Bible in 90 Days
Land Is Given to Judah
15 Land was given to the tribe of Judah, according to its family groups. It reached down to the territory of Edom. It went as far south as the Desert of Zin.
2 Judah’s border on the south started from the bay at the south end of the Dead Sea. 3 It went across to the south of Scorpion Pass. It continued on to Zin. It went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar. It curved around to Karka. 4 It then went along to Azmon. There it joined the Wadi of Egypt and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. That was the southern border of Judah.
5 The border on the east was the Dead Sea. It went north all the way to where the Jordan River enters the sea.
The border on the north started at the bay of the Dead Sea. That’s where the Jordan River enters the sea. 6 From there it went up to Beth Hoglah. It continued north of Beth Arabah to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. 7 Then it went from the Valley of Achor up to Debir. It turned north to Gilgal. Gilgal faces the Pass of Adummim south of the valley. The border continued along to the springs of En Shemesh. It came to an end at En Rogel. 8 Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom. It went along the south slope of Jerusalem. From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley. The hill is also at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 From the top of the hill the border headed toward the springs of Nephtoah. It went to the towns near Mount Ephron. It went down toward Kiriath Jearim. 10 Then it curved west from Kiriath Jearim to Mount Seir. It ran along the north slope of Mount Kesalon. It continued down to Beth Shemesh and crossed over to Timnah. 11 It went to the north slope of Ekron. Then it turned toward Shikkeron. It passed along to Mount Baalah and reached Jabneel. The border came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea.
12 The border on the west was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
Those were the borders of the family groups of the tribe of Judah.
13 Joshua gave a part of Judah’s share of land to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. That was according to the Lord’s command to Joshua. The share Caleb received was the city of Hebron. It was also called Kiriath Arba. Anak came from the family line of Arba. 14 Caleb drove three Anakites out of Hebron. Their names were Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. They were from the family line of Anak. 15 From Hebron, Caleb marched out against the people living in Debir. It used to be called Kiriath Sepher. 16 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah to be married. She’ll be the wife of the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 17 Othniel captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him to be his wife. Othniel was the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s brother.
18 One day Aksah came to Othniel. She begged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb spoke to her. He asked, “What can I do for you?”
19 She replied, “Do me a special favor. You have given me some land in the Negev Desert. Give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 Here is the share of land given to the tribe of Judah, according to its family groups.
21 The towns farthest south that were given to Judah were in the Negev Desert. They were near the border of Edom. Here is a list of those towns.
Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Hazor, 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon. The total number of towns was 29. Some of them had villages near them.
33 Towns were also given to Judah in the western hills. Here is a list of those towns.
Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah. Gederah is also called Gederothaim. The total number of towns was 14. Some of them had villages near them.
37 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the western hills.
Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah. The total number of towns was 16. Some of them had villages near them.
42 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the western hills.
Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Akzib and Mareshah. The total number of towns was nine. Some of them had villages near them.
45 Judah was also given Ekron and the settlements and villages around it. 46 West of Ekron, Judah was given all the settlements and villages near Ashdod. 47 Judah was given Ashdod and the settlements and villages around it. And Judah was given Gaza and its settlements and villages. Judah’s territory went all the way to the Wadi of Egypt and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
48 Towns were also given to Judah in the central hill country. Here is a list of those towns.
Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, 49 Dannah, Debir, 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon and Giloh. The total number of towns was 11. Some of them had villages near them.
52 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the central hill country.
Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Hebron and Zior. The total number of towns was nine. Some of them had villages near them.
55 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the central hill country.
Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah and Timnah. The total number of towns was ten. Some of them had villages near them.
58 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the central hill country.
Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon. The total number of towns was six. Some of them had villages near them.
60 Here’s another list of towns given to Judah in the central hill country.
Kiriath Jearim and Rabbah. The total number of towns was two. They had villages near them.
61 Towns were also given to Judah in the desert. Here is a list of those towns.
Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt and En Gedi. The total number of towns was six. Some of them had villages near them.
63 Judah couldn’t drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. So they live there with the people of Judah to this day.
Land Is Given to Ephraim and Manasseh
16 The land given to the two tribes in the family line of Joseph began at the Jordan River. Their border started east of the springs of Jericho. It went up from there through the desert into the hill country of Bethel. 2 Bethel is also called Luz. From Bethel the border crossed over to Ataroth. That’s where the Arkites live. 3 Then it went west down to the territory of the Japhletites. It went all the way to the area of Lower Beth Horon. It went on to Gezer. The border came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea.
4 The tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim were from the family line of Joseph. So they received that land as their share.
5 Here is the territory given to the tribe of Ephraim, according to its family groups.
The border of their share of land started at Ataroth Addar in the east. It went to Upper Beth Horon. 6 It continued toward the Mediterranean Sea. From Mikmethath on the north, it curved toward the east. It went to Taanath Shiloh. It passed by Taanath Shiloh to Janoah on the east. 7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah. It touched Jericho and came to an end at the Jordan River. 8 From Tappuah the border went west to the Kanah Valley. It came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea. That was the land given to the tribe of Ephraim. Each family group received its share.
