Bible in 90 Days

Chapter 15

The Tribe of Judah. ¹ The allotment for the tribe of the Judahites, divided according to its clans, extended to the boundary with Edom, down to the Desert of Zin in the extreme southern regions. ² Their southern boundary lie on the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea. ³ It continued south of Akrabbim on to Zin, going up to the south of Kadesh-barnea past Hebron, up to Addar and it curved around to Karka. ⁴ It then passed along to Azmon out to the Wadi of Egypt, the border being on the sea. This shall be your southern boundary. ⁵ The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.

The boundary of the northern quarter began at the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. ⁶ The boundary ran up to Beth-hoglah and passed to the north of Beth-arabah, and then it ran up to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. ⁷ The boundary then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and then northward, in the direction of Gilgal that faces the Pass of Adummim on the south side of the river. The boundary then passed along the waters of En-shemesh until they flow out at En-rogel. ⁸ The boundary then runs along the Valley of Ben-hinnom to the south of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). From there the boundary climbs up to the top of the mountain that lies to the west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. ⁹ The boundary then runs from the top of the hill down to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, going along to the cities of Mount Ephron, continuing down to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). ¹⁰ The boundary then curves westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, running along the northern slopes of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), down to Beth-shemesh and over to Timnah. ¹¹ The boundary runs along the northern slopes of Ekron, passing on to Shikkeron, running along Mount Baalah and reaching up to Jabneel. This boundary ends at the sea. ¹² The western boundary lies along the shore of the Great Sea.^[a] This is the boundary that runs around the Judahites according to their clans.

¹³ Conquest by Caleb. Joshua gave Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, an inheritance among the Judahites, as the Lord had commanded: Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of the Anak.) ¹⁴ Caleb drove the three Anakim out from it, that is Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. They were descendants of Anak. ¹⁵ From there he marched out against the people living in Debir. (Debir was previously called Kiriath-sepher.) ^16 [b]Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” ¹⁷ Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it, so he gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage. ¹⁸ One day she went up to him and she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What can I do for you?” ¹⁹ She answered, “Please do me a favor. Since you have already given me land in the Negeb, give me some springs as well.” He gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

²⁰ The Cities of Judah. This is the inheritance of the Judahites, divided according to its clans. ²¹ The cities at the edge of the land of the Judahites in the direction of the boundary with Edom in the south were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, ²⁵ Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, ²⁸ Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, ²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All together there were twenty-nine cities along with the towns dependent upon them.

³³ On the western slopes there were: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (that is, Gederothaim). There were fourteen of these cities along with their dependent towns. ³⁷ There were also Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, ⁴⁰ Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah. There were sixteen of these cities along with their dependent towns. ⁴² There were also Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah. There were nine of these cities along with their dependent towns. ⁴⁵ There was also Ekron with its dependent towns, ⁴⁶ and the territory between Ekron and the sea, near Ashdod, with all of their dependent towns. ⁴⁷ There was Ashdod along with its dependent towns and villages, as well as Gaza along with its dependent towns and villages, all the way to the Wadi of Egypt and the coast of the Great Sea.

⁴⁸ In the mountains there were Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. There were eleven of these cities along with their dependent towns. ⁵² There were also Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior. There were nine of these cities along with their dependent towns. ⁵⁵ There were also Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibbeah, and Timnah. There were ten of these cities along with their dependent towns. ⁵⁸ There were also Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon. There were six of these cities, along with their dependent towns. ⁶⁰ There were also Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah. There were two of these cities along with their dependent towns.

⁶¹ In the wilderness there were Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, ⁶² Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi. There were six of these cities, along with their dependent towns. ⁶³ The Judahites could not drive out the Jebusites, the people who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the Judahites up to the present.

Chapter 16

The Tribe of Ephraim.^{[c] 1} The allotment for the descendants of Joseph ran from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, and ran up into the hill country of Bethel. ² It went from Bethel (that is, Luz) over to the boundary of the Arkites in Ataroth. ³ It then descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites up to the territory of lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, ending at the sea. ⁴ Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance.

⁵ This is the territory of the Ephraimites, divided according to its clans. The boundary of the inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to upper Beth-horon ⁶ and it continued on to the sea. From Micmethath in the north it curved eastward to Taanath-shiloh, passing by it to the east of Janoah. ⁷ It went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, arriving at Jericho and then ending at the Jordan. ⁸ From Tappuah the boundary reached eastward to the Kanah River and from there it went to the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, divided according to its clans. ⁹ It included all of the cities that were set aside for the Ephraimites in the inheritance of the Manassehites, the cities and their dependent towns. ¹⁰ They did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the Ephraimites up to the present and they serve them doing forced labor.

