Joshua 13

1 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.

Now Joshua was old and full of years; and the Lord said to him, You are old and full of years, and there is still very much land to be taken.

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

This is the land which is still to be taken: all the country of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites;

3 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,

From the Shihor, which is before Egypt, to the edge of Ekron to the north, which is taken to be Canaanite property: the five chiefs of the Philistines; the Gazites, and the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites, as well as the Avvim;

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

On the south: all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah which is the property of the Zidonians, to Aphek, as far as the limit of the Amorites:

5 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.

And the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, looking east, from Baal-gad under Mount Hermon as far as Hamath:

6 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.

All the people of the hill-country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Zidonians; them will I send out from before the children of Israel: only make division of it to Israel for a heritage, as I have given you orders to do.

7 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].”

So now make division of this land for a heritage to the nine tribes, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

8 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].

With him the Reubenites and the Gadites have been given their heritage, which Moses gave them, on the east side of Jordan, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them;

9 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].

From Aroer, on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the town in the middle of the valley, and all the table-land from Medeba to Dibon;

10 All the towns ruled by King Sihon were in that area. The land extended to where the Ammon people-group lived.

And all the towns of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who was ruling in Heshbon, to the limits of the children of Ammon;

11 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.

And Gilead, and the land of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

12 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.

All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who was ruling in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he was one of the last of the Rephaim); these did Moses overcome, driving them out of their country.

13 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.

However, the people of Israel did not send out the Geshurites, or the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath are living among Israel to this day.

14 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].

Only to the tribe of Levi he gave no heritage; the offerings of the Lord, the God of Israel, made by fire are his heritage, as he said to him.

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

And Moses gave their heritage to the tribe of Reuben by their families.

16 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.

Their limit was from Aroer, on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the town in the middle of the valley, and all the table-land by Medeba;

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

Heshbon and all her towns in the table-land; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon;

18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

And Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath;

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

And Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar in the mountain of the valley;

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

And Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth;

21 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.

And all the towns of the table-land, and all the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who was ruling in Heshbon, whom Moses overcame, together with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the chiefs of Sihon, who were living in the land.

22 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.

And Balaam, the son of Beor, the prophet, the children of Israel put to death with the sword.

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

And the limit of the children of Reuben was the edge of Jordan. This was the heritage of the children of Reuben by their families, with its towns and its unwalled places.

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

And Moses gave their heritage to the tribe of Gad by their families.

25 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];

And their limit was Jazer, and all the towns of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer before Rabbah;

26 the area from Heshbon [city] to Ramath-Mizpah and Betonim [towns; the area] from Mahanaim [town] to the Debir region;

And from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim to the edge of Debir;

27 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.

And in the valley, Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, having Jordan for its limit, to the end of the sea of Chinnereth on the east side of Jordan.

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

This is the heritage of the children of Gad by their families, with its towns and its unwalled places

29 Moses also had allotted some of the land [on the east side of the Jordan River] to half of the tribe of Manasseh.

And Moses gave their heritage to the half-tribe of Manasseh by their families.

30 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.

And their limit was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and all Havvoth-Jair, in Bashan, sixty towns;

31 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.

And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Machir by their families.

32 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.

These are the heritages of which Moses made distribution in the lowlands of Moab, on the other side of Jordan in Jericho, to the east.

33 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.

But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no heritage: the Lord, the God of Israel, is their heritage, as he said to them.