Joshua 18

1 And all the congregation of the sons of Israel is assembled [at] Shiloh, and they cause the Tent of Meeting to dwell there, and the land has been 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 are seven tribes left among the sons of Israel who have not shared their inheritance,

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

3 and Joshua says to the sons of Israel, “Until when are you remiss to go in to possess the land which He, YHWH, God of your fathers, has 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 Give three men from you for [each] tribe, and I send them, and they rise and go up and down through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance, and come 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 have divided it into seven portions—Judah stays by its border on the south, and the house of Joseph stays by their border on 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 and you describe the land [in] seven portions, and have brought [it] to me here, and I have cast a lot for you here before our God YHWH;

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 there is no portion for the Levites in your midst, for the priesthood of YHWH [is] their inheritance, and Gad, and Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses, servant of YHWH, 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 rise and go; and Joshua commands those who are going to describe the land, saying, “Go, and walk up and down through the land, and describe it, and return to me, and here I cast a lot for you before YHWH 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 go, and pass over through the land, and describe it by cities, in seven portions, on a scroll, and they come 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 casts a lot for them in Shiloh before YHWH, and there Joshua apportions the land to the sons 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 a lot goes up [for] the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, for their families; and the border of their lot goes out between the sons of Judah and the sons 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 the border is for them at the north side from the Jordan, and the border has gone up to the side of Jericho on the north, and gone up through the hill-country westward, and its outgoings have been 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 border has gone over there to Luz, to the side of Luz (it [is] Beth-El) southward, and the border has gone down [to] Atroth-Addar, by the hill that [is] on the south of the lower Beth-Horon;

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 has been marked out, and has gone around to the corner of the sea southward, from the hill which [is] at the front of Beth-Horon southward, and its outgoings have been to Kirjath-Ba‘al (it [is] Kirjath-Jearim), a city of the sons of Judah: this [is] the west quarter.

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 quarter [is] from the end of Kirjath-Jearim, and the border has gone out westward, and has gone out to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah;

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

16 and the border has come down to the extremity of the hill which [is] on the front of the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which [is] in the Valley of the Rephaim northward, and has gone down the Valley of Hinnom to the side of Jebusi southward, and gone down [to] En-Rogel,

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 has been marked out on the north, and gone out to En-Shemesh, and gone out to Geliloth, which [is] opposite the ascent of Adummim, and gone down [to] the stone of Bohan 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 over to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and gone down to 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 border has passed over to the side of Beth-Hoglah northward, and the outgoings of the border have been to the north bay of the Salt Sea, to the south extremity of the Jordan; this [is] the south border;

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 borders it at the east quarter; this [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, by its borders all around, for their families.

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

21 And the cities for the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, for their families, have been Jericho, and Beth-Hoglah, and the Valley of Keziz,

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

22 and Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, and Beth-El,

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

23 and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24 and Chephar-Haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities and their villages.

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

25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

In addition: 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 Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi (it [is] Jerusalem), Gibeath, Kirjath; fourteen cities and their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, for 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.