Chapter 17

The Tribe of Manasseh. ¹ This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh, who was the firstborn of Joseph, that is, of Machir, who was the firstborn of Manasseh, and he was also the father of the Gileadites because he had received Gilead and Bashan since he was a mighty warrior. ² This was the allotment for the rest of the Manassehites, the clans of the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, according to their clans.

^3 [d]Now Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴ They went to Eleazar, the priest, to Joshua, the son of Nun, and the elders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” He therefore gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father, just as the Lord had commanded.

⁵ Manasseh’s portion consisted of ten parcels of land besides Gilead and Bashan, which were on the east side of the Jordan, ⁶ for the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh. ⁷ The territory of the Manassehites ran from Asher to Micmethath east of Shechem. The boundary then ran south from there, so it included the people living at En-tappuah. ⁸ (Manasseh had received the land around Tappuah, which lay on the boundary with Manasseh, but Tappuah itself belonged to the Ephraimites.) ⁹ The boundary then continued on south to the Wadi Kanah. There were some towns that belonged to Ephraim among the towns of Manasseh, but Manasseh’s boundary ran along the north side of the river, ending at the sea. ¹⁰ To the north, the land belonged to Ephraim, while to the south the land belonged to Manasseh. Its boundary ended at the sea, bordering Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

¹¹ Within Asher and Issachar, Manasseh also possessed Beth-shan and the towns that were dependent upon it, Ibleam and the towns dependent upon it, the inhabitants of Dor and the towns dependent upon it, the inhabitants of Endor and the towns dependent upon it, the inhabitants of Taanach and the towns dependent upon it, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and the towns dependent upon it. (These are three mountainous areas.)

¹² Yet, the Manassehites were not able to occupy these cities, for the Canaanites were determined to continue to live in that land. ¹³ When the Israelites grew stronger, they did subject the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely. ^14 [e]The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment, one portion as our inheritance. We are quite numerous, for the Lord has blessed us.” ¹⁵ But Joshua answered them, “If you are too numerous for the hill country of Ephraim, then go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.” ¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph replied, “The hill country is too small for us, and the Canaanites who live in the plains have iron chariots, both the ones living in Beth-shean and the towns dependent upon it and those living in the Valley of Jezreel.” ¹⁷ Joshua said to the descendants of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous and very powerful people. You will have more than one allotment. ¹⁸ The forested hill country will also be yours. Cut it down, and it will be yours right to its fringes. The Canaanites might have iron chariots and be strong, but you can drive them out.”

Chapter 18

^1 [f]The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered together at Shiloh and they set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been brought under their control, ² but there were still seven tribes among the Israelites who had not yet received their inheritance.

Inheritance for the Remaining Seven Tribes. ³ Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you wait before you go in to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? ⁴ Choose three men from each of your tribes. I will send them to arise and go through the land, describing it according to each of their inheritances. They will then return to me. ⁵ They will divide it into seven portions. Judah will continue to live in its territory to the south, and the descendants of Joseph will continue to live in their territory to the north. ⁶ You will write down a description of the seven portions of the land and bring it to me. I will cast lots for you here before the Lord, our God. ⁷ The Levites will have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan, to the east, from Moses, the servant of the Lord.”

⁸ So the men arose and went on their way. Joshua commanded them to write a description of the land saying, “Go and travel through the land, writing a description of it. Return to me here so that I can cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.”

⁹ The men traveled through the land, writing a description of its cities, divided into seven portions, in a book. They then came back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. Joshua divided the land among the Israelites there, dividing it according to their allotments.

¹¹ The Tribe of Benjamin. The lot for the tribe of Benjamin, divided according to its clans, was selected. The territory for their allotment lay between the Judahites and the descendants of Joseph. ^12 [g]On the north their boundary started at the Jordan, going up the northern slope of Jericho and out west into the hill country until it exited in the Desert of Beth-aven. ¹³ From there the boundary traveled on toward Luz, passing on the southern side of Luz (that is, Bethel). The boundary then ran down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill that lay to the south of Lower Beth-horon. ¹⁴ From the hill that lay facing Beth-horon on the south, the boundary extended around the west side to the south. It ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of Judahites. This was the western side.

