Joshua
Chapter 13

1

When Joshua was old and advanced in years, the LORD said to him: "Though now you are old and advanced in years, a very large part of the land still remains to be conquered.