9 The tribe of Ephraim was also given other towns and villages that were set apart for them. Those towns and villages were in the share of land given to the tribe of Manasseh.
10 The people of Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim to this day. But they are forced to work hard for the people of Ephraim.
17 Land was given to the tribe of Manasseh. It was given to Makir. Manasseh was Joseph’s oldest son. Makir was Manasseh’s oldest son. The people of Gilead came from the family line of Makir. The people of Gilead had received the lands of Gilead and Bashan. That’s because the people of Makir were great soldiers. 2 So land was given to the rest of the people of Manasseh. It was given to the family groups of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. They were the other men in the family line of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. Those were their names by their family groups.
3 Makir was the son of Manasseh. Gilead was the son of Makir. Hepher was the son of Gilead. And Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Zelophehad didn’t have any sons. He only had daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. 4 The daughters of Zelophehad went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua, the son of Nun. They also went to the other leaders. They said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us our share of land among our male relatives.” So Joshua gave them land along with their male relatives. That was according to what the Lord had commanded. 5 Manasseh’s share was made up of ten pieces of land. That land was in addition to Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan River. 6 So the five granddaughters of Hepher in the family line of Manasseh received land, just as the other five sons of Manasseh did. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the family line of Manasseh.
7 The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Mikmethath. Mikmethath was east of Shechem. The border ran south from Mikmethath. The people living at En Tappuah were inside the border. 8 Manasseh had the land around Tappuah. But the town of Tappuah itself was on the border of Manasseh’s land. It belonged to the people of Ephraim. 9 The border continued south to the Kanah Valley. Some of the towns that belonged to Ephraim were located among the towns of Manasseh. But the border of Manasseh was the north side of the valley. The border came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea. 10 The land on the south belonged to Ephraim. The land on the north belonged to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea. The tribe of Asher was the border on the north. The tribe of Issachar was the border on the east.
11 Inside the land given to Issachar and Asher, the towns of Beth Shan and Ibleam belonged to Manasseh. The towns of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo and their people also belonged to Manasseh. Manasseh was given all those towns and the settlements around them. The third town in the list was also called Naphoth Dor.
12 But the people of Manasseh weren’t able to take over those towns. That’s because the Canaanites had made up their minds to live in that area. 13 The Israelites grew stronger. Then they forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. But they didn’t drive them out completely.
14 The people in the family line of Joseph spoke to Joshua. They said, “Why have you given us only one share of the land to have as our own? There are large numbers of us. The Lord has blessed us greatly.”
15 “That’s true,” Joshua said. “There are large numbers of you. And the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you. So go up into the forest. Clear out some land for yourselves in the territory of the Perizzites and Rephaites.”
16 The people in Joseph’s family line replied, “The hill country isn’t big enough for us. And all the Canaanites who live in the plains use chariots that have iron parts. They include the people of Beth Shan and its settlements. They also include the people who live in the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 Joshua spoke again to the people in Joseph’s family line. He said to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh, “There are large numbers of you. And you are very powerful. You will have more than one piece of land. 18 You will also have the central hill country. It’s covered with trees. Cut them down and clear the land. That whole land from one end to the other will belong to you. The Canaanites use chariots that have iron parts. And those people are strong. But you can drive them out.”
The Rest of the Land Is Divided Up
18 The whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control. 2 But there were still seven tribes in Israel who had not yet received their shares of land.
3 So Joshua spoke to the Israelites. He said, “The Lord, the God of your people, has given you this land. How long will you wait before you begin to take it over? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I’ll send them to map out the land. Then they’ll write a report about its features. The report will point out the share of land each tribe will receive. Then the men will return to me. 5 You must divide the land up into seven shares. Judah must remain in its territory in the south. The people in Joseph’s family line must remain in their territory in the north. 6 Write reports about the features of those seven shares of land. Bring them here to me. Then I’ll cast lots for you in the sight of the Lord our God. 7 But the Levites don’t get any share of your land. That’s because their share is to serve the Lord as priests. The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their shares. They are on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave their shares to them.”
8 The men started out on their way to map out the land. Joshua directed them, “Go and map out the land. Write a report about its features. Then return to me. I’ll cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the sight of the Lord.” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They wrote a report about its features on a scroll. It showed how they divided up the land into seven shares. It listed the towns in each share. The men returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
10 Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh in the sight of the Lord. There he gave out a share of land to each of the remaining tribes in Israel.
Land Is Given to Benjamin
11 The first lot drawn out was for the tribe of Benjamin, according to its family groups. The territory they were given was located between the tribes of the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. Here are the borders of Benjamin’s territory.
12 On the north side their border started at the Jordan River. It went past the north slope of Jericho. Then it headed west into the central hill country. It came to an end at the Desert of Beth Aven. 13 From there the border crossed to the south slope of Bethel. Then it went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.