¹⁵ The southern side of the boundary began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended to the west, reaching the spring of the water of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ The boundary extended to the foot of the hill that lay over the Valley of Ben-hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued through the Valley of Hinnom on the southern slope of the city of the Jebusites until it reached En-rogel. ¹⁷ It then passed on north to En-shemesh, continued on to Geliloth which faced the Pass of Adummim, and ran up to the stone of Bohan, the son of Reuben. ¹⁸ It continued along the northern slope of the Arabah, continuing down into the Arabah itself. ¹⁹ The boundary then passed along the northern side of Beth-hoglah, ending at the northern bay of the Salt Sea which is at the southern part of the Jordan. This was their southern boundary. ²⁰ The Jordan was their boundary on the east. This was the inheritance of the Benjaminites with the boundaries that surround it, divided according to its clans.

²¹ The cities of the tribe of the Benjaminites, divided according to its clans, were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, ²² Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve cities, along with their dependent towns. ²⁵ There were also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen cities with their dependent towns. This was the inheritance of the Benjaminites, divided according to its clans.

Chapter 19

The Tribe of Simeon.^{[h] 1} The second lot chosen was for Simeon, the tribe of the Simeonites, divided according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the inheritance of the Judahites. ² Their inheritance included: Beer-sheba (that is, Sheba), Moladah, ³ Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, ⁶ Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen. There were thirteen of these cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ⁷ There were also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. There were four of these cities, along with the towns dependent upon them. ⁸ There were also all of the villages around these cities up to Baalath-beer (that is, Ramoth-negeb). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, divided according to its clans. ⁹ The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the portion allotted to the Judahites, for Judah’s portion was too large for what they needed. Therefore, the Simeonites received their portion inside of their inheritance.

¹⁰ The Tribe of Zebulun. The third lot chosen was for the Zebulunites, divided according to its clans. The boundary of their inheritance extended to Sarid. ¹¹ It ran westward to Mareal up to Dabbesheth, extending up to the river in front of Jokneam. ¹² Going eastward from Sarid, in the direction of the sunrise, it ran to the territory of Chisloth-tabor and then went on to Daberath, arriving in Japhia. ¹³ From there it continued eastward to Gath-hepher and Eth-kazim. It went out to Rimmon and turned toward Neah. ¹⁴ There the boundary went around the north side of Hannathon, ending in the Valley of Iphtahel. ¹⁵ It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ¹⁶ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the Zebulunites, divided according to its clans.

¹⁷ The Tribe of Issachar. The fourth lot chosen was for the Issacharites, divided according to its clans. ¹⁸ Within their boundaries were: Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. ²² The boundary passed Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ²³ These cities and these villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, divided according to its clans.

²⁴ The Tribe of Asher. The fifth lot chosen was for the Asherites. ²⁵ Within their boundaries were: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On its western side the boundary passed Carmel and Shihor-libnath. ²⁷ It turned toward the sunrise, passing Beth-dagon, arriving at Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel. From there it went north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing by Cabul on the left. ²⁸ It ran on to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, extending to Greater Sidon. ²⁹ The boundary then turned toward Ramah, and ran to the fortified city of Tyre. It turned toward Hosah, ending at the sea in the area around Achzib. ³⁰ It included Ummah, Acco, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ³¹ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, divided according to its clans.

³² The Tribe of Naphtali. The sixth lot chosen was for the Naphtalites, divided according to its clans. ³³ Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree at Zaanannim to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ To the west it went through Aznoth-tabor, arriving at Hukkok. It passed Zebulun on its southern side, Asher on its western side, and the Jordan in the direction of the sunrise. ³⁵ Its fortified cities included: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, ³⁸ Yiron, Migdalel, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities along with the towns dependent upon them. ³⁹ These cities and villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, divided according to its clans.

⁴⁰ The Tribe of Dan. The seventh lot chosen was for the Danites, divided according to its clans. ⁴¹ Within the boundaries of their inheritance were: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekoh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, along with the area in front of Joppa. ⁴⁷ (But the territory of the Danites was outside of this area. The Danites went up to fight against Leshem. They conquered it and put it to the sword. They took possession of it and dwelt there. They renamed Leshem Dan after the name of Dan, their forefather.) ⁴⁸ These were the cities and the villages of the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, divided according to its clans.

^49 [i]When they finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave an inheritance among themselves to Joshua, the son of Nun ⁵⁰ as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the city he had requested: Timnah-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built a city and settled there.

⁵¹ These are the inheritances that were divided up by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting by Eleazar, the priest, by Joshua, the son of Nun, and by the leaders of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites. This concluded the process of dividing up the land.

