Bible in 90 Days

Allotments to Judah

15 Joshua said,^[a] “Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah, allocated^[b] according to their families, will extend to the border of Edom, southward to the wilderness of Zin until land’s end, ² then from the southern end of the Dead Sea, that is, from the bay that orients toward the Negev,^{[c] 3} proceeding south to the ascent of Akrabbim, then continuing to Zin, and from there up along the south of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron, and from there up to Addar and then to Karka, ⁴ passing along to Azmon toward the Wadi^[d] of Egypt and ending at the sea. This will be your southern border.”

⁵ The eastern border was the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan River. The border of the north side extended from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River ⁶ toward Beth-hoglah, and continuing on the north of Beth-arabah. The border ascended up to the boundary marker set up by Reuben’s son Bohan.

⁷ The boundary then went up to Debir from the Achor valley and turned north toward Gilgal opposite the ascent of Adummim in the southern part of the valley. Then the border continued to the waters of En-shemesh and terminated at En-rogel. ⁸ Then the border proceeded up the valley of Ben-hinnom to the southern ascent of the Jebusites (that is, to Jerusalem), and from there to the top of the mountain that faces the valley of Hinnom to the west at the end of the valley of Rephaim^[e] toward the north.

⁹ The border proceeded from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, then to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then the border curved toward Baalah (also known as Kiriath-jearim). ¹⁰ The border turned west from Baalah to Mount Seir,^[f] continuing to the top of Mount Jearim on the north (also known as Chesalon), and then proceeded to Beth-shemesh, continuing through Timnah.

¹¹ The border proceeded north to the edge of Ekron, then curved to Shikkeron and on to Mount Baalah, proceeding then to Jabneel, where the boundary ended at the sea. ¹² The western border was at the Mediterranean Sea coastline. This is the border that surrounded the territory of^[g] the descendants of Judah, according to their families.

Caleb’s Conquests^(A)

¹³ Now Joshua^[h] gave an allotment among the descendants of Judah to Jephunneh’s son Caleb, just as God told Joshua, Kiriath-arba, which was named after the^[i] ancestor of Anak (that is, Hebron). ¹⁴ From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai—the Anakim.^{[j] 15} Then he went up from there to attack the inhabitants of Debir. (Debir was formerly known as Kiriath-sepher.)

¹⁶ Then Caleb announced, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” ¹⁷ Othniel, the son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, captured it, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. ¹⁸ Sometime later, she came to Othniel^[k] and persuaded him to ask her father for a field.

As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”

¹⁹ She replied, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev,^[l] give me also some springs of water.” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

City Allotments for Judah

²⁰ Here’s a list of cities allotted for the tribe of the descendants of Judah according to their families: ²¹ The cities to the far south of the tribe of the descendants of Judah (toward the border of Edom in the south) included Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (also known as Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, ²⁸ Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon, for a total of 29 cities and villages.

³³ The lowland cities included Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuach, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim, for a total of fourteen cities and villages.

³⁷ Also included were^[m] Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, ³⁸ Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah, for a total of sixteen cities and villages.

⁴² Also included were Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah, for a total of nine cities and villages.

⁴⁵ Also included were Ekron, with its towns and villages, ⁴⁶ from Ekron to the Mediterranean^[n] Sea, including everything by the edge of Ashdod, along with their villages, ⁴⁷ Ashdod and its towns and villages, Gaza and its towns and villages as far as the River of Egypt, and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴⁸ The hill country included Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (also known as Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, Giloh, for a total of eleven cities and villages. ⁵² Also included were Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janum, Beth-tappuach, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), and Zior, for a total of nine cities and villages. ⁵⁵ Also included were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah, for a total of ten cities and villages. ⁵⁸ Also included were Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon, for a total of six cities and villages. ⁶⁰ Also included were Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah, for a total of two cities and villages.

⁶¹ The wilderness included Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, ⁶² Nibshan, Salt City, and En-gedi, for a total of six cities and villages.

⁶³ Now as for the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, the descendants of Judah could not expel them, so Jebusites live with the descendants of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

Ephraim’s Allocation

16 The territorial allotment for the descendants of Joseph proceeded from the Jordan River by Jericho eastward of the Jericho waters into the wilderness, proceeding from Jericho through the hill country of Bethel ² and from Bethel to Luz, continuing to the border of the Archites at Ataroth. ³ It proceeded westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the territory of lower Beth-horon, then toward Gezer, ending at the Mediterranean^[o] Sea.

