up there the tabernacle of the congregation. And the land was subdued before them.

The land had been subdued and lay before them. The Israelites gathered together at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting.

2 And there remained among the children of Israel, that had not yet received their inheritance, seven tribes.

However, seven of the Israelite tribes had not received their land allocations.

3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long will ye show yourselves slack to go to take possession of the land, which the Lord the God of your fathers hath given to you!

So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you go on being reluctant to go and take possession of the land that the Lord gave your forefathers?

4 Furnish for yourselves three men for each tribe; and I will send them out, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance, and come again to me.

Choose three men from each tribe and I will send them out to explore the land. Then they can write a description regarding the land allocations and bring it to me.

5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall remain on his boundary at the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain on their boundary at the north.

They are to divide the land into seven parts, up to the boundary of Judah's land in the south and Joseph's land in the north.

6 But you shall make a description of the land in seven parts, and bring it hither to me; and I will cast the lot for you here, before the Lord our God.

Once you have written the description the land, dividing it in seven parts, you will bring it to me here and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God.

7 For to the Levites there is no portion among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance; and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Menasseh have already received their inheritance beyond the Jordan, at the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave to them.

But the Levites do not receive a share, for their role as priests of the Lord is their allocation. Also, Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allocation that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan.”

8 And the men arose, and went away; and Joshua charged those that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and return again to me; and here will I cast the lot for you before the Lord, in Shiloh.

As the men started out on their way to explore the land. Joshua told them, “Go throughout the land and write a description of what you find. Then return to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.”

9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it according to the cities in seven parts in a book; and they came again to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

So the men went and explored the land and wrote down on a scroll a description of the seven parts, recording the towns in each part. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh

10 And Joshua cast the lot for them in Shiloh before the Lord; and Joshua divided there the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

where Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the Lord. There Joshua divided the land up and allotted the different parts to the remaining Israelite tribes.

11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families; and the boundary of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

The first lot cast went to the tribe of Benjamin, by families. The land allotted lay between that of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Joseph.

12 And their boundary was on the north side [starting] from the Jordan; and the boundary went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the mountains westward; and its terminations were at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

Their boundary began at the Jordan, and went north of the slope of Jericho, west through the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

13 And the boundary went over from there toward Luz, to the south side of Luz, which is Beth-el; and the boundary descended to 'Atroth-addar, upon the mount that is on the south side of the lower Beth-choron.

Then the boundary went south to Luz (or Bethel) and on down to Ataroth-addar on the mountain south of Lower Beth-horon.

14 And the border extended [thence], and fetched a compass to the west side, to the south of the mount that is before Beth-choron at the south; and its terminations were at Kiryath-ba'al, which is Kiryath-ye'arim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west side.

Here the boundary turned south along the western side of the mountain facing Beth-horon, finishing at Kiriath-baal (or Kiriath-jearim), a town of the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.

15 And the south side commenced from the end of Kiryath-ye'arim, and the boundary went out on the west, and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoach:

The southern boundary began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim. It ran to the spring at Nephtoah,

16 And the boundary went down to the end of the mountain that is before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of Rephaim at the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusi on the south, and descended to 'Enrogel,

and then down to the foot of the mountain that faces the valley of Ben-hinnom, at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. Then it went down the valley of Hinnom, along the slope near the Jebusite town, south towards En-rogel.

17 And extended northwardly, and went forth to 'En-shemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is opposite to the ascent of Adummim, and descended to Eben-bohan the son of Reuben,

From there it headed north to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, opposite the heights of Adummim, and then on down to the Stone of Bohan (Reuben's son).

18 And passed along on this side opposite to 'Arabah northward; and went down unto 'Arabah;

Then it went along the ridge opposite the Jordan Valley to the north, and then down into the Jordan Valley itself.

19 And the boundary passed along to the side of Beth-choglah northward; and the terminations of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south boundary.

From there it ran along the north slope of Beth-hoglah, ending at the north bay of the Salt Sea, the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

20 And the Jordan bounded it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by its boundaries round about, according to their families.

The eastern boundary was the Jordan. These were the boundaries around the land of the tribe of Benjamin, by families.

21 Now these were the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families, Jericho, and Beth-choglah, and 'Emekkeziz,

These were the towns of the tribe of Benjamin, according to families: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

22 And Beth-ha'arabah, and Zemarayim, and Beth-el,

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

23 And Avvim, and Parah, and 'Ophrah,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24 And Kephar-ha'ammonah, and 'Ophni, and Geba': twelve cities with their villages.

Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their associated villages.

25 Gib'on, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

In addition: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

26 And Mizpeh, and Kephirah, and Mozah,

Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,

27 And Rekem, and Yirpeel, and Taralah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

28 And Zela', Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gib'ath, and Kiryath: fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen towns with their associated villages. This was the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, by families.