14 From the hill that faces Beth Horon on the south the border turned south. Then the border went along the west side of the hill. It came to an end at Kiriath Jearim. That town belongs to the people of Judah. That was the border on the west.
15 The border on the south side started at the west edge of Kiriath Jearim. It came to an end at the springs of Nephtoah. 16 It went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Ben Hinnom. The hill is north of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley. It went along the south slope of Jerusalem, where the people of Jebus live. It continued on to En Rogel. 17 Then it curved north. It went to En Shemesh. It continued on to Geliloth. Geliloth faces the Pass of Adummim. The border ran down to the Stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. 18 It continued to the north slope of Beth Arabah. It went on down into the Arabah Valley. 19 From there it went to the north slope of Beth Hoglah. It came to an end at the north bay of the Dead Sea. That’s where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. That was the border on the south.
20 The Jordan River formed the border on the east side.
Those were the borders that marked out on all sides the land the family groups of Benjamin received as their share.
21 Here is a list of towns given to the tribe of Benjamin, according to its family groups.
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba. The total number of towns and their villages was 12.
25 Here is another list of towns given to Benjamin.
Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath. The total number of towns and their villages was 14.
That was the share of land the family groups of Benjamin received.
Land Is Given to Simeon
19 The second lot drawn out was for the tribe of Simeon, according to its family groups. The share of land they were given was in the territory of Judah.
2 Here is what Simeon’s share included.
Beersheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen. The total number of towns was 13. Some of them had villages near them.
7 Here’s another list of towns given to Simeon.
Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan. The total number of towns was four. Some of them had villages near them. 8 The towns and all the villages around them reached all the way to Ramah in the Negev Desert.
That was the share of land the tribe of Simeon received, according to its family groups. 9 Simeon’s share of land was taken from Judah’s share. That’s because Judah had more land than they needed. So the people of Simeon received their share of land inside the territory of Judah.
Land Is Given to Zebulun
10 The third lot drawn out was for the tribe of Zebulun, according to its family groups. Here are the borders of Zebulun’s territory.
The border of their share of land went as far as Sarid. 11 It ran west to Maralah and touched Dabbesheth. It reached to the valley near Jokneam. 12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise. It went to the territory of Kisloth Tabor. It went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 Then it continued east to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin. It came to an end at Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 There the border went around on the north to Hannathon. It came to an end at the Valley of Iphtah El.
15 Zebulun’s territory included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem.
The total number of towns was 12. Some of them had villages near them.
16 Those towns and their villages were Zebulun’s share, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Issachar
17 The fourth lot drawn out was for the tribe of Issachar, according to its family groups. 18 Here is what Issachar’s share included.
Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.
22 The border touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh. It came to an end at the Jordan River.
The total number of towns was 16. Some of them had villages near them.
23 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Issachar received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Asher
24 The fifth lot drawn out was for the tribe of Asher, according to its family groups. 25 Here is what Asher’s share included.
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 Then it turned east toward Beth Dagon. It touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. It went north to Beth Emek and Neiel. It went past Kabul on the left. 28 It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah. It reached all the way to Greater Sidon. 29 The border then turned back toward Ramah. It went to Tyre, a city that had high walls around it. It turned toward Hosah. It came to an end at the Mediterranean Sea in the area of Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob.
The total number of towns was 22. Some of them had villages near them.
31 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Asher received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Naphtali
32 The sixth lot drawn out was for Naphtali, according to its family groups.
33 Their border started at Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim. It went past Adami Nekeb and Jabneel. It went to Lakkum and came to an end at the Jordan River. 34 The border ran west through Aznoth Tabor. It came to an end at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south. It touched Asher on the west. It touched the Jordan on the east.
35 The towns that had high walls around them were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh.
The total number of towns was 19. Some of them had villages near them.
39 Those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Naphtali received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Dan
40 The seventh lot drawn out was for the tribe of Dan, according to its family groups. 41 Here is what Dan’s share of land 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. Dan’s share included the area that faces Joppa.
47 The people of Dan lost their territory. So they went up and attacked Leshem. They captured it. They killed its people with their swords. Then they moved into Leshem and made their homes there. They named it Dan. That’s because they traced their family line back to him.
48 All those towns and their villages were the share the tribe of Dan received, according to its family groups.
Land Is Given to Joshua
49 The Israelites finished dividing up the shares of land the tribes received. Then they gave a share to Joshua, the son of Nun. 50 They did what the Lord had commanded them to do. They gave Joshua the town he asked for. It was Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built up the town and made his home there.
51 All those territories were given out by casting lots at Shiloh. The lots were drawn out by Eleazar the priest and by Joshua, the son of Nun. The leaders of the tribes of Israel helped them. The lots were drawn out in front of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So the work of dividing up the land was finished.
