Bible in 90 Days

The Territory Assigned to Judah

15 The families of the tribe of Judah received a part of the land described as follows:

The land reached south to the southernmost point of the wilderness of Zin, at the border of Edom. ² This southern border ran from the south end of the Dead Sea, ³ went southward from the Akrabbim Pass and on to Zin. It ran south of Kadesh Barnea, past Hezron and up to Addar, turned toward Karka, ⁴ went on to Azmon, and followed the stream on the border of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, where the border ended. That was the southern border of Judah.

⁵ The eastern border was the Dead Sea, all the way up to the inlet where the Jordan empties into it.

The northern border began there, ⁶ extended up to Beth Hoglah, and went north of the ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley. Then it went up to the Stone of Bohan (Bohan was a son of Reuben), ⁷ from Trouble Valley up to Debir, and then turned north toward Gilgal, which faces Adummim Pass on the south side of the valley. It then went on to the springs of Enshemesh, out to Enrogel, ⁸ and up through Hinnom Valley on the south side of the hill where the Jebusite city of Jerusalem was located. The border then proceeded up to the top of the hill on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of Rephaim Valley. ⁹ From there it went to the Springs of Nephtoah and out to the cities near Mount Ephron. There it turned toward Baalah (or Kiriath Jearim), ¹⁰ where it circled west of Baalah toward the hill country of Edom, went on the north side of Mount Jearim (or Chesalon), down to Beth Shemesh, and on past Timnah. ¹¹ The border then went out to the hill north of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, past Mount Baalah, and on to Jamnia. It ended at the Mediterranean Sea, ¹² which formed the western border.

Within these borders lived the people of the families of Judah.

Caleb Conquers Hebron and Debir^(A)

^13 (B)As the Lord commanded Joshua, part of the territory of Judah was given to Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah. He received Hebron, the city belonging to Arba, father of Anak. ¹⁴ Caleb drove the descendants of Anak out of the city—the clans of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. ¹⁵ From there he went to attack the people living in Debir. (This city used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) ¹⁶ Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who succeeds in capturing Kiriath Sepher.” ¹⁷ Othniel, the son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage. ¹⁸ On the wedding day Othniel urged her^[a] to ask her father for a field. She got down from her donkey, and Caleb asked her what she wanted. ¹⁹ She answered, “I want some water holes. The land you have given me is in the dry country.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

The Cities of Judah

²⁰ This is the land that the families of the tribe of Judah received as their possession. ²¹ The cities farthest south that belonged to them, those that were near the border of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (or Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Bethpelet, ²⁸ Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: twenty-nine cities in all, along with the towns around them.

³³ The cities in the foothills were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, Engannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim: fourteen cities, along with the towns around them.

³⁷ There were also Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Bethdagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities, along with the towns around them.

⁴² There were also Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities, along with the towns around them.

⁴⁵ There was Ekron with its towns and villages, ⁴⁶ and all the cities and towns near Ashdod, from Ekron to the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴⁷ There were Ashdod and Gaza, with their towns and villages, reaching to the stream on the border of Egypt and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴⁸ In the hill country there were Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath Sepher (or Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoa, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities, along with the towns around them.

⁵² There were Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Hebron, and Zior: nine cities, along with the towns around them.

⁵⁵ There were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities, along with the towns around them.

⁵⁸ There were Halhul, Bethzur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon: six cities, along with the towns around them.

⁶⁰ There were Kiriath Baal (or Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah: two cities, along with the towns around them.

⁶¹ In the desert there were Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, ⁶² Nibshan, Salt City, and Engedi: six cities, along with the towns around them.

^63 (C)But the people of Judah were not able to drive out the Jebusites, who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites still live there with the people of Judah.

The Territory Assigned to Ephraim and West Manasseh

16 The southern boundary of the land assigned to the descendants of Joseph started from the Jordan near Jericho, at a point east of the springs of Jericho, and went into the desert. It went from Jericho up into the hill country as far as Bethel. ² From Bethel it went to Luz, passing on to Ataroth Addar, where the Archites lived. ³ It then went west to the area of the Japhletites, as far as the area of Lower Beth Horon. It went on from there to Gezer and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴ The descendants of Joseph, the tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh, received this land as their possession.