Chapter 20

The Cities of Refuge.^{[j] 1} The Lord then said to Joshua, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Choose refuge cities for yourselves, just as I told you to do through Moses. ³ This way anyone who kills another accidentally or unintentionally can flee there and take refuge from the relative who seeks blood vengeance. ⁴ When he flees to one of those cities, he is to stand at the entrance to the city gate and state his case in the hearing of the elders of the city. They will then let him enter the city, and they are to give him a place where he can live with them. ⁵ If the relative who seeks blood vengeance pursues him, they are not to surrender the man who killed another into his hands, for he killed his neighbor unintentionally and he had not previously shown him any enmity. ⁶ He will continue to live in that city until he stands trial before the assembly, and until the death of the high priest who is then in office. At that point the man who killed another can go back to his own city, to his home, to the city from which he had fled.’ ”

⁷ So they set apart Kadesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ On the other side of the Jordan, to the east of Jericho, they set aside Bezer in the wilderness upon the plateau of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead among the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan among the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These cities were designated so that any Israelite or foreigner who lived among them and who accidentally killed another person might flee there, so that he would not be killed by the relative who seeks blood vengeance before he could stand trial before the assembly.

Chapter 21

The Levitical Cities. ¹ Now the leaders of the ancestral clans of the Levites came to Eleazar, the priest, Joshua, the son of Nun, and the leaders of the ancestral tribes of the Israelites ² at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and they said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us cities in which we can live and have pastures for our cattle.”^{[k] 3} So the Israelites gave the Levites cities and pastures out of their own inheritance as the Lord had commanded. ⁴ The first lot chosen was for the Kohathites, divided according to its families. Now the Levites were the descendants of Aaron the priest, and they were allotted thirteen cities out of the inheritance of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The rest of the descendants of Kohath were allotted ten cities from the inheritance of the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh. ⁶ The descendants of Gershom were allotted thirteen cities from the inheritance of the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh that was living in Bashan. ⁷ The descendants of Merari, divided according to its families, were allotted twelve cities from the inheritance of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁸ This is how the Israelites gave the Levites their cities with their pastures, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

⁹ These are the names of the cities that were given from the tribe of the Judahites and the tribe of the Simeonites. ¹⁰ (These cities were given to the descendants of Aaron who came from the Kohathite clan because their lot was the first chosen.) ¹¹ They were given Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the forefather of Anak) and its surrounding pastures in the hill country of Judah, ¹² but the fields belonging to the city and the towns surrounding it had already been given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as his possession. ¹³ So the descendants of Aaron the priest were given Hebron (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another person) and its pastures, Libnah and its pastures, ¹⁴ Jattir and its pastures, Eshtemoa and its pastures, ¹⁵ Holon and its pastures, Debir and its pastures, ¹⁶ Ain and its pastures, Juttah and its pastures, and Beth-shemesh and its pastures. Thus, there were nine cities from those two tribes. ¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon and its pastures, Geba and its pastures, ¹⁸ Anathoth and its pastures, and Almon and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ¹⁹ In total, there were thirteen cities with their pastures for the descendants of Aaron the priest.

²⁰ Cities of the Other Kohathites. As for the rest of the Kohathite families of the Levites, these Kohathites were allotted cities out of the inheritance of Ephraim. ²¹ In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another person) and its pastures, Gezer and its pastures, ²² Kibzaim with its pastures, and Beth-horon with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ²³ From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke and its pastures, Gibbethon and its pastures, ²⁴ Aijalon with its pastures, and Gath-rimmon with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities.

²⁵ From one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach with its pastures, and Gath-rimmon with its pastures. Thus, there were two cities. ²⁶ In total, there were ten cities with their pastures that were given to the rest of the Kohathites.

²⁷ The Cities of the Gershonites. The Levite’s clans of the Gershonites were given from the other half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, and Ashtaroth and its pastures. Thus, there were two cities. ²⁸ From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion and its pastures, Daberath and its pastures, ²⁹ Jarmuth and its pastures, and En-gannim and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁰ From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal with its pastures, Abdon with its pastures, ³¹ Helkath with its pastures, and Rehob with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³² From the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, Hammath and its pastures, and Kartan and its pastures. Thus, there were three cities. ³³ In total, there were thirteen cities with their pastures for the Gershonite families.

³⁴ The Cities of the Merarites. The Merarite families (the rest of the Levites) were given from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pastures, Kartah with its pastures, ³⁵ Dimnah with its pastures, and Nahalal with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁶ From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer with its pastures, Jahaz with its pastures, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its pastures, and Mephaath and its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ³⁸ From the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead (which was a city of refuge for someone who had killed another) and its pastures, Mahanaim and its pastures, ³⁹ Heshbon and its pastures, and Jazer with its pastures. Thus, there were four cities. ⁴⁰ In total, there were twelve cities allotted to the families of the Merarites (the rest of the Levites).

