Joshua 13

1 And Joshua is old, entering into days, and YHWH says to him, “You have become aged, you have entered into days; as for the land, very much has been left to possess.

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 is left: all the circuits of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

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

3 from Sihor which [is] on the front of Egypt, and to the border of Ekron northward (it is reckoned to the Canaanite), five princes of the Philistines, the Gazathite, and the Ashdothite, the Eshkalonite, the Gittite, and the Ekronite, also the Avim;

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 from the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah, which [is] to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the border of the Amorite;

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

5 and the land of the Giblite, and all Lebanon, at the sun-rising, from Ba‘al-Gad under Mount Hermon, to the going in to 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 the inhabitants of the hill-country, from Lebanon to Misrephoth-Maim, all the Sidonians: I dispossess them before the sons of Israel; only, cause it to fall to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded 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, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes, and half of the 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 [the other half], the Reubenite and the Gadite have received their inheritance, which Moses has given to them beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses servant of YHWH has given to 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 Aroer, which [is] on the edge of the Brook of Arnon, and the city which [is] in the midst of the brook, and all the plain of Medeba to Dihon,

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 king of the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border 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, and the border of the Geshurite, and of the Maachathite, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salcah;

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 Edrei; he was left of the remnant of the Rephaim, and Moses strikes them, and dispossesses 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 did not dispossess the Geshurite, and the Maachathite; and Geshur and Maachath dwell in the midst of Israel to 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, he has not given an inheritance to the tribe of Levi; fire-offerings of YHWH, God of Israel, [are] its inheritance, as He has spoken to it.

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 gives to the tribe of the sons of Reuben, for their families;

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

16 and the border is to them from Aroer, which [is] on the edge of the Brook of Arnon, and the city which [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 Heshbon, and all its cities which [are] in the plain, Dibon, and Bamoth-Ba‘al, and Beth-Ba‘al-Meon,

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

18 and Jahazah, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 and Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zareth-Shahar, on the mountain of the valley,

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

20 and Beth-Peor, and the Springs 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 kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck, with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, princes 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 have slain Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword, among their wounded ones.

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 border of the sons of Reuben is the Jordan, and [its] border; this [is] the inheritance of the sons of Reuben, for 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 gives to the tribe of Gad, to the sons of Gad, for their families;

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

25 and the border to them is Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half of the land of the sons of Ammon, to Aroer which [is] on the front of 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 to Ramath-Mispeh, and Betonim, and from Mahanaim 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-Aram, and Beth-Nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan and [its] border, to the extremity of the Sea of Chinnereth, beyond 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 sons of Gad, for 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 gives to the half-tribe of Manasseh; and it is to the half-tribe of the sons of Manasseh, for 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 border is from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the small towns of Jair, 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 of Gilead, and Ashteroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, [are] to the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, to the half of the sons of Machir, for 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 whom Moses caused to inherit in the plains of Moab beyond 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 and Moses did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi; YHWH, God of Israel, Himself, [is] their inheritance, as He has spoken to 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.