⁴ Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance. ⁵ This was the territory allocated to the descendants of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as upper Beth-horon. ⁶ Then the border proceeded west from Michmethath on the north, then turned east toward Taanath-shiloh, continuing to the east of Janoah. ⁷ It proceeded from Janoah to Ataroth, then to Naarah, then proceeded to Jericho and ended at the Jordan River. ⁸ From Tappuach, the border proceeded west to the Kanah brook, ending at the Mediterranean Sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim according to their families, ⁹ along with the cities that had been set aside for the descendants of Ephraim within the allotment of the descendants of Manasseh, including all of the cities and villages. ¹⁰ However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live within the territory of^[p] Ephraim to this day, but they serve as forced laborers.

Manasseh’s Allocation

17 The territorial allotment for the tribe of Manasseh, the firstborn of Joseph, was allocated first^[q] to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of Gilead. Since he had been a man of war, Gilead and Bashan were allocated to him.^[r]

² Now allotments were made^[s] with respect to the remaining descendants of Manasseh according to their families: for the descendants of Abiezer, the descendants of Helek, the descendants of Asriel, the descendants of Shechem, the descendants of Hepher, and the descendants of Shemida—the male descendants of Joseph’s son Manasseh, according to their families.

³ Hepher’s son Zelophehad, grandson of Gilead and great-grandson of Manasseh’s son Machir had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴ They appeared before Eleazar the priest and Nun’s son Joshua and declared, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So in keeping what the Lord had commanded, he gave them an inheritance among their ancestor’s relatives. ⁵ That is why ten allotments fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan River, ⁶ since the granddaughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. (The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.)

⁷ The border of Manasseh proceeded from Asher to Michmethath east of Shechem, then turned south to include the inhabitants of En-tappuach. ⁸ (The territory of Tappuach belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuach itself,^[t] on the border of Manasseh, was allocated^[u] to the descendants of Ephraim.) ⁹ The border proceeded to the Kanah brook and proceeded south. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, with the border of Manasseh on the north of the brook, terminating at the Mediterranean^[v] Sea.

¹⁰ The southern area was allocated to Ephraim and the northern area to Manasseh. The Mediterranean^[w] Sea was the border, extending to Asher on the North and to Issachar on the east. ¹¹ In Issachar and Asher, Manasseh held Beth-shean and its towns, Ibleam and its towns, the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, and the three coastal districts.^{[x] 12} The descendants of Manasseh did not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites predominated in that territory. ¹³ Later on, when the Israelis had become strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, but they never did expel them completely.

Protests by the Tribe of Joseph

¹⁴ At that time, the descendants of Joseph asked Joshua, “Why did you give us^[y] only one allotment and portion for an inheritance, since we’re numerous and the Lord has blessed us all along?”

¹⁵ So Joshua replied to them, “Since you’re so numerous, go up to the forest and clear ground there for yourselves in the territory where the Perizzites and Rephaim^[z] are, because the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph replied, “The hill country isn’t sufficient for us, but all the Canaanites who live on the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shean and its villages as well as the inhabitants of the Jezreel Valley.”

¹⁷ So Joshua told the tribes of Joseph, which were Ephraim and Manasseh, “You’re truly a numerous group, and you have great power. You are not to have only one allotment, ¹⁸ but the hill country will also belong to you. Even though it’s a forest, you will clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. You’ll drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they’re strong.”

Other Tribal Allotments

18 After this, the entire assembly of the Israelis gathered together at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there, where the land lay conquered before them. ² Seven tribes remained among the Israelis for whom their inheritances had not yet been allocated.

³ So Joshua told the Israelis, “How long will you delay invading and taking possession of the land that the Lord God of your ancestors has given you? ⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe and I’ll send them. They’ll begin to go through the land and record a description of it, categorized according to their inheritance, and then they’ll report^[aa] back to me. ⁵ They’ll divide it seven ways. Judah will stay in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph will remain in its territory on the north. ⁶ Lay out the land in seven divisions, then bring your report^[ab] here to me. I will then cast lots in the presence of the Lord our God. ⁷ The descendants of Levi have no allotment among you, since the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance to the east, beyond the Jordan River given to them by Moses the servant of the Lord.”

⁸ So the men started out, following Joshua’s command to those who went to scout the land, “Go through the land and record a description of it, and then return to me. I will then cast lots in the presence of the Lord your God in Shiloh.” ⁹ Then the men left camp and went throughout the land, describing its cities in a book with seven divisions. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua threw lots in Shiloh in the Lord’s presence and divided the land accordingly among the Israelis according to their divisions.

Benjamin’s Allocation

¹¹ The allotment of the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin came up according to their families, and their territorial allotment fell between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. ¹² Their border started on the north side at the Jordan River, proceeded to the slope of Jericho on the north, then westward through the hill country, and terminated at the wilderness of Beth-aven. ¹³ From there the boundary proceeded south in the direction of Luz to the slope of Luz (also known as Bethel), then proceeded to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon. ¹⁴ From there the boundary changed direction, turning southward on the western side opposite Beth-horon, terminating at Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim), which belongs to Judah. This formed the western boundary.