Cities to Run to for Safety
20 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, 2 “Tell the Israelites to choose the cities to go to for safety, just as I directed you through Moses. 3 Anyone who kills a person by accident can run there for safety. So can anyone who kills a person without meaning to. The one charged with murder will be kept safe from the nearest male relative of the person killed. 4 Suppose those who are charged with murder run for safety to one of these cities. Then they must stand in the entrance of the city gate. They must state their case in front of the elders of that city. The elders must let them come into their city. The elders must provide a place for them to live in their city. 5 Suppose the nearest male relative of the person killed chases the one charged with murder. Then the elders must not hand them over to that relative. That’s because that person didn’t mean to kill their neighbor. They didn’t make evil plans to do it. 6 They must stay in that city until their case has been brought to the community court. They must stay there until the high priest serving at that time dies. Then they can go back to their own home. They can return to the town they ran away from.”
7 So the Israelites set apart Kedesh in Galilee. It’s in the hill country of Naphtali. They set apart Shechem. It’s in the hill country of Ephraim. They set apart Kiriath Arba. It’s in the hill country of Judah. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. 8 On the east side of the Jordan River near Jericho they chose Bezer. It’s in the desert on the high plains. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Reuben. They chose Ramoth in Gilead. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Gad. They chose Golan in the land of Bashan. It’s in the territory of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Suppose you kill someone by accident. Or another Israelite does it. Or an outsider who lives among you does it. Then any of you can run for safety to one of these cities that have been chosen. There you won’t be killed by the nearest male relative of the person killed by accident. First your case must be brought to the community court.
Towns Are Given to the Levites
21 The leaders of the Levite family groups approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. They also approached the leaders of the family groups of Israel’s other tribes. 2 They went to all of them at Shiloh in Canaan. They said to them, “Give us towns to live in. Also give us grasslands for our livestock. That’s what the Lord commanded through Moses.”
3 So the Israelites gave the Levites towns and grasslands out of their own shares of land. They did what the Lord had commanded. Here are the towns the Levites were given.
4 The first lot drawn out was for the people of Kohath, according to their family groups. Some of the Levites came from the family line of Aaron the priest. They were given 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
5 The rest of Kohath’s family groups were given ten towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
6 The family groups of Gershon were given 13 towns. Those towns were from the family groups of the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali and half of the tribe of Manasseh. That part of Manasseh was in the land of Bashan.
7 The family groups of Merari received 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. Each family group received its share.
8 So the Israelites gave those towns and their grasslands to the Levites. They did what the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9 Some towns were given from the territories of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. 10 The Israelites gave them to the members of the family line of Aaron. The towns were given to the family groups of Kohath. They were Levites. The first lot drawn out was for them. Here are the towns the family groups of Kohath were given.
11 The Israelites gave them Kiriath Arba and the grasslands around it. Kiriath Arba is also called Hebron. It’s in the hill country of Judah. Anak came from the family line of Arba. 12 But Israel had already given away the fields and villages around the city. They had given them to Caleb as his share. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh. 13 So they gave Hebron to the members of the family line of Aaron the priest. Hebron was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also gave them Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh. They gave those towns and their grasslands to the family groups of Kohath. The total number of towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon came to nine.
17 The Israelites gave some towns from the tribe of Benjamin to the family groups of Kohath.
The towns were Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth and Almon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
19 So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the priests in Aaron’s family line came to 13.
20 There were other family groups of Kohath among the Levites. They were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim. Here are the towns those other family groups of Kohath were given.
21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given
Shechem. It was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They were also given Gezer, 22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
23 From the tribe of Dan they received
Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
25 From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received
Taanach and Gath Rimmon. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two.
26 So all these ten towns and their grasslands were given to the other family groups of Kohath.
27 Here are the towns given to the family groups of Gershon among the Levites.
From half of the tribe of Manasseh they received
Golan in the land of Bashan. Golan was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Be Eshterah. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to two.
28 From the tribe of Issachar they received
Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth and En Gannim. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
30 From the tribe of Asher they received
Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath and Rehob. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali they received
Kedesh in Galilee. Kedesh was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Hammoth Dor and Kartan. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to three.
33 So the total number of towns and their grasslands given to the family groups of Gershon came to 13.
34 The rest of the Levites were from the family groups of Merari. Here are the towns they were given.
From the tribe of Zebulun they received
Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
36 From the tribe of Reuben they received
Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth and Mephaath. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
38 From the tribe of Gad they received
Ramoth in Gilead. Ramoth was a city where anyone charged with murder could go for safety. They also received Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon and Jazer. The total number of these towns and their grasslands came to four.
40 So the total number of towns given to the family groups of Merari came to 12. That concludes the list of towns the rest of the Levites received.
41 The total number of Levite towns and their grasslands in the territory given to Israel came to 48. 42 Each of those towns had grasslands around it. That was true of all of them.
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Israel took it over. Then they made their homes there. 44 The Lord gave them peace and rest on every side. He had promised their people of long ago that he would do that. Not one of Israel’s enemies was able to fight against them and win. The Lord handed all their enemies over to them. 45 The Lord kept all the good promises he had made to the Israelites. Every one of them came true.