⁴¹ In all, there were forty-eight cities together with their pastures for the Levites within the land in the possession of the Israelites. ⁴² Each of these cities has pastures surrounding it; this was true of all of the cities.

^43 [l]Thus the Lord gave Israel the entire land that he had promised to give to their fathers. They took possession of it and dwelt there. ⁴⁴ The Lord then gave them rest on every side, just as he had promised their fathers. Not one of their enemies could stand up to them. The Lord had delivered all of their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ None of the good things that the Lord had promised to the house of Israel failed to take place. It all came true.

The Return of the Eastern Tribes and Joshua’s Farewell

Chapter 22

Dismissal of the Tribes. ¹ Joshua then summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh ² and he said to them, “You have done all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you to do, and you have obeyed me in everything. ³ For a long time now, right up to this very day, you have not deserted your brothers. You have fulfilled the task that the Lord, your God, gave you. ⁴ Now that the Lord, your God, has given your brothers the rest that he had promised them, you can return to your homes in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you as a possession on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ Take heed to follow the commandments and the laws that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you: to love the Lord, your God, and to walk in his ways and to observe his commandments, holding fast to him and serving him with all your heart and all your soul.”^[m]

⁶ Joshua then blessed them and sent them away, and they returned to their homes.

⁷ (Moses had given Bashan to one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh, while Joshua gave the other half some land among their brothers on the western side of the Jordan.) When Joshua sent them to their homes, he blessed them ⁸ saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth: your numerous cattle as well as silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and your numerous garments. Divide the spoils from your enemies among your brethren.”^[n]

⁹ So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, to travel to the land of Gilead, the land they were to possess. They were given possession of it by the word of the Lord through Moses.

¹⁰ The Altar across the Jordan. When they arrived at Geliloth near the Jordan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there beside the Jordan. It was an impressive altar, something to see.

¹¹ The Israelites then heard that the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth, on the border of Canaan, on the Israelite side of the Jordan. ¹² The Israelites heard about this and the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered together at Shiloh to go and attack them.

¹³ The Israelites sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead. ¹⁴ With him they sent ten leaders, a leader for each of the tribes of Israel, each one the head of an ancestral clan among the divisions of Israel. ¹⁵ They came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and they said to them, ¹⁶ “Thus says the whole assembly of the Lord: What is this treachery that you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from the Lord this day by building an altar for yourselves so that you might rebel against the Lord? ¹⁷ Is the iniquity that was committed at Peor not enough for us? We have not been fully purified from it up to the present even though there was a plague in the assembly of the Lord. ¹⁸ Why do you turn away from following the Lord today? If today you rebel against the Lord, then tomorrow his anger will rage against the whole assembly of Israel. ¹⁹ If the land in your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land in the possession of the Lord where the tabernacle of the Lord is kept. You can share it with us. Only, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not rebel against us by building an altar other than the altar to the Lord, our God. ²⁰ When Achan, the son of Zerah, committed a sin in regard to the things that had been dedicated, did not wrath come upon the whole assembly of Israel? That man was not the only one who perished because of his sin.”

²¹ So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh replied to the leaders of the divisions of Israel, ²² “The God of gods, the Lord! The God of gods, the Lord! He knows! Let Israel know as well! If this has been an act of rebellion or treachery against the Lord, then may we not be saved today. ²³ If we have built an altar to turn away from the Lord, or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings, or to make peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account! ²⁴ No! We did this thing for fear that sometime in the future your descendants might say to our descendants, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between you and us, you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the Lord.’ Then your descendants would have caused our descendants to stop fearing the Lord. ²⁶ This is why we said to ourselves, ‘Let us prepare for it and build an altar, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ ²⁷ Let it be a witness between ourselves and yourselves as well as for the generations that come after us so that we might continue in the service of the Lord, offering burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings before him. This way, in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’ ²⁸ We said to ourselves, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants in the future, we will be able to tell them to look at the copy of the Lord’s altar that was built by our fathers. It was not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but to serve as a witness between ourselves and yourselves. ²⁹ God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away from the Lord today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices in any place other than the altar to the Lord, our God, that stands in front of his tabernacle.”

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the assembly, the leaders of the divisions of Israel, heard what the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the Manassehites said, it greatly pleased them. ³¹ Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and to the Manassehites, “Today we are sure that the Lord is with us, for you have not acted unfaithfully against the Lord in this matter. You have now rescued the Israelites out of the hand of the Lord.”