Ephraim

⁵ This was the territory of the Ephraimite families: their border ran from Ataroth Addar eastward to Upper Beth Horon, ⁶ and from there to the Mediterranean Sea. Michmethath was on their north. East of there the border bent toward Taanath Shiloh and went past it on the east to Janoah. ⁷ Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, reaching Jericho and ending at the Jordan. ⁸ The border went west from Tappuah to the stream Kanah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the land given to the families of the tribe of Ephraim as their possession, ⁹ along with some towns and villages that were within the borders of Manasseh, but given to the Ephraimites. ^10 (D)But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among the Ephraimites to this day, but they have been forced to work as slaves.

West Manasseh

17 A part of the land west of the Jordan was assigned to some of the families descended from Joseph's older son Manasseh. Machir, the father of Gilead, was Manasseh's oldest son and a military hero, so Gilead and Bashan, east of the Jordan, were assigned to him. ² Land west of the Jordan was assigned to the rest of the families of Manasseh: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and they were heads of families. ³ Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, did not have any sons, but only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ^4 (E)They went to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua son of Nun and to the leaders, and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us, as well as our male relatives, a part of the land to possess.” So, as the Lord had commanded, they were given land along with their male relatives. ⁵ This is why Manasseh received ten shares in addition to Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan, ⁶ since his female descendants as well as his male descendants were assigned land. The land of Gilead was assigned to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

⁷ The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath, east of Shechem. The border then went south to include the people of Entappuah. ⁸ The land around Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah, on the border, belonged to the descendants of Ephraim. ⁹ The border then went down to the stream Kanah. The cities south of the stream belonged to Ephraim, even though they were in the territory of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh proceeded along the north side of the stream and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. ¹⁰ Ephraim was to the south, and Manasseh was to the north, with the Mediterranean Sea as their western border. Asher was to the northwest, and Issachar to the northeast. ¹¹ Within the territories of Issachar and Asher, Manasseh possessed Beth Shan and Ibleam, along with their surrounding towns, as well as Dor (the one on the coast),^[b] Endor, Taanach, Megiddo, and their surrounding towns. ^12 (F)The people of Manasseh, however, were not able to drive out the people living in those cities, so the Canaanites continued to live there. ¹³ Even when the Israelites became stronger, they did not drive out all the Canaanites, but they did force them to work for them.

Ephraim and West Manasseh Request More Land

¹⁴ The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one part of the land to possess as our own? There are very many of us because the Lord has blessed us.”

¹⁵ Joshua answered, “If there are so many of you and the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, then go into the forests and clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”

¹⁶ They replied, “The hill country is not big enough for us, but the Canaanites in the plains have iron chariots, both those who live in Beth Shan and its surrounding towns and those who live in Jezreel Valley.”

¹⁷ Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh, “There are indeed many of you, and you are very powerful. You shall have more than one share. ¹⁸ The hill country will be yours. Even though it is a forest, you will clear it and take possession of it from one end to the other. As for the Canaanites, you will drive them out, even though they do have iron chariots and are a strong people.”

The Division of the Rest of the Land

18 After they had conquered the land, the entire community of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of the Lord's presence. ² There were still seven tribes of the people of Israel who had not yet been assigned their share of the land. ³ So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long are you going to wait before you go in and take the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? ⁴ Let me have three men from each tribe. I will send them out over the whole country to map out the territory that they would like to have as their possession. Then they are to come back to me. ⁵ The land will be divided among them in seven parts; Judah will stay in its territory in the south, and Joseph in its territory in the north. ⁶ Write down a description of these seven divisions and bring it to me. Then I will draw lots^[c] to consult the Lord our God for you. ⁷ The Levites, however, will not receive a share of the land with the rest of you, because their share is to serve as the Lord's priests. And of course, the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh have already received their land east of the Jordan, which Moses, the Lord's servant, gave to them.”