¹⁵ The southern boundary began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, proceeding from there to Ephron and then to the spring at the Nephtoah Waters. ¹⁶ From there the boundary proceeded to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Ben-hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Rephaim Valley, where it proceeded down the Hinnom Valley south of the slope of the Jebusites toward En-rogel. ¹⁷ Then it turned north toward En-shemesh and proceeded from there to Geliloth opposite the ascent of Adummim, where it turned toward the Stone of Bohan, Reuben’s son, ¹⁸ and proceeded north of the slope of Beth-arabah down to the Arabah. ¹⁹ From there the boundary proceeded to north of the slope of Beth-hoglah and terminated at the northern bay of the Salt^[ac] Sea where the Jordan River ends in the south. This was the southern border. ²⁰ The Jordan River formed its boundary on the east. This is the inheritance for the tribe of Benjamin according to its families, boundary by boundary around the entire territory.^[ad]

²¹ The towns belonging to the tribe of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, ²² Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba, for a total of twelve towns and villages. ²⁵ Also included were^[ae] Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (also known as Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim, for a total of fourteen towns and villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin according to their families.

Simeon’s Allocation

19 The second lottery went to the tribe of Simeon according to its families. Its inheritance was enclosed within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. ² Its inheritance included Beer-sheba (also known as^[af] Shebah), Moladah, ³ Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, ⁶ Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen, for a total of thirteen towns and villages. ⁷ Also included were^[ag] Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, for a total of four towns and villages. ⁸ Also included were^[ah] all the surrounding villages as far as Baalath-beer, in Ramah of the Negev.^[ai] This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, according to its families. ⁹ The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was contained in part of the territory of Judah; that is, because the portion allotted to the tribe of Judah was large enough for both tribes, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance within that of Judah.^[aj]

Zebulun’s Allocation

¹⁰ The third lottery went to the tribe of Zebulun according to its families. The boundary of its inheritance extended to Sarid, ¹¹ then turned westward toward Maralah, proceeding to Dabbesheth, and then to the valley that is east of Jokneam. ¹² From Sarid it proceeded back eastward, creating a sunrise boundary at Chisloth-tabor, and proceeded from there to Daberath, then to Japhia, ¹³ from which it proceeded toward the east to Gath-hepher, then to Eth-kazin, then going to Rimmon, where it turned toward Neah. ¹⁴ On the north of Neah, the boundary turned toward Hannathon, terminating at Iphtah-el Valley ¹⁵ and Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem, for a total of twelve towns and villages. ¹⁶ These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun according to its families.

Issachar’s Allocation

¹⁷ The fourth lottery went to the tribe of Issachar according to its families. ¹⁸ The territorial allotment included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez, ²² with the boundary including Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh. The boundary terminated at the Jordan River, for a total of sixteen towns and villages. ²³ These towns and villages comprise the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its families.

Asher’s Allocation

²⁴ The fifth lottery went to the tribe of Asher according to its families. ²⁵ The territorial boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal, and on the west Carmel and Shihor-libnath, ²⁷ then proceeded east to Beth-dagon. It proceeded to Zebulun and the Iphtah-el Valley, turned north to Beth-emek and Neiel, then proceeded north to Cabul, ²⁸ Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah as far as Great Sidon. ²⁹ There the boundary turned toward Ramah, reaching to the fortress city of Tyre and turned to Hosah, where it terminated at the Mediterranean^[ak] Sea. Also included were^[al] Mahalab, Achzib, ³⁰ Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob, for a total of 22 towns and villages. ³¹ These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Asher according to its families.

Naphtali’s Allocation

³² The sixth lottery went to the tribe of Naphtali according to its families. ³³ The territorial boundary proceeded from Heleph, the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel as far as Lakkum, terminating at the Jordan River. ³⁴ There the boundary proceeded west to Aznoth-tabor and then to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun at the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan River. ³⁵ Also included were^[am] the fortress towns of Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, ³⁸ Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh, for a total of nineteen towns and their villages. ³⁹ These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali according to its families.

Dan’s Allocation

⁴⁰ The seventh lottery went to the tribe of Dan according to its families. ⁴¹ The territorial allotment included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me-jarkon, and Rakkon at the border near Joppa. ⁴⁷ Later, when the descendants of Dan lost their territory, they went up and attacked Leshem. After they captured it and executed its inhabitants, they took possession of it and settled there, renaming the city of Leshem to Dan in memory of their ancestor Dan. ⁴⁸ These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Dan according to their families.

