Joshua 13

1 Now Joshua was old and well stricken in years. YHWH said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.

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 still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all 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 Shihor, which is before Egypt, even to the border of Ekron northward, which is counted as Canaanite; the five lords of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, 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 from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites;

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

5 and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to Lebo 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, even all the Sidonians; them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only you allocate it 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 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh: from the Jordan as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, you are to give it; the Great Sea will be the boundary.

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 But to the two tribes and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, with him the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of YHWH gave 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, that is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba 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 Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the people 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 Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

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 (the same was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses attacked these, and drove 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 did not drive out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath 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 gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The offerings of YHWH, the God of Israel, made by fire are his inheritance, as he spoke to him.

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 Moses gave to the tribe of the descendants of Reuben according to their families.

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

16 Their border was from Aroer, that is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, 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 that are in the plain; Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,

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

18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar in the mount of the valley,

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

20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth,

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

21 all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in 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 The children of Israel also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword, among the rest of 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 The border of the descendants of Reuben was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Reuben according to their families, the cities and its villages.

The [western] boundary of the land that was allotted to the clans of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan [River].

24 Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the descendants of Gad, according to their families.

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

25 Their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the people of Ammon, to Aroer 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 Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh, 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 Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan's bank, to the uttermost part of the sea of Kinnereth 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 descendants of Gad according to their families, the cities and its villages.

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

29 Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was for the half-tribe of the descendants of Manasseh according to 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 Their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the 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 Half Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the descendants of Makir the son of Manasseh, even for the half of the descendants of Makir according to 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 the inheritances which Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan at 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 to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance. YHWH, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he spoke 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.