⁸ The men went on their way to map out the land after Joshua had given them these instructions: “Go all over the land and map it out, and come back to me. And then here in Shiloh I will consult the Lord for you by drawing lots.” ⁹ So the men went all over the land and set down in writing how they divided it into seven parts, making a list of the towns. Then they went back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua drew lots to consult the Lord for them, and assigned each of the remaining tribes of Israel a certain part of the land.

The Territory Assigned to Benjamin

¹¹ The territory belonging to the families of the tribe of Benjamin was the first to be assigned. Their land lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph. ¹² On the north their border began at the Jordan and then went up the slope north of Jericho and westward through the hill country as far as the desert of Bethaven. ¹³ The border then went to the slope on the south side of Luz (also called Bethel), then down to Ataroth Addar, on the mountain south of Lower Beth Horon. ¹⁴ The border then went in another direction, turning south from the western side of this mountain and going to Kiriath Baal (or Kiriath Jearim), which belongs to the tribe of Judah. This was the western border. ¹⁵ The southern border started on the edge of Kiriath Jearim and went^[d] to the Springs of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ It then went down to the foot of the mountain that overlooks Hinnom Valley, at the north end of Rephaim Valley. It then went south through Hinnom Valley, south of the Jebusite ridge, toward Enrogel. ¹⁷ It then turned north to Enshemesh and then on to Geliloth, opposite Adummim Pass. The border then went down to the Stone of Bohan (Bohan was a son of Reuben) ¹⁸ and passed north of the ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley. It then went down into the valley, ¹⁹ passing north of the ridge of Beth Hoglah, and ended at the northern inlet on the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River empties into it. This was the southern border. ²⁰ The Jordan was the eastern border. These were the borders of the land which the families of the tribe of Benjamin received as their possession.

²¹ The cities belonging to the families of the tribe of Benjamin were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, ²² Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Chepharammoni, Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities, along with the towns around them. ²⁵ There were also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath Jearim: fourteen cities, along with the towns around them. This is the land which the families of the tribe of Benjamin received as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Simeon

19 The second assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Simeon. Its territory extended into the land assigned to the tribe of Judah. ^2 (G)It included Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, ³ Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, ⁶ Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities, along with the towns around them.

⁷ There were also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities, along with the towns around them. ⁸ This included all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (or Ramah), in the south. This was the land which the families of the tribe of Simeon received as their possession. ⁹ Since Judah's assignment was larger than was needed, part of its territory was given to the tribe of Simeon.

The Territory Assigned to Zebulun

¹⁰ The third assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Zebulun. The land which they received reached as far as Sarid. ¹¹ From there the border went west to Mareal, touching Dabbesheth and the stream east of Jokneam. ¹² On the other side of Sarid it went east to the border of Chisloth Tabor, then to Daberath and up to Japhia. ¹³ It continued east from there to Gath Hepher and Ethkazin, turning in the direction of Neah on the way to Rimmon. ¹⁴ On the north the border turned toward Hannathon, ending at Iphtahel Valley. ¹⁵ It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities, along with the towns around them. ¹⁶ These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Zebulun received as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Issachar

¹⁷ The fourth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Issachar. ¹⁸ Its area included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, Engannim, Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez. ²² The border also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, ending at the Jordan. It included sixteen cities along with the towns around them. ²³ These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Issachar received as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Asher

²⁴ The fifth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Asher. ²⁵ Its area included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶ Allam Melech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. ²⁷ As it turned east, the border went to Bethdagon, touching Zebulun and Iphtahel Valley on the way north to Bethemek and Neiel. It continued north to Cabul, ²⁸ Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Sidon. ²⁹ The border then turned to Ramah, reaching the fortified city of Tyre; then it turned to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. It included Mahalab, Achzib, ³⁰ Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities, along with the towns around them. ³¹ These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Asher received as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Naphtali

³² The sixth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Naphtali. ³³ Its border went from Heleph to the oak in Zaanannim, on to Adaminekeb and to Jamnia, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ There the border turned west to Aznoth Tabor, from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan^[e] on the east. ³⁵ The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor, ³⁸ Yiron, Migdalel, Horem, Bethanath, and Beth Shemesh: nineteen cities, along with the towns around them. ³⁹ These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Naphtali received as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Dan. ⁴¹ Its area included Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh, ⁴² Shaalbim, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Beneberak, Gathrimmon, ⁴⁶ Mejarkon, and Rakkon, as well as the territory around Joppa. ^47 (H)When the people of Dan lost their land, they went to Laish and attacked it. They captured it, killed its people, and claimed it for themselves. They settled there and changed the name of the city from Laish to Dan, naming it after their ancestor Dan. ⁴⁸ These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Dan received as their possession.