Joshua’s Allocation

⁴⁹ When the Israelis had completed distribution of the various territories of the land as inheritances, they provided an inheritance to Nun’s son Joshua. ⁵⁰ By a command from the Lord, they allocated the town that he requested, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and settled there. ⁵¹ These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Nun’s son Joshua, and the heads of the families of the Israeli tribes distributed by lot in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge^(B)

20 Then the Lord told Joshua, ² “Tell the people of Israel to set apart cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally and without premeditation may run there and be protected from closely related^[an] avengers. ⁴ He may run to one of those cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and tell his side of the story to the elders of the city. They are to bring him inside the city with them and provide him a place to live among them. ⁵ Now if the closely related^[ao] avenger pursues him, then they are not to hand the killer over to him, because he killed his neighbor without premeditation and without hating him beforehand. ⁶ He is to live in that city until he stands trial before the community, until the death of the one who is high priest at that time. Then the killer may return to his own city and to his own home, that is, to the city from which he fled.”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of Jericho beyond the Jordan River, they reserved Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were appointed to be cities for all the Israelis and for the foreigner who lives among them, so that whoever kills anyone unintentionally may run there and not die at the hands of a closely related^[ap] avenger until he stands for trial before the community.

Reservation of the Levitical Cities

21 Then the family leaders of the descendants of Levi approached Eleazar the priest and Nun’s son Joshua, along with the family leaders of the people of Israel. ² It was at Shiloh in the land of Canaan that they told them, “The Lord ordered through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, along with their pasture lands for our livestock.”

Allocation for the Descendants of Kohath and Descendants of Gershon

³ So, just as the Lord had said, the Israelis set aside cities for the descendants of Levi from a portion of their own inheritances, along with their grazing lands. ⁴ The lottery went to the families of the descendants of Kohath. So the descendants of Aaron the priest, who were descendants of Levi, received thirteen cities by random lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of the descendants of Kohath received ten cities by random lot from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁶ The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by random lot from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh located in Bashan. ⁷ The descendants of Merari, allocated according to their families, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸ The Israelis apportioned these cities, along with their pasture lands, to the descendants of Levi by random lot, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹ From the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon, they gave these cities, delineated by name: ¹⁰ for the descendants of Aaron, one of the families of the descendants of Kohath, of the descendants of Levi, since the lot fell in their favor first. ¹¹ They gave them Kiriath-arba, also known as Hebron, (Arba was named after^[aq] the ancestor of Anak), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasture lands. ¹² But the fields adjoining the city and its surrounding villages were given to Jephunneh’s son Caleb.

¹³ So they gave Hebron to the descendants of Aaron the priest to serve as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, Libnah with its pasture lands, ¹⁴ Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, ¹⁵ Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, ¹⁶ Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands, for a total of nine cities from these two tribes.

¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands, ¹⁸ Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities. ¹⁹ All of the cities allocated^[ar] to the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, numbered thirteen, along with their pasture lands.

²⁰ Cities from the tribe of Ephraim were also allotted to the families of the descendants of Kohath, that is, to the rest of the descendants of Kohath, who were descendants of Levi. ²¹ Shechem was allocated to them as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, in the mountainous region^[as] of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands, ²² Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

²³ From the tribe of Dan were allocated^[at] Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands, ²⁴ Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

²⁵ From the half-tribe of Manasseh were allocated Taanach with its pasture lands and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands, for a total of two cities. ²⁶ All the cities with their pasture lands for the families of the rest of the descendants of Kohath numbered ten.

²⁷ To the descendants of Gershon (one of the Levitical families) from the half-tribe of Manasseh were allocated^[au] Golan in Bashan as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, and Beeshterah with its pasture lands, for a total of two cities.

²⁸ From the tribe of Issachar were allocated^[av] Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, ²⁹ Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

³⁰ From the tribe of Asher were allocated^[aw] Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, ³¹ Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

³² From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands were allocated^[ax] as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands, for a total of three cities.

³³ All the cities of the descendants of Gershon according to their families totaled thirteen, including their pasture lands.

Allocation for the Descendants of Merari

³⁴ From the tribe of Zebulun were allocated^[ay] to the descendants of Merari (that is, the rest of the descendants of Levi) Jokneam with its pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands, ³⁵ Dimnah with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

^36 [az]From the tribe of Reuben were allocated^[ba] Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities.

³⁸ From the tribe of Gad were allocated^[bb] Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, to serve as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, ³⁹ Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities in all.

⁴⁰ So the entire allocation to the descendants of Merari (that is, the rest of the families of the descendants of Levi) according to their families totaled twelve cities.

