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 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 And there are seven tribes left among the sons of Israel who have not shared their inheritance,
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?
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 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 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 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 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 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;
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 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 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 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.”
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 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 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 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.
[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 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 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 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;
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 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;
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 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.
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 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 border of their land started near Kiriath-Jearim and extended west to Nephtoah Springs.
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,
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 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 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 and passed over to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and gone down to Arabah;
From there the border extended to the northern edge of Beth-Arabah [town] and down into the Jordan [River] Valley.
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 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 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 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 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,
The cities in the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin were 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. 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 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.
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.