The Final Assignment of the Land

⁴⁹ When the people of Israel finished dividing up the land, they gave Joshua son of Nun a part of the land as his own. ⁵⁰ As the Lord had commanded, they gave him the city he asked for: Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and settled there.

⁵¹ Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the families of the tribes of Israel assigned these parts of the land by drawing lots^[f] to consult the Lord at Shiloh, at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence. In this way they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

20 ^(I)Then the Lord told Joshua ² to say to the people of Israel, “Choose the cities of refuge that I had Moses tell you about. ³ If any of you accidentally kills someone, you can go there and escape the one who is looking for revenge. ⁴ You can run away to one of these cities, go to the place of judgment at the entrance to the city, and explain to the leaders what happened. Then they will let you into the city and give you a place to live in, so that you can stay there. ⁵ If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger. ⁶ You may stay in the city until you have received a public trial and until the death of the man who is then the High Priest. Then you may go back home to your own town, from which you had run away.”

⁷ So, on the west side of the Jordan they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge; they could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.

The Cities of the Levites

21 The leaders of the Levite families went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel. ^2 (J)There at Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we were to be given cities to live in, as well as pasture land around them for our livestock.” ³ So in accordance with the Lord's command the people of Israel gave the Levites certain cities and pasture lands out of their own territories.

⁴ The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of the clan of Kohath was assigned ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.

⁶ The clan of Gershon was assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh.

⁷ The families of the clan of Merari were assigned twelve cities from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸ By drawing lots,^[g] the people of Israel assigned these cities and their pasture lands to the Levites, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹ These are the names of the cities from the territories of Judah and Simeon which were given ¹⁰ to the descendants of Aaron who were of the clan of Kohath, which was descended from Levi. Their assignment was the first to be made. ¹¹ They were given the city of Arba (Arba was Anak's father), now called Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasture land surrounding it. ¹² However, the fields of the city, as well as its towns, had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

¹³ In addition to Hebron (one of the cities of refuge), the following cities were assigned to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Libnah, ¹⁴ Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵ Holon, Debir, ¹⁶ Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands: nine cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon. ¹⁷ From the territory of Benjamin they were given four cities: Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸ Anathoth, and Almon, with their pasture lands. ¹⁹ Thirteen cities in all, with their pasture lands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

²⁰ The other families of the Levite clan of Kohath were assigned some cities from the territory of Ephraim. ²¹ They were given four cities: Shechem and its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim (one of the cities of refuge), Gezer, ²² Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, with their pasture lands. ²³ From the territory of Dan they were given four cities: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, ²⁴ Aijalon, and Gathrimmon, with their pasture lands. ²⁵ From the territory of West Manasseh they were given two cities: Taanach and Gathrimmon, with their pasture lands. ²⁶ These families of the clan of Kohath received ten cities in all, with their pasture lands.

²⁷ Another group of Levites, the clan of Gershon, received from the territory of East Manasseh two cities: Golan in Bashan (one of the cities of refuge) and Beeshterah, with their pasture lands. ²⁸ From the territory of Issachar they received four cities: Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹ Jarmuth, and Engannim, with their pasture lands. ³⁰ From the territory of Asher they received four cities: Mishal, Abdon, ³¹ Helkath, and Rehob, with their pasture lands. ³² From the territory of Naphtali they received three cities: Kedesh in Galilee, with its pasture lands (one of the cities of refuge), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, with their pasture lands. ³³ The various families of the clan of Gershon received a total of thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

³⁴ The rest of the Levites, the clan of Merari, received from the territory of Zebulun four cities: Jokneam, Kartah, ³⁵ Dimnah, and Nahalal, with their pasture lands. ³⁶ From the territory of Reuben they received four cities: Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷ Kedemoth, and Mephaath, with their pasture lands. ³⁸ From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with its pasture lands (one of the cities of refuge), Mahanaim, ³⁹ Heshbon, and Jazer, with their pasture lands. ⁴⁰ So the clan of Merari was assigned a total of twelve cities.