³² Then Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the Israelites, and they brought them a report. ³³ The report greatly pleased the Israelites and they praised God. The Israelites decided not to go up against the Reubenites and the Gadites to fight them and destroy the land in which they dwelt. ³⁴ The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A witness between us that the Lord is God.^[o]

Chapter 23^[p]

Joshua’s Final Discourse. ¹ Quite some time later, after the Lord had given Israel rest from all of its surrounding enemies, and when Joshua had grown old and was well advanced in years, ² Joshua summoned all of Israel including its leaders and officials, their judges and their officers, and he said to them, “I am now an old man, well advanced in years ³ and you have seen all that the Lord, your God, has done to all of these nations on your behalf, for the Lord, your God, has fought for you. ⁴ I have divided up by lot these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes, all the nations that I have conquered between the Jordan and the Great Sea to the west. ⁵ The Lord, your God, himself will drive them out before you. He will push them out of your sight so that you can take possession of the land that the Lord, your God, has promised you. ⁶ Be most courageous, and be careful to observe everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not turn away from it to the right or the left. ⁷ Avoid associating with these nations that still remain among you. Do not mention the names of their gods; do not swear by them. Do not serve them; do not worship them. ⁸ Hold fast to the Lord, your God,^[q] as you have done up to the present. ⁹ The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations from before you. To this day no one has been able to stand up against you. ¹⁰ Just one of you has been able to route a thousand, because the Lord, your God, has fought for you, just as he promised you that he would do. ¹¹ So be very careful to love the Lord, your God.

^12 [r]“But if you were to turn away and you were to ally yourselves with the survivors of the nations that remain here, and you were to intermarry with them, and you were to associate with them, ¹³ then you should know for sure that the Lord, your God, will no longer drive out these nations before you. They will be like snares and traps to you, as if they were scourges upon your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you finally vanish from this good land that the Lord, your God, has given you.

¹⁴ “I am now about to go the way of all upon the earth. You know very well in your hearts and your souls that not one of the good things that the Lord, your God, promised you has failed to take place. Every promise has been fulfilled, not one of them has been broken. ¹⁵ Just as all the good things that the Lord, your God, has promised you have come true, so the Lord could bring upon you all the evil that he has threatened until he has wiped you out from this good land that the Lord, your God, has given you. ¹⁶ If you transgress the covenant that the Lord, your God, has commanded you to observe, and you go and serve other gods and worship them, then the Lord’s anger will blaze out against you. You will quickly perish from the good land that the Lord, your God, has given you.”

Chapter 24^[s]

Renewing the Covenant. ¹ Joshua then gathered all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel along with their leaders, their judges, and their officers, and they presented themselves before God. ² Joshua said to all of the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in times of old, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. ³ Then I took Abraham from the other side of the river and I led him all through the land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, giving him Isaac. ⁴ I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. I gave Mount Seir to Esau to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

⁵ “I sent Moses and Aaron and I plagued Egypt with what I did in their midst. Afterward, I brought you out. ⁶ Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt. You came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen into the Red Sea. ⁷ They cried to the Lord, and he caused darkness to descend between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea down upon them, and it covered them. Your own eyes have seen what I did in Egypt. You then dwelt in the wilderness for a long time. ⁸ I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought against you, and I gave them up into your hands so that you might take possession of the land, and I crushed them before you. ⁹ Then Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel. He sent for and summoned Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you, ¹⁰ but I would not listen to Balaam. He therefore blessed you, and so I delivered you out of his hands. ¹¹ You crossed over the Jordan and arrived at Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you along with the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I delivered them into your hands. ¹² I sent hornets before you to drive them out before you, including the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your sword or your bow that did it. ¹³ I gave you a land on which you did not labor, I gave you cities which you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant. ¹⁴ Therefore, you must fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and fidelity. Put aside the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it seems wrong to you to serve the Lord, then today you must choose whom you will serve, whether it be the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites who dwell in the land. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

^16 [t]The people said, “God forbid that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods. ¹⁷ It was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the land of our bondage. He performed great wonders in our sight. He preserved us all along the journey that we made, and among all the people through whom we passed. ¹⁸ The Lord drove out all the people before us, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God, he will not forgive your sins or your transgressions. ²⁰ If you turn away from the Lord to serve foreign gods, then he will turn away from you. He will punish you and wipe you out, even after the good that he has done for you.”