Summary of Allocations to the Descendants of Levi

⁴¹ All of the cities of the descendants of Levi that had been set apart^[bc] among the territorial^[bd] possession of the Israelis totaled 48, along with their pasture lands. ⁴² These cities were each surrounded by pasture lands, as was the case with all of these cities. ⁴³ So the Lord gave all of the land to Israel that he had promised to give their ancestors, and they took possession and settled there in it. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them peace^[be] all around them, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of their enemies was able to oppose them—the Lord placed all of their enemies under their control. ⁴⁵ Not one of the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed—all of them came about.^[bf]

The Tribes East of the Jordan

22 Later, Joshua called together the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh ² and told them, “You have done everything that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have listened to me in everything that I commanded you. ³ You haven’t abandoned your relatives these past days to the present, and you have met the obligation contained in^[bg] the commands of the Lord your God. ⁴ Now the Lord has given peace^[bh] to your relatives, just as he told them. Therefore, proceed to your tents—to the land that is yours to possess—that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of^[bi] the Jordan River. ⁵ Only be very careful to keep the commands and the Law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you—that is,^[bj] to love the Lord your God, to follow in all of his ways, to keep his commands, to stay close to him, and to serve him with all your heart and soul.” ⁶ That’s how Joshua blessed them. Then he sent them on their way and they returned to their tents.

⁷ Now Moses had made an allotment in Bashan to one half-tribe of Manasseh, but Joshua made an allotment west of the Jordan River to the other half-tribe of their relatives. So when Joshua sent them on their way back to their tents, he also blessed them by saying ⁸ “Return to your tents with great wealth, plenty of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and lots of clothing. Divide the spoil from your enemies among your relatives.”

⁹ The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh went back to the land of Gilead, leaving the Israelis at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, for their territorial possession that they had inherited in accordance with the command of the Lord given through Moses.

An Unauthorized Altar is Constructed

¹⁰ After they arrived at an area of the Jordan River that is in the land of Canaan, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh constructed an altar there by the Jordan River, and it was very large. ¹¹ When the Israelis heard about it, they announced, “Look here, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have constructed an altar in Canaan’s frontier district of the Jordan River, on the side apportioned to the Israelis.” ¹² When the Israelis heard that announcement,^[bk] the entire community of the Israelis gathered together at Shiloh in preparation for war.

¹³ Then the Israelis sent a delegation^[bl] to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. They sent^[bm] Eleazar’s son Phinehas the priest, ¹⁴ and ten officials with him (one for each of the tribal families of Israel, each one of them a family leader among the tribes^[bn] of Israel). ¹⁵ They approached the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and told them: ¹⁶ “This is what the entire community of the Lord has to say: ‘What is this treacherous act by which you have acted deceitfully against the God of Israel by turning away from following the Lord today, and by building yourselves an altar today, so you can rebel against the Lord? ¹⁷ Isn’t the evil that happened at Peor enough for us, from which we have yet to be completely cleansed even to this point,^[bo] and because of which a plague came upon the community of the Lord? ¹⁸ Now then, are you turning away from following the Lord today? If you rebel against the Lord today, by tomorrow he will be angry with the entire community of Israel. ¹⁹ If the land of your inheritance remains unclean, then cross back over into the land that the Lord possesses, and receive an inheritance among us. Don’t rebel against the Lord and against us by constructing an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the Lord our God. ²⁰ Didn’t Zerah’s son Achan act treacherously with respect to the things banned by God,^[bp] and as a result God became angry at^[bq] the entire community of Israel? And that man was not the only one to die because of his iniquity.’”

²¹ The descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the officials of the tribes^[br] of Israel, ²² “The God of gods, the Lord, the God of gods, the Lord is the one who knows! And may Israel itself be aware that if this^[bs] was an act of rebellion or an act of treachery against the Lord, may he not deliver us today! ²³ If we have built an altar for ourselves intended to turn us away from following the Lord, or to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself demand an accounting from us!^{[bt] 24} But we did this because we were concerned for a reason, since we thought, ‘Sometime in the future your descendants may say to our descendants, “What do you have in common^[bu] with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ The Lord has established the Jordan River to be a territorial border between us and you. Descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad have no allotment from the Lord.” So your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the Lord.’

²⁶ “That’s why we said, ‘Let’s build an altar for ourselves, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, ²⁷ but instead it will serve as a reminder^[bv] between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to serve the Lord with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. That way your descendants will not say to our descendants in the future, “You have no allotment from the Lord.”’

²⁸ “That’s also why we said, ‘It may be if they say these things^[bw] to us and to our descendants in the future, so we will respond, “Look at this replica of the altar of the Lord that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifice, but rather as a reminder^[bx] between us and you. ²⁹ May we never rebel against the Lord today by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifice to replace^[by] the altar of the Lord our God which stands before his Tent.”’”