^41-42 From the land that the people of Israel possessed, a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasture lands around them, was given to the Levites.

Israel Takes Possession of the Land

⁴³ So the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he had solemnly promised their ancestors he would give them. When they had taken possession of it, they settled down there. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them peace throughout the land, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies had been able to stand against them, because the Lord gave the Israelites the victory over all their enemies. ⁴⁵ The Lord kept every one of the promises that he had made to the people of Israel.

Joshua Sends the Eastern Tribes Home

22 Then Joshua called together the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. ^2 (K)He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses the Lord's servant ordered you to do, and you have obeyed all my commands. ³ All this time you have never once deserted the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God. ⁴ Now, as he promised, the Lord your God has given the other Israelites peace. So go back home to the land which you claimed for your own, the land on the east side of the Jordan, that Moses, the Lord's servant, gave you. ⁵ Make sure you obey the law that Moses commanded you: love the Lord your God, do his will, obey his commandments, be faithful to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul.” ^6-8 Joshua sent them home with his blessing and with these words: “You are going back home very rich, with a lot of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and many clothes. Share with your fellow tribesmen what you took from your enemies.” Then they left for home.

Moses had given land east of the Jordan to one half of the tribe of Manasseh, but to the other half Joshua had given land west of the Jordan, along with the other tribes.

⁹ So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh went back home. They left the rest of the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and started out for their own land, the land of Gilead, which they had taken as the Lord had commanded them through Moses.

The Altar by the Jordan

¹⁰ When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh arrived at Geliloth, still on the west side^[h] of the Jordan, they built a large, impressive altar there by the river. ¹¹ The rest of the people of Israel were told, “Listen! The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh have built an altar at Geliloth, on our side of the Jordan!” ¹² When the people of Israel heard this, the whole community came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes.

¹³ Then the people of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in the land of Gilead. ¹⁴ Ten leading men went with Phinehas, one from each of the western tribes and each one the head of a family among the clans. ¹⁵ They came to the land of Gilead, to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, ^16 (L)and speaking for the whole community of the Lord, they said to them, “Why have you done this evil thing against the God of Israel? You have rebelled against the Lord by building this altar for yourselves! You are no longer following him! ^17 (M)Remember our sin at Peor, when the Lord punished his own people with an epidemic? We are still suffering because of that. Wasn't that sin enough? ¹⁸ Are you going to refuse to follow him now? If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with everyone in Israel tomorrow. ¹⁹ Now then, if your land is not fit to worship in, come over into the Lord's land, where his Tent is. Claim some land among us. But don't rebel against the Lord or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of the Lord our God. ^20 (N)Remember how Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about the things condemned to destruction; the whole community of Israel was punished for that. Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin.”

²¹ The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered the heads of the families of the western tribes: ²² “The Mighty One is God! He is the Lord! The Mighty One is God! He is the Lord! He knows why we did this, and we want you to know too! If we rebelled and did not keep faith with the Lord, do not let us live any longer! ²³ If we disobeyed the Lord and built our own altar to burn sacrifices on or to use for grain offerings or fellowship offerings, let the Lord himself punish us. ²⁴ No! We did it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants would say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ He made the Jordan a boundary between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have nothing to do with the Lord.’ Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshiping the Lord. ²⁶ So we built an altar, not to burn sacrifices or make offerings, ²⁷ but instead, as a sign for our people and yours, and for the generations after us, that we do indeed worship the Lord before his sacred Tent with our offerings to be burned and with sacrifices and fellowship offerings. This was to keep your descendants from saying that ours have nothing to do with the Lord. ²⁸ It was our idea that, if this should ever happen, our descendants could say, ‘Look! Our ancestors made an altar just like the Lord's altar. It was not for burning offerings or for sacrifice, but as a sign for our people and yours.’ ²⁹ We would certainly not rebel against the Lord or stop following him now by building an altar to burn offerings on or for grain offerings or sacrifices. We would not build any other altar than the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tent of his presence.”