²¹ The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” ²² Then Joshua said to the people, “You will serve as your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They answered, “We are witnesses.” ²³ He continued, “Then put away the foreign gods from among you. Bend your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and obey his voice.”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. He established statutes and ordinances for them in Shechem. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. He took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that is in the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷ Joshua said to all the people, “This stone will be a witness for us. It has heard all of the words that the Lord spoke to us. It will therefore be a witness for you, lest you deny your God.” ²⁸ Joshua then sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

²⁹ The Death of Joshua. After this happened, Joshua, the son of Nun, died. He was one hundred and ten years old. ³⁰ They buried him within his own inheritance in Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ³¹ Israel served the Lord during Joshua’s entire lifetime, and during the lifetime of the elders who survived Joshua, for they had known all of the works that the Lord had performed on Israel’s behalf. ³² The bones of Joseph, that the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the parcel of land that Jacob had bought for one hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, who himself was the father of Shechem. It was an inheritance for the descendants of Joseph. ³³ Eleazar, the son of Aaron, then died. They buried him at Gibeah, the place that Phinehas, his son, had been given in the hill country of Ephraim.

The Israelites Fail to Conquer Canaan^[u]

Chapter 1

Conquests by Judah and Simeon. ¹ After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who will be the first among us to go up to fight against the Canaanites?” ² The Lord said, “Judah will go up for, behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.” ³ Judah said to Simeon, his brother, “Come up with me into my allotted portion and we will fight against the Canaanites together, and I will then go up into your allotted portion.” So Simeon went up with him.

⁴ Judah went up and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. They slew ten thousand of them at Bezek. ⁵ They came across Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-bezek fled away, but they chased after him and caught him, cutting off his thumbs and his big toes. ⁷ Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings who had their thumbs and big toes cut off used to scrounge for their meals under my table. God has paid me back for what I have done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸ The Judahites fought against Jerusalem and they captured it, putting it to the sword and setting the city on fire.^{[v] 9} After this, the Judahites went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negeb, and the western slopes. ¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (which had previously been called Kiriath-arba). They defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. ¹¹ From there they marched against the people who were living in Debir (which had previously been called Kiriath-sepher).

¹² Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to whomever attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” ¹³ Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb captured it, and he gave him Achsah his daughter in marriage.

¹⁴ When she came to be with him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” ¹⁵ She answered, “Please do me a favor. You have given me land in the Negeb. Please also give me some springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

¹⁶ The Kenites, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, traveled to the City of Palms with the Judahites to live in the Desert of Judah, the Negeb, near Arad. They went and settled there among the people.^{[w] 17} Judah and his brother Simeon went out against the Canaanites living in Zephath. They conquered it, totally demolishing it. This is why the city is now called Hormah. ¹⁸ Judah captured Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.

¹⁹ The Lord was with Judah. They occupied the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had iron chariots.^{[x] 20} They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had decreed, driving the three sons of Anak out from it.

²¹ The Benjaminites could not drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, and the Jebusites have continued to live with the Benjaminites up to the present.

²² The descendants of Joseph^[y] attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. ²³ The descendants of Joseph had first sent up spies against Bethel. (Its name had previously been Luz.) ²⁴ The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “If you show us an entranceway into the city, we will be merciful to you.” ²⁵ He showed them an entranceway into the city, and they put the city to the sword, but they let the man and his entire family go free. ²⁶ The man traveled to the land of the Hittites and he built a city there that he called Luz, which is its name up to the present.

²⁷ Forced Labor. Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and the towns dependent upon it, Taanach and the towns dependent upon it, Dor and the towns dependent upon it, Ibleam and the towns dependent upon it, or Megiddo and the towns dependent upon it, for the Canaanites were determined to live in those places. ²⁸ But when Israel became strong, it subjected the Canaanites to forced labor, although it did not completely drive them out.

²⁹ Nor did Ephraim drive the Canaanites out who lived in Gezer, and the Canaanites continue to live among them in Gezer.

³⁰ Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol. The Canaanites continue to live among them, and they have been subjected to forced labor.

³¹ Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor Ahlab, Achzib, nor Helbah, nor Aphik, nor Rehob, ³² and so the Asherites continue to live among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.

³³ Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath. They continue to dwell among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to forced labor.

³⁴ The Amorites forced the Danites to continue to live in the hill country; they would not permit them to come down into the plain. ³⁵ The Amorites were also determined to continue to live on Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim, but when the descendants of Joseph grew powerful, they subjected them to forced labor. ³⁶ The Amorite boundary ran from Akrabbim up to Sela and beyond.