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the community, and the heads of the families of Israel who were with him heard what the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh said, they were pleased. ³¹ So Eleazar’s son Phinehas the priest replied to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the descendants of Manasseh, “Today we’ve demonstrated^[bz] that the Lord is among us, because you have not acted treacherously against the Lord. Now you have delivered the Israelis from the anger^[ca] of the Lord.”

³² So Eleazar’s son Phinehas the priest and the leaders returned from the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan and to the people of Israel, bringing back word to them. ³³ What they said pleased the people of Israel, so they^[cb] blessed God and said no more about going up to attack them in war and to destroy the land where the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad were living. ³⁴ The descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad named the altar “Witness,” because they claimed,^[cc] “It stands as a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Joshua’s Retirement Address to Israel

23 Many years later, after the Lord had given peace^[cd] between Israel and all its surrounding enemies, and after Joshua had become very old, ² Joshua called together all Israel, including their leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers. He told them, “I am old now after having lived many years. ³ You have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to all of these nations on your behalf, because it has been the Lord your God who has been fighting on your behalf. ⁴ Now look, I have allocated these nations that remain as an inheritance for your tribes, including all of the nations that I have eliminated, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean^[ce] Sea to the west.^{[cf] 5} The Lord your God will expel them in front of you, driving them out of your sight. You will take possession of this land, just as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ Stand very strong, then, so you can obey and carry out everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning neither to the right nor to the left of it. ⁷ That way, you will not mingle with those nations that remain among you, nor mention the name of their gods, nor make oaths by them,^[cg] nor serve them, nor worship them. ⁸ Instead, you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done today, ⁹ because the Lord has expelled great and strong nations ahead of you. Now as for you, not a single man has been able to oppose you right to this day. ¹⁰ A single man makes a thousand flee, because the Lord your God is the one who is fighting for you, just as he promised you.

¹¹ “So be very diligent to love the Lord your God, ¹² because if you ever turn back and cling to those who remain of these nations by intermarrying with them and associating one with another, ¹³ know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations ahead of you. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip to your backs, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “Look here: today I’m going down the path that everyone on earth takes, and you know with all your hearts and souls that not a single word of all of the good things that the Lord your God spoke about you has failed to happen. Everything has been fulfilled about you—not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ However, just as all of the good things have come about that the Lord your God promised, so also the Lord will bring upon you all of the threats until he has destroyed you from possessing this good land that he^[ch] has given you. ¹⁶ When you break the covenant of the Lord your God that he commanded you to obey by going to serve other gods and worship them, then the anger of the Lord will blaze against you, and you will perish quickly from this good land that he gave you.”

Joshua’s Final Exhortation

24 Then Joshua assembled together all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called for the leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers of Israel. They assembled in formation before God, ² and Joshua told all of the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has to say:

¹⁴ “Now you must fear the Lord and serve him in faithfulness and truth. Throw away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates^[cq] River and in Egypt. Instead, serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates^[cr] River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

The Response of the People

¹⁶ In response, the people said, “Far be it from us that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods, ¹⁷ since the Lord our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. ¹⁸ The Lord expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the Lord, since he is our God.”

¹⁹ So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all^[cs] the good he has done for you.”

²¹ “No,” the people replied to Joshua. “We will serve the Lord.”

²² Joshua responded, “You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

They replied, “We are witnesses!”

²³ Joshua said,^[ct] “Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

²⁴ The people replied,^[cu] “We will serve the Lord our God and obey his voice.”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. ²⁶ He^[cv] wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of^[cw] the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the Lord, ²⁷ and then^[cx] told all of the people, “Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned^[cy] to his territorial inheritance.

The Death of Joshua^(C)

²⁹ Some time later, Joshua servant of the Lord died at the age of 110 years, and ³⁰ they buried him in his territorial inheritance at Timnath-serah in the mountainous region^[cz] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ³¹ Israel served the Lord for the entire lifetimes of Joshua and of the officials who outlived Joshua, that is, the ones who had personally known everything that the Lord had done for Israel. ³² They also buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelis brought up from Egypt, in the parcel of ground at Shechem that Jacob had purchased from the descendants of Shechem’s father Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver. It became part of the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

The Death of Eleazar the Priest

³³ Later, Aaron’s son Eleazar also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which belonged to his son Phinehas, and which had been given to him in the mountainous region^[da] of Ephraim.

The Capture of Jerusalem

1 Sometime after Joshua had died, the Israelis asked the Lord, “Who is to lead^[db] us against the Canaanites in our opening attack against them?”

² The Lord replied, “The tribe of^[dc] Judah is to lead you.^[dd] Look! I’ve given the land into their control.”

³ But the tribe of Judah told the tribe of Simeon, the descendants of Judah’s^[de] brother, “Come with us^[df] into our territory, and we’ll both fight the Canaanites. In return, we’ll^[dg] go with you when you fight in your territory.” So the army of^[dh] the tribe of Simeon accompanied the army of the tribe of Judah.