³⁰ Phinehas the priest and the ten leading men of the community who were with him, the heads of families of the western tribes, heard what the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had to say, and they were satisfied. ³¹ Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to them, “Now we know that the Lord is with us. You have not rebelled against him, and so you have saved the people of Israel from the Lord's punishment.”

³² Then Phinehas and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead and went back to Canaan, to the people of Israel, and reported to them. ³³ The Israelites were satisfied and praised God. They no longer talked about going to war to devastate the land where the people of Reuben and Gad had settled.

³⁴ The people of Reuben and Gad said, “This altar is a witness to all of us that the Lord is God.” And so they named it “Witness.”

Joshua's Farewell Address

23 Much later the Lord gave Israel security from their enemies around them. By that time Joshua was very old, ² so he called all Israel, the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of the people, and said, “I am very old now. ³ You have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you. The Lord your God has been fighting for you. ⁴ I have assigned as the possession of your tribes the land of the nations that are still left, as well as of all the nations that I have already conquered, from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God will make them retreat from you, and he will drive them away as you advance. You shall have their land, as the Lord your God has promised you. ⁶ So be careful to obey and do everything that is written in the book of the Law of Moses. Do not neglect any part of it, ⁷ and then you will not associate with these peoples left among you or speak the names of their gods or use those names in taking vows or worship those gods or bow down to them. ⁸ Instead, be faithful to the Lord, as you have been till now. ⁹ The Lord has driven great and powerful nations out as you advanced, and no one has ever been able to stand against you. ^10 (O)Any one of you can make a thousand men run away, because the Lord your God is fighting for you, just as he promised. ¹¹ Be careful, then, to love the Lord your God. ¹² If you are disloyal and join with the nations that are still left among you and intermarry with them, ¹³ you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive these nations out as you advance. Rather, they will be as dangerous for you as a trap or a pit and as painful as a whip on your back or thorns in your eyes. And this will last until none of you are left in this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “Now my time has come to die. Every one of you knows in his heart and soul that the Lord your God has given you all the good things that he promised. Every promise he made has been kept; not one has failed. ¹⁵ But just as he kept every promise that he made to you, so he will carry out every threat. ¹⁶ If you do not keep the covenant which the Lord your God commanded you to keep and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you, and soon none of you will be left in this good land that he has given you.”

Joshua Speaks to the People at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God. ^2 (P)Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor. ^3 (Q)Then I took Abraham, your ancestor, from the land across the Euphrates and led him through the whole land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ^4 (R)and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Edom as his possession, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ^5 (S)Later I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought great trouble on Egypt. But I led you out; ^6 (T)I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and cavalry. But when your ancestors got to the Red Sea ⁷ they cried out to me for help, and I put darkness between them and the Egyptians. I made the sea come rolling over the Egyptians and drown them. You know what I did to Egypt.

“‘You lived in the desert a long time. ^8 (U)Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan. They fought you, but I gave you victory over them. You took their land, and I destroyed them as you advanced. ^9 (V)Then the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, fought against you. He sent word to Balaam son of Beor and asked him to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you, and in this way I rescued you from Balak. ^11 (W)You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them all. ^12 (X)As you advanced, I threw them into panic in order to drive out the two Amorite kings. Your swords and bows had nothing to do with it. ^13 (Y)I gave you a land that you had never worked and cities that you had not built. Now you are living there and eating grapes from vines that you did not plant, and olives from trees that you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. ¹⁵ If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. ¹⁸ As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.”

¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “But you may not be able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals, ²⁰ and if you leave him to serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you. He will destroy you, even though he was good to you before.”

²¹ The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

²² Joshua told them, “You are your own witnesses to the fact that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes,” they said, “we are witnesses.”