Chapter 2

The Israelites Break the Covenant.^{[z] 1} An angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim^[aa] and said, “I brought you up from out of the land of Egypt and led you to the land that I had promised your fathers saying, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. ² Make no covenant with the people of this land. Break down their altars.’ But you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? ³ Now I proclaim to you that I will not drive them out from before you. They will be like thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a snare to you.” ⁴ When the angel of the Lord said these things to the Israelites, the people wept out loud. ⁵ They named that place Bochim, and they offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

The Death of Joshua. ⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their inheritances and they took possession of the land. ⁷ The people served the Lord during Joshua’s lifetime and the lifetimes of the elders who survived Joshua and who had seen all of the great things that the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. ⁹ They buried him within the land that was his inheritance, at Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, to the north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ Infidelity of the People. When that whole generation had been gathered home to their fathers, another generation arose after them that did not know the Lord^[ab] or the works that he had done for Israel. ^11 [ac]The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, serving the Baals. ¹² They abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, the gods of the people who lived around them, and they worshiped them. This provoked the Lord’s anger ¹³ because they had abandoned him to serve Baal and the Astartes. ¹⁴ The Lord’s anger blazed out against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies living around them so that they could not stand up to them anymore. ¹⁵ Whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as the Lord had told them, for the Lord had promised this to them. They therefore suffered terribly.

¹⁶ Deliverance through Judges. However, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hands of those raiders. ¹⁷ Yet, they would not listen to the judges, and they prostituted themselves after other gods, worshiping them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers had walked, that of obeying the commandments of the Lord. They did not do this. ¹⁸ When the Lord raised up judges, the Lord was with the judge. He delivered them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived, for the Lord had mercy on them when they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

¹⁹ But when the judge died,^[ad] they turned back and became even worse than their fathers, following other gods, serving and worshiping them. They would not abandon their selfish, stubborn ways. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord blazed out against Israel and he said, “Because this people has sinned against the covenant that I gave to their fathers and they have not heeded my voice, ²¹ I will no longer drive out any of the nations before them that were left when Joshua died. ²² Thus, I will test Israel, to see whether or not they will keep to the way of the Lord, walking in it as their fathers did.” ²³ The Lord therefore left those nations there, not hurrying to drive them out, nor delivering them into Joshua’s hands.

Chapter 3

¹ Now these are the nations that the Lord left to put Israel to the test through them (that is, all of those who had not experienced the wars in Canaan). ² This was so that the descendants of the Israelites might learn about war, for up to that time they had not yet experienced it. ³ They were the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who were living in the mountains of Lebanon between Mount Baal-hermon and Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were left there to put Israel to the test to see whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord that the Lord had given them through Moses.

⁵ The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁶ They took their daughters to be their wives, they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

The Period of the Judges

Othniel’s Conquest.^{[ae] 7} The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord, their God, and serving the Baals and the Asherahs. ⁸ The anger of the Lord blazed out against Israel, so he sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Aram-naharaim.^[af] The Israelites were subjected to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ When the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord sent the Israelites a liberator. It was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, and he delivered them. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord^[ag] came upon him, and he became a judge of Israel. He went to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Aram-naharaim, into his hands. His hand overpowered Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ The land was at peace for forty years, and then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.

¹² Ehud’s Victory. The Israelites once again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Because of the evil they had done in the sight of the Lord, the Lord gave Eglon, the king of Moab, power over Israel. ¹³ He joined up with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and they went and attacked Israel, conquering the City of Palms. ¹⁴ The Israelites were subjects of Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years.

¹⁵ The Israelites cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a liberator for them. He was Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man.^[ah] The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud had made a double-edged sword that was one foot^[ai] long, and he strapped it on under his clothing on his right thigh. ¹⁷ He brought the tribute to Eglon. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When he had received the tribute, he dismissed the people who were carrying the tribute. ¹⁹ At the idols of Gilgal, he turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Be quiet,” until all his attendants left him. ²⁰ Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” As he got out of his seat, ²¹ Ehud reached in with his left hand, drew the sword out from his right thigh, and stuck it into his stomach. ²² It went in so far that even the handle of the sword was covered over by fat, and he could not draw the sword out from his stomach. In fact, excrement came out.

²³ When Ehud went out onto the porch, he shut and locked the doors to the upper room behind himself. ²⁴ When he left, the servants came back. They saw that the doors to the upper room were locked, and they said, “He must be relieving himself in the summer chamber.” ²⁵ They waited so long that they became anxious, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. They took a key and opened it, and they found their lord dead on the ground.

²⁶ While they were waiting, Ehud was able to escape. Passing beyond the idols, he hurried to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country of Ephraim, and he stood in front of them.