⁴ When the army of the tribe of Judah went into battle, the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their control, and they defeated 10,000 men at Bezek. ⁵ They located Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-bezek ran off, but they pursued him, caught him, and amputated his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Adoni-bezek used to brag, “Seventy kings without thumbs and big toes used to eat what was left under my table. God has repaid me for what I’ve done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he later died there.

⁸ Then the army of Judah attacked Jerusalem, captured it, executed its inhabitants, and set fire to the city. ⁹ Later, the army of Judah left Jerusalem^[di] to attack the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Negev,^[dj] and the Shephelah.^{[dk] 10} They^[dl] attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba) and fought Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

The Capture of Debir^(D)

¹¹ The army of Judah then proceeded to attack the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be known as Kiriath-sepher. ¹² Caleb announced, “I’ll give my daughter Achsah in marriage to whomever leads the attack against Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” ¹³ Othniel, Caleb’s nephew through his younger brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb^[dm] awarded him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

¹⁴ Later on, after she had arrived, she urged Othniel^[dn] to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want^[do] for yourself?”

¹⁵ “I want this blessing from you,” she replied. “Since you’ve given me land in the Negev,^[dp] give me water springs, too.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

The Capture of Certain Southern Territories

¹⁶ The descendants of the Kenites, the tribe from which^[dq] Moses’ father-in-law came, accompanied the descendants of Judah from the city of the palms to the Judean wilderness, which is in the desert area south of Arad, and lived with the people there. ¹⁷ The army of Judah accompanied the army of Simeon, Judah’s^[dr] brother, as they attacked the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and they completely destroyed it. Then they renamed the city Hormah. ¹⁸ The army of Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. ¹⁹ The Lord was with the army of Judah, and they captured the hill country, but did not expel the inhabitants of the valley because they were equipped with iron chariots.

Hebron Awarded to Caleb^(E)

²⁰ They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised,^[ds] and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. ²¹ However, the descendants of Benjamin did not expel the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The Capture of Bethel

²² Then the army of the tribe^[dt] of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. ²³ The army of the tribe of Joseph scouted out Bethel, which had been formerly named Luz. ²⁴ The scouts observed a man coming out of the city and they promised him, “Please show us the entrance to the city and we’ll deal kindly with you.” ²⁵ So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they attacked the city with swords, but they let the man and his entire family escape. ²⁶ So the man traveled to the land of the Hittites and built a city that he named “Luz,” and it is called by that name to this day.

Unconquered Territories

²⁷ The army of the tribe of Manasseh did not conquer Beth-shean and its villages, Taanach and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel had grown strong, they subjected the Canaanites to conscripted labor and never did expel them completely.

²⁹ The army of the tribe of Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

³⁰ The army of the tribe of Zebulun did not expel the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but were subjected to conscripted labor.

³¹ The army of the tribe of Asher did not expel the inhabitants of Acco nor the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. ³² So the descendants of Asher lived among the Canaanites who continued to inhabit the land, because they did not expel them.

³³ The army of the tribe of Naphtali did not expel the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and the inhabitants of Beth-anath. Instead, they lived among the Canaanites who inhabited the land. However, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to conscripted labor.

³⁴ Later on, the Amorites forced the descendants of Dan into the hill country and did not permit them to come into the valleys of the hills. ³⁵ Furthermore, the Amorites continued to inhabit Mount Heres in Aijalon and Shaalbim. Eventually, however, after the tribe^[du] of Joseph had become strong, the Amorites^[dv] were subjected to conscripted labor. ³⁶ The Amorite border extended upward from the Akrabbim Ascent, that is, from Sela.

Israel is Rebuked

2 Some time later, the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and announced to Israel,^[dw] “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I promised to your ancestors. I had told them,^[dx] ‘I’ll never breach my covenant with you. ² As for you, you must not make any treaties^[dy] with the inhabitants of this land. Instead, tear down their altars.’ But you haven’t obeyed me. What have you done? ³ Therefore I’m now saying,^[dz] ‘I won’t expel them before you. Instead, they’ll remain at your side, and their gods will ensnare you.’”

⁴ Because the angel of the Lord said these things to all of the Israelis, the people wept out loud, ⁵ which is why they named the place Bochim.^[ea] And there they sacrificed to the Lord. ⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelis returned to their respective inheritances to take possession of the land.

The Death of Joshua^(F)

⁷ The people served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua as well as the lifetimes of all the elders who outlived Joshua and who had observed all the great deeds that the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ But then Nun’s son Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. ⁹ They buried him in Timnath-heres, within the boundaries of his inheritance in the mountainous region^[eb] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ After that whole generation had died,^[ec] another generation grew up after them that was not acquainted with the Lord or with what he had done for Israel.