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
22 Joshua sent for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded. You have also obeyed everything I commanded. 3 For a long time now you haven’t deserted the other Israelites. Instead, you have done what the Lord your God sent you to do. You have obeyed him right up to this day. 4 Now the Lord your God has given the other tribes peace and rest. That’s what he promised to do. So return to your homes. They are in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. It’s on the east side of the Jordan River. 5 Be very careful to obey the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you. He commanded you to love the Lord your God. He told you to live exactly as the Lord wants you to. He told you to obey the Lord’s commands. He told you to remain faithful to the Lord. And he told you to serve the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 Joshua gave the eastern tribes his blessing. Then he sent them home. So they went. 7 Moses had given land in Bashan to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Joshua had given land to the other half of the tribe. He had given it to them along with the other tribes on the west side of the Jordan River. When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them. 8 He said, “Return to your homes. Take your great wealth with you. Return with your large herds of livestock. Take your silver, gold, bronze and iron with you. Return with all the extra clothes you acquired. Divide up the things you have taken from your enemies. Share them with your people.”
9 So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh went home. They left the other Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. That was their own land. They had acquired it according to the Lord’s command through Moses.
10 The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. They built a large altar there by the Jordan. 11 The rest of the Israelites heard that the eastern tribes had built the altar. They heard that it had been built on the border of Canaan at Geliloth. It was near the Jordan River on the west side. 12 So the whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh. They decided to go to war against the eastern tribes.
13 The Israelites sent Phinehas the priest to the land of Gilead. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. They sent him to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. 14 They sent ten of their leaders with him. There was one from each of the tribes of Israel. Each man was the leader of a family group among the larger family groups of Israel.
15 Those leaders went to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Those tribes were in the land of Gilead. The leaders said to them, 16 “We’re speaking for the Lord’s whole community. How could you disobey the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord? How could you disobey him by building an altar for yourselves? 17 Don’t you remember how we sinned at Peor? The Lord struck us with a plague because of what we did. Up to this day we’re still suffering because of that sin. 18 Are you turning away from the Lord now?
“Suppose you disobey the Lord today. If you do, he’ll be angry with the whole community of Israel tomorrow. 19 If your own land is ‘unclean,’ come over to the Lord’s land. It’s where his holy tent stands. Share our land with us. But don’t disobey the Lord. Don’t turn against us by building an altar for yourselves. Don’t build any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 Remember what happened to Achan, the son of Zerah. Achan wasn’t faithful to the Lord. He took the things that had been set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. Didn’t the whole community of Israel experience the Lord’s anger? Achan wasn’t the only one who died because of his sin.”
21 Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh replied. They answered the leaders of the family groups of Israel. 22 They said, “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And we want Israel to know! Have we opposed the Lord? Have we refused to obey him? If we have, don’t spare us today. 23 Have we built our own altar so we can turn away from the Lord? Have we built it to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it? Have we built it to sacrifice friendship offerings on it? If we have, may the Lord himself hold us accountable.
24 “No! We built it because we were afraid. Someday your children might speak to our children. We were afraid they might say, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord? What do you have to do with the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan River a border between us and you. You people of Reuben! You people of Gad! You don’t have anything to do with the Lord.’ If your children say that, they might cause our children to stop worshiping the Lord.
26 “That’s why we said to ourselves, ‘Let’s get ready and build an altar. But let’s not build it to offer burnt offerings or sacrifices on it.’ 27 So just the opposite is true. The altar will be a witness between us and you. It will be a witness between our children and yours after us. It will also be a witness that we will worship the Lord at his sacred tent. We’ll worship him there with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and friendship offerings. Then in days to come your children won’t be able to say to ours, ‘You don’t have anything to do with the Lord.’
28 “So we said to ourselves, ‘Suppose they say that to us sometime. Or suppose they say it to our children after us. Then we’ll answer, “Look at this altar. It’s exactly like the Lord’s altar. Our people built it. They didn’t build it to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices on it. Instead, they built it to be a witness between us and you.” ’
29 “We would never refuse to obey the Lord. We would never turn away from him now. We wouldn’t build an altar to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices on it. We wouldn’t use any altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. That altar stands in front of his holy tent.”
30 Phinehas the priest heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say. The leaders of the family groups of the community of Israel heard it too. All of them were pleased with what they heard. 31 Phinehas the priest spoke to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. He said, “Today we know that the Lord is with us. That’s because you have been faithful to him in this matter. Now you have saved the Israelites from the Lord’s anger against them.”
32 Then Phinehas the priest, the son of Eleazar, returned to Canaan. So did the leaders. All of them went back from their meeting with the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead. They brought a report back to the Israelites. 33 The people were glad to hear the report. They praised God. They didn’t talk anymore about going to war against the eastern tribes. And they didn’t talk anymore about destroying the country where the tribes of Reuben and Gad lived.
34 The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave the altar a name. They called it A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.
