Joshua 13

1 Now Joshua was very old when Yahweh said to him, “You are very old, but there is still very much land to capture.

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 those of 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 Shihor, which is east of Egypt, and northward to the border of Ekron, which is considered property of the Canaanites; the five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron—the territory of the Avvites.

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 In the south (the territory of the Avvites); all the lands of the Canaanites, from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek which is on the border of the Amorites;

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

5 the land of the Gebalites, all of Lebanon toward the east, from Baal Gad below 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 Also, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim, including all the people of Sidon. I will drive them out before the army of Israel. Be sure to assign the land to Israel as an inheritance, as I 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 Divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half 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 of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received their inheritance that Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan,

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 Arnon river gorge (including the city that is in the middle of the gorge), to all the plateau of Medeba as far as 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 all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites;

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

11 Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, all Bashan to Salekah;

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 Edrei—these are what was left of the remnant of the Rephaim—Moses struck them 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 But the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. Instead, Geshur and Maacath live among 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 To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings of Yahweh, the God of Israel, made by fire, are their inheritance, as God said to Moses.

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 an inheritance to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan.

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

16 Their territory was from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River gorge, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plateau 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 Reuben also received Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plateau, Dibon, and Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon,

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

18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth Shahar on the hill of the valley.

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

20 Reuben also received 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 plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had defeated together with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who had 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 people of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination, among the rest of those they had killed.

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 tribe of Reuben is the Jordan River; this is their boundary. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben, given to each of their clans, with their cities and villages.

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

24 This is what Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:

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

25 Their territory was Jazer, all the cities of Gilead and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east 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 from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.

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

27 In the valley, Moses gave them Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as a border, to the lower end of the Sea of Kinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.

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 tribe of Gad, clan by clan, with their cities and 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 assigned to the half tribe of the people of Manasseh, clan by clan.

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 territory 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 of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). These were assigned to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh—half of the people of Machir, clan by clan.

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 This is the inheritance that Moses assigned to them on the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

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 Moses did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as he said 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.