The Rise of the Judges

¹¹ So the Israelis practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by worshiping Canaanite deities.^{[ed] 12} They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them. They bowed down in worship of them, and by doing so angered the Lord. ¹³ As a result, they abandoned the Lord by serving both Baal^[ee] and Ashtaroth.^{[ef] 14} So in his burning anger against Israel, the Lord gave them into the domination of marauders who plundered them. The enemies who surrounded the Israelis^[eg] controlled them, and they were no longer able to withstand their adversaries. ¹⁵ Wherever they went, the Lord worked^[eh] against them to bring misfortune, just as the Lord had warned, and just as the Lord had promised them. As a result, they suffered greatly.

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up leaders,^[ei] who delivered Israel^[ej] from domination by their marauders. ¹⁷ But they didn’t listen to their leaders, because they were committing spiritual immorality by following other gods and worshiping them. They quickly turned away from the road on which their ancestors had walked in obedience to the commands of the Lord. They didn’t follow their example. ¹⁸ As a result, whenever the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord remained present with their leader, delivering Israel^[ek] from the control of their enemies during the lifetime of that leader. The Lord^[el] was moved with compassion by their groaning that had been caused by those who were oppressing and persecuting them. ¹⁹ However, after the leader had died, they would relapse to a condition more corrupt than their ancestors, following other gods, serving them, and worshiping them. They would not abandon their activities or their obstinate lifestyles.

²⁰ In his burning anger against Israel, the Lord said, “Because the people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep, and because they haven’t obeyed me, ²¹ I’m also going to stop expelling any of the nations that remained after Joshua died. ²² That way, I’ll use them to demonstrate whether or not Israel will keep the Lord’s lifestyle by walking on that road like their ancestors did.” ²³ So the Lord caused those nations to remain and did not expel them quickly. He did not give them into Joshua’s control.

Unconquered Canaanite Nations

3 Here’s a list of nations that the Lord caused to remain in order to test Israel (that is,^[em] everyone who had not gained any battle experience in Canaan) ² only so that successive Israeli generations, who had not known war previously, might come to know it by experience. ³ These nations included^[en] the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They remained there to test Israel, to reveal if they would obey the commands of the Lord that he issued to their ancestors through Moses.

Othniel, Israel’s First Judge

⁵ The Israelis continued to live among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, ⁶ taking their daughters as wives for themselves, giving their own daughters to their sons, and serving their gods. ⁷ The Israelis kept on practicing evil in full view of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served Canaanite male and female deities.^{[eo] 8} Then in his burning anger against Israel, the Lord delivered them to domination by King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim.^[ep] So the Israelis served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ When the Israelis cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz, to deliver^[eq] them,^[er] and he did. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord was on him, and he governed Israel. When Othniel^[es] went out to battle, the Lord handed king Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim^[et] into his control, and Othniel’s^[eu] domination of Cushan-rishathaim was strong. ¹¹ As a result, the land was quiet for 40 years. Then Kenaz’ son Othniel died.

Ehud, Israel’s Second Judge

¹² The Israelis again practiced evil in full view of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab in his control over Israel, because they had practiced evil in full view of the Lord. ¹³ Eglon^[ev] assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms. ¹⁴ So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the Israelis cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up Gera’s son Ehud, a left-handed descendant of Benjamin, as a deliverer for them. The Israelis paid tribute through him to king Eglon of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubit^[ew] long, tied it to his right thigh under his cloak, ¹⁷ and went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man.

¹⁸ As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehud^[ex] sent away the people who had been carrying it. ¹⁹ He had turned away from the idols that were at Gilgal. So he told Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, king.”

King Eglon^[ey] responded “Silence!” and all of his attendants left him.

²⁰ Ehud approached him while he was sitting by himself in the cool roof chamber of his palace.^[ez] He said, “I have a message from God for you!” So when Eglon^[fa] got up from his seat, ²¹ Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon’s^[fb] abdomen. ²² The hilt also penetrated along with the sword blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over the blade. Because he did not withdraw the sword from Eglon’s abdomen, the sword point^[fc] exited from Eglon’s entrails.^[fd]

²³ Then Ehud left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors behind him. ²⁴ After he left, Eglon’s^[fe] attendants came to look, but the doors to the cool chamber were locked! So they said, “He must be relieving himself^[ff] in the inner part of the cool chamber.”^{[fg] 25} They waited until they were embarrassed, since he never opened the doors to the chamber. Eventually they took a key, opened the doors, and found their master dead on the ground.

²⁶ Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous region^[fh] of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions,^[fi]