Joshua Says Goodbye to the Leaders
23 A long time had passed. The Lord had given Israel peace and rest from all their enemies around them. By that time Joshua was very old. 2 So he sent for all the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel. He said to them, “I’m very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done. You have seen what he’s done to all these nations because of you. The Lord your God fought for you. 4 Remember how I’ve given you all the land of the nations that remain here. I’ve given each of your tribes a share of it. It’s the land of the nations I conquered. It’s between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will drive those nations out of your way. He will push them out to make room for you. You will take over their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong. Be careful to obey everything written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Don’t turn away from it to the right or the left. 7 Don’t have anything to do with the nations that remain among you. Don’t use the names of their gods for any reason at all. Don’t give your word and make promises in their names. You must not serve them. You must not bow down to them. 8 You must remain true to the Lord your God, just as you have done until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations to make room for you. To this day no one has been able to fight against you and win. 10 One of you can chase a thousand away. That’s because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised he would. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.
12 “But suppose you turn away from him. You mix with the people who are left alive in the nations that remain among you. Later, you and they get married to each other. And you do other kinds of things with them. 13 Then you can be sure of what the Lord your God will do. He won’t drive out those nations to make room for you anymore. Instead, they will become traps and snares for you. They will be like whips on your backs. They will be like thorns in your eyes. All that will continue until you are destroyed. It will continue until you are removed from this good land. It’s the land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “Now I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. The Lord your God has kept all the good promises he gave you. Every one of them has come true. Not one has failed to come true. And you know that with all your heart and soul. 15 Every good thing has come to pass that the Lord your God has promised you. So you know that he can also bring against you all the evil things he has warned you about. He’ll do it until he has destroyed you. He’ll do it until he has removed you from this good land. It’s the land he has given you. 16 Suppose you break the covenant the Lord your God made with you. He commanded you to obey it. But suppose you go and serve other gods. And you bow down to them. Then the Lord will be very angry with you. You will quickly be destroyed. You will be removed from the good land he has given you.”
The Covenant Is Renewed at Shechem
24 Joshua gathered all Israel’s tribes together at Shechem. He sent for the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel. They came and stood there in the sight of God.
2 Joshua spoke to all the people. He said, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Long ago your people lived east of the Euphrates River. They worshiped other gods there. Your people included Terah. He was the father of Abraham and Nahor. 3 I took your father Abraham from the land east of the Euphrates. I led him all through Canaan. I gave him many children and grandchildren. I gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau. But Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
5 “ ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I made the people of Egypt suffer because of the plagues I sent on them. But I brought you out of Egypt. 6 When I brought your people out, they came to the Red Sea. The people of Egypt chased them with chariots and with men on horses. They chased them all the way to the sea. 7 But your people cried out to me for help. So I put darkness between you and the people of Egypt. I swept them into the sea. It completely covered them. Your own eyes saw what I did to them. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 “ ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites. They lived east of the Jordan River. They fought against you. But I handed them over to you. I destroyed them to make room for you. Then you took over their land. 9 Balak, the son of Zippor, prepared to fight against Israel. Balak was the king of Moab. He sent for Balaam, the son of Beor. Balak wanted Balaam to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam’s curses. So he blessed you again and again. And I saved you from his power.
11 “ ‘Then you went across the Jordan River. You came to Jericho. Its people fought against you. So did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites. But I handed them over to you. 12 I sent hornets ahead of you. They drove your enemies out to make room for you. That included the two Amorite kings. You did not do that with your own swords and bows. 13 So I gave you a land you had never farmed. I gave you cities you had not built. You are now living in them. And you are eating the fruit of vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.’
14 “So have respect for the Lord. Serve him. Be completely faithful to him. Throw away the gods your people worshiped east of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15 But suppose you don’t want to serve him. Then choose for yourselves right now whom you will serve. You can choose the gods your people served east of the Euphrates River. Or you can serve the gods of the Amorites. After all, you are living in their land. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered Joshua, “We would never desert the Lord! We would never serve other gods! 17 The Lord our God himself brought us and our parents up out of Egypt. He brought us out of that land where we were slaves. With our own eyes, we saw those great signs he did. He kept us safe on our entire journey. He kept us safe as we traveled through all the nations. 18 He drove them out to make room for us. That included the Amorites. They also lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord. That’s because he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You aren’t able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t forgive you when you disobey him. He won’t forgive you when you sin against him. 20 Suppose you desert the Lord. Suppose you serve the gods that people in other lands serve. If you do, he will turn against you. He will bring trouble on you. He will destroy you, even though he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves. You have said that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes. We are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the statues of the gods that are among you. People from other lands serve those gods. Give yourselves completely to the Lord. He is the God of Israel.”
24 Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people. There at Shechem he reminded them of its rules and laws. 26 He recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he got a large stone. He set it up in Shechem under the oak tree. It was near the place that had been set apart for the Lord.
27 “Look!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has spoken to us. Suppose you aren’t faithful to your God. Then the stone will be a witness against you.”