²³ “Then get rid of those foreign gods that you have,” he demanded, “and pledge your loyalty to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

²⁴ The people then said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey his commands.”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant for^[i] the people that day, and there at Shechem he gave them laws and rules to follow. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these commands in the book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree in the Lord's sanctuary. ²⁷ He said to all the people, “This stone will be our witness. It has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua sent the people away, and everyone returned to their own part of the land.

Joshua and Eleazar Die

²⁹ After that, the Lord's servant Joshua son of Nun died at the age of a hundred and ten. ^30 (Z)They buried him on his own land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

³¹ As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served the Lord, and after his death they continued to do so as long as those leaders were alive who had seen for themselves everything that the Lord had done for Israel.

^32 (AA)The body of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, was buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. This land was inherited by Joseph's descendants.

³³ Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, the town in the hill country of Ephraim which had been given to his son Phinehas.

The Tribes of Judah and Simeon Capture Adonibezek

1 After Joshua's death the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Which of our tribes should be the first to go and attack the Canaanites?”

² The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah will go first. I am giving them control of the land.”

³ The people of Judah said to the people of Simeon, “Go with us into the territory assigned to us, and we will fight the Canaanites together. Then we will go with you into the territory assigned to you.” So the tribes of Simeon ⁴ and Judah went into battle together. The Lord gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. ⁵ They found Adonibezek there and fought him. ⁶ He ran away, but they chased him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Adonibezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. God has now done to me what I did to them.” He was taken to Jerusalem, where he died.

The Tribe of Judah Conquers Jerusalem and Hebron

⁸ The people of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They killed its people and set fire to the city. ⁹ After this they went on to fight the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the foothills, and in the dry country to the south. ¹⁰ They marched against the Canaanites living in the city of Hebron, which used to be called Kiriath Arba. There they defeated the clans of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

Othniel Conquers the City of Debir^(AB)

¹¹ From there the men of Judah marched against the city of Debir, at that time called Kiriath Sepher. ¹² One of them, called Caleb, said, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who succeeds in capturing Kiriath Sepher.” ¹³ Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage. ¹⁴ On the wedding day Othniel urged her^[j] to ask her father for a field. She got down from her donkey, and Caleb asked her what she wanted. ¹⁵ She answered, “I want some water holes. The land you have given me is in the dry country.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

The Victories of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin

¹⁶ The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went on with the people of Judah from Jericho, the city of palm trees, into the barren country south of Arad in Judah. There they settled among the Amalekites.^{[k] 17} The people of Judah went with the people of Simeon, and together they defeated the Canaanites who lived in the city of Zephath. They put a curse on the city, destroyed it, and named it Hormah.^{[l] 18-19} The Lord helped the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they did not capture^[m] Gaza, Ashkelon, or Ekron, with their surrounding territories. These people living along the coast had iron chariots, and so the people of Judah were not able to drive them out. ^20 (AC)As Moses had commanded, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove out of the city the three clans descended from Anak. ^21 (AD)But the people of the tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, and the Jebusites have continued to live there with the people of Benjamin ever since.

The Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh Conquer Bethel

^22-23 The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh went to attack the city of Bethel, at that time called Luz. The Lord helped them. They sent spies to the city, ²⁴ who saw a man leaving and said to him, “Show us how to get into the city, and we won't hurt you.” ²⁵ So he showed them, and the people of Ephraim and Manasseh killed everyone in the city, except this man and his family. ²⁶ He later went to the land of the Hittites, built a city there, and named it Luz, which is still its name.

People Who Were Not Driven Out by the Israelites

^27 (AE)The tribe of Manasseh did not drive out the people living in the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and the nearby towns; the Canaanites continued to live there. ²⁸ When the Israelites became stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, but still they did not drive them all out.

^29 (AF)The tribe of Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in the city of Gezer, and so the Canaanites continued to live there with them.

³⁰ The tribe of Zebulun did not drive out the people living in the cities of Kitron and Nahalal, and so the Canaanites continued to live there with them and were forced to work for them.

³¹ The tribe of Asher did not drive out the people living in the cities of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphek, and Rehob. ³² The people of Asher lived with the local Canaanites, since they had not been driven out.