28 Joshua sent the people away. He sent all of them to their own shares of land.
Joshua Is Buried in the Promised Land
29 Then Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died. 30 His people buried him at Timnath Serah on his own property. It’s north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
31 Israel served the Lord as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen for themselves everything the Lord had done for Israel.
32 The Israelites had brought Joseph’s bones up from Egypt. They buried his bones at Shechem in the piece of land Jacob had bought. He had bought it from the sons of Hamor. He had paid 100 pieces of silver for it. Hamor was the father of Shechem. That piece of land became the share that belonged to Joseph’s children after him.
33 Aaron’s son Eleazar died. He was buried at Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim. Gibeah had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.
The Israelites Fight Against the Remaining Canaanites
1 Joshua died. After that, the Israelites spoke to the Lord. They asked him, “Who of us will go up first and fight against the Canaanites?”
2 The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah will go up. I have handed the land over to them.”
3 Then the men of Judah spoke to their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They said, “Come up with us. Come into the territory Joshua gave us. Help us fight against the Canaanites. Then we’ll go with you into your territory.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
4 When the men of Judah attacked, the Lord helped them. He handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They struck down 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 The men of Judah found Adoni-Bezek there. They fought against him. They struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him and caught him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 Adoni-Bezek said, “I cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings. I made them pick up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” The men of Judah brought Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem. That’s where he died.
8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They set the city on fire. They killed its people with their swords.
9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against some Canaanites. Those Canaanites were living in the central hill country. They also fought against those living in the Negev Desert and the western hills. 10 Then the men of Judah marched out against the Canaanites living in Hebron. Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. The men of Judah won the battle over Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From Hebron they marched out against the people living in Debir. It used to be called Kiriath Sepher.
12 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah to be married. I’ll give her to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him to be his wife. Othniel was the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother.
14 One day Aksah came to Othniel. She begged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”
15 She replied, “Do me a special favor. You have given me some land in the Negev Desert. Give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 Moses’ father-in-law was a Kenite. His family went up from Jericho. Jericho was also known as the City of Palm Trees. His family went up with the people of Judah to the Desert of Judah. They went there to live among its people. Those people were living in the Negev Desert near Arad.
17 The men of Judah marched out with their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They attacked the people of Canaan living in Zephath. They set the city apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. That’s why the city was called Hormah. 18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. They also captured the territory around each of those cities.
19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took over the central hill country. But they weren’t able to drive the people out of the plains. That’s because those people used chariots that had some iron parts. 20 Moses had promised to give Hebron to Caleb. So Hebron was given to Caleb. He drove the three sons of Anak out of it. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day they live there with the people of Benjamin.
22 The tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel. The Lord was with them. 23 They sent men to Bethel to check it out. It used to be called Luz. 24 Those who were sent saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us how to get into the city. If you do, we’ll see that you are treated well.” 25 So he showed them how to get in. The men of Joseph killed the people in the city with their swords. But they spared the man from Bethel. They also spared his whole family. 26 Then he went to the land of the Hittites. He built a city there. He called it Luz. That’s still its name to this day.
27 But the tribe of Manasseh didn’t drive out the people of Beth Shan. They didn’t drive out the people of Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo. And they didn’t drive out the people of the settlements that are around those cities either. That’s because the Canaanites had made up their minds to continue living in that land. 28 Later, Israel became stronger. Then they forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. But Israel never drove them out completely. 29 The tribe of Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 The tribe of Zebulun didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron and Nahalol. So these Canaanites lived among them. But the people of Zebulun forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. 31 The tribe of Asher didn’t drive out the people living in Akko and Sidon. They didn’t drive out the people of Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek and Rehob. 32 So the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. 33 The tribe of Naphtali didn’t drive out the people living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath. So the people of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. The people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to work hard for them. 34 The Amorites made the people of Dan stay in the central hill country. They didn’t let them come down into the plain. 35 The Amorites made up their minds to stay in Mount Heres. They also stayed in Aijalon and Shaalbim. But the power of the tribes of Joseph grew. Then the Amorites were forced to work hard for them. 36 The border of the Amorites started at Scorpion Pass. It went to Sela and even past it.
The Angel of the Lord Warns Israel at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim. There he said to the Israelites, “I brought you up out of Egypt. I led you into this land. It is the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At that time I said, ‘I will never break the covenant I made with you. 2 So you must not make a covenant with the people of this land. Instead, you must tear down their altars.’ But you have disobeyed me. Why did you do it? 3 I have said something else. I said, ‘I will not drive out those people to make room for you. They and their gods will become traps for you.’ ”
4 The angel of the Lord spoke these things to all the Israelites. Then the people wept out loud. 5 So that place was called Bokim. The people offered sacrifices there to the Lord.
The People Disobey the Lord and Lose Their Battles
6 Joshua sent the Israelites away. Then they went to take over the land. All of them went to their own shares of land. 7 The people served the Lord as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died. 9 His people buried him on his own property at Timnath Heres. It’s north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
10 All the people of Joshua’s time joined the members of their families who had already died. Then those who were born after them grew up. They didn’t know the Lord and what he had done for Israel. 11 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They served gods that were named Baal. 12 They deserted the Lord, the God of their people. He had brought them out of Egypt. But now the Israelites served other gods and worshiped them. They served the gods of the nations that were around them. They made the Lord angry 13 because they deserted him. They served Baal. They also served female gods that were named Ashtoreth. 14 The Lord became angry with the Israelites. So he handed them over to robbers. The robbers stole everything from them. The Lord handed the Israelites over to their enemies all around them. Israel wasn’t able to fight against them anymore and win. 15 When the Israelites went out to fight, the Lord’s power was against them. He let their enemies win the battle over them. The Lord had warned them that it would happen. And now they were suffering terribly.
16 Then the Lord gave them leaders. The leaders saved them from the power of those robbers. 17 But the people wouldn’t listen to their leaders. They weren’t faithful to the Lord. They served other gods and worshiped them. They didn’t obey the Lord’s commands as their people before them had done. They quickly turned away from the path their people had taken. 18 When the Lord gave them a leader, he was with that leader. The Lord saved the people from the power of their enemies. He did it as long as the leader lived. The Lord felt very sorry for the people. They groaned because of what their enemies did to them. Their enemies treated them badly. 19 But when the leader died, the people returned to their evil ways. The things they did were even more sinful than the things their people before them had done. They served other gods and worshiped them. They refused to give up their evil practices. They wouldn’t change their stubborn ways.
20 So the Lord became very angry with the Israelites. He said, “This nation has broken my covenant. I made it with their people of long ago. But this nation has not listened to me. 21 Joshua left some nations in the land when he died. I will no longer drive out those nations to make room for Israel. 22 I will use those nations to test Israel. I will see whether Israel will live the way I, the Lord, want them to. I will see whether they will be like their people of long ago. I will see whether they will follow my path.” 23 The Lord had let those nations remain in the land. He didn’t drive them out right away. He didn’t hand them over to Joshua.
3 The Lord left some nations in the land. He left them to test the Israelites who hadn’t lived through any of the wars in Canaan. 2 He wanted to teach the men in Israel who had never been in battle before. He wanted them to learn how to fight. 3 So he left the five rulers of the Philistines. He left the people of Canaan and the people of Sidon. He left the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains. They lived in the area between Mount Baal Hermon and Lebo Hamath. 4 The Lord left those nations where they were to test the Israelites. He wanted to see whether they would obey his commands. He had given those commands through Moses to their people of long ago.
5 So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They married the daughters of those people. They gave their own daughters to the sons of those people. And they served the gods of those people.
Othniel
7 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God. They served gods that were named Baal. They also served female gods that were named Asherah. 8 So the Lord was very angry with Israel. He handed them over to the power of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim. For eight years Israel was under his rule. 9 They cried out to the Lord. Then he provided someone to save them. The man’s name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on Othniel. So he became Israel’s leader. He went to war. The Lord handed over to him Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram. Othniel won the battle over him. 11 So the land was at peace for 40 years. Then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
Ehud
12 Again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord gave Eglon power over Israel. Eglon was the king of Moab. 13 He got the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him. All of them came and attacked Israel. They captured Jericho. Jericho was also known as The City of Palm Trees. 14 For 18 years the Israelites were under the rule of Eglon, the king of Moab.
15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord. Then he provided someone to save them. The man’s name was Ehud, the son of Gera. Ehud was left-handed. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites sent Ehud to Eglon, the king of Moab. They sent him to give the king what he required them to bring him. 16 Ehud had made a sword that had two edges. It was about a foot and a half long. He tied it to his right leg under his clothes. 17 Eglon, the king of Moab, was a very fat man. Ehud gave him the gift he had brought. 18 After that, Ehud sent away those who had carried it. 19 When he came to the place where some statues of gods stood near Gilgal, Ehud went back to Eglon. He said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And all his attendants left him.
20 Then Ehud approached him. King Eglon was sitting alone in the upstairs room of his palace. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So the king got up from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached out his left hand. He pulled out the sword tied to his right leg. He stuck it into the king’s stomach. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade. Eglon sagged and fell to the floor. Ehud didn’t pull out the sword. And the fat closed over it. 23 Ehud went out to the porch. He shut the doors of the upstairs room behind him. Then he locked them.
24 After he had gone, the servants came. They found the doors of the upstairs room locked. They said, “Eglon must be going to the toilet in the inside room of the palace.” 25 They waited for a long time. They waited so long they became worried. But the king still didn’t open the doors of the room. So they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their king. He had fallen to the floor and was dead.
26 While Eglon’s servants had been waiting, Ehud had gotten away. He passed by the statues of gods and escaped to Seirah. 27 There in the hill country of Ephraim he blew a trumpet. Then he led the Israelites down from the hills.
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