³³ The tribe of Naphtali did not drive out the people living in the cities of Beth Shemesh and Bethanath. The people of Naphtali lived with the local Canaanites, but forced them to work for them.

³⁴ The Amorites forced the people of the tribe of Dan into the hill country and did not let them come down to the plain. ³⁵ The Amorites continued to live at Aijalon, Shaalbim, and Mount Heres, but the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh kept them under their rule and forced them to work for them.

³⁶ North of Sela, the Edomite^[n] border ran through Akrabbim Pass.

The Angel of the Lord at Bochim

2 The angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim and said to the Israelites, “I took you out of Egypt and brought you to the land that I promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. ^2 (AG)You must not make any covenant with the people who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.’ But you have not done what I told you. You have done just the opposite! ³ So I tell you now that I will not drive these people out as you advance. They will be your enemies,^[o] and you will be trapped by the worship of their gods.” ⁴ When the angel had said this, all the people of Israel began to cry, ⁵ and that is why the place is called Bochim.^[p] There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

The Death of Joshua

⁶ Joshua sent the people of Israel on their way, and each man went to take possession of his own share of the land. ⁷ As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served the Lord, and even after his death they continued to do so as long as the leaders were alive who had seen for themselves all the great things that the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ The Lord's servant Joshua son of Nun died at the age of a hundred and ten. ^9 (AH)He was buried in his own part of the land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel.

Israel Stops Worshiping the Lord

¹¹ Then the people of Israel sinned against the Lord and began to serve the Baals. ¹² They stopped worshiping the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God who had brought them out of Egypt, and they began to worship other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and made the Lord angry. ¹³ They stopped worshiping the Lord and served the Baals and the Astartes. ¹⁴ And so the Lord became furious with Israel and let raiders attack and rob them. He let the enemies all around overpower them, and the Israelites could no longer protect themselves. ¹⁵ Every time they would go into battle, the Lord was against them, just as he had said he would be. They were in great distress.

¹⁶ Then the Lord gave the Israelites leaders who saved them from the raiders. ¹⁷ But the Israelites paid no attention to their leaders. Israel was unfaithful to the Lord and worshiped other gods. Their fathers had obeyed the Lord's commands, but this new generation soon stopped doing so. ¹⁸ Whenever the Lord gave Israel a leader, the Lord would help that leader and would save the people from their enemies as long as that leader lived. The Lord would have mercy on them because they groaned under their suffering and oppression. ¹⁹ But when the leader died, the people would return to the old ways and behave worse than the previous generation. They would serve and worship other gods, and stubbornly continue their own evil ways. ²⁰ Then the Lord would become furious with Israel and say, “This nation has broken the covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep. Because they have not obeyed me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out any of the nations that were still in the land when Joshua died. ²² I will use them to find out whether or not these Israelites will follow my ways, as their ancestors did.” ²³ So the Lord allowed these nations to remain in the land; he did not give Joshua victory over them, nor did he drive them out soon after Joshua's death.

The Nations Remaining in the Land

3 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. ² He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. ³ Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. ⁴ They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. ⁵ And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁶ They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods.

Othniel

⁷ The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. ⁸ So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. ⁹ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. ¹⁰ The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel's leader. Othniel went to war, and the Lord gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia. ¹¹ There was peace in the land for forty years, and then Othniel died.

Ehud

¹² The people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel. ¹³ Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees. ¹⁴ The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years.

¹⁵ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him. ¹⁶ Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He had it fastened on his right side under his clothes. ¹⁷ Then he took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud had given him the gifts, he told the men who had carried them to go back home. ¹⁹ But Ehud himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

So the king ordered his servants, “Leave us alone!” And they all went out.

²⁰ Then, as the king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof, Ehud went over to him and said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king stood up. ²¹ With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king's belly. ²² The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the king's belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs.^{[q] 23} Then Ehud went outside, closed the doors behind him, locked them, ²⁴ and left. The servants came and saw that the doors were locked, but they only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself. ²⁵ They waited as long as they thought they should, but when he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. And there was their master, lying dead on the floor.

²⁶ Ehud got away while they were waiting. He went past the carved stones and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle; then he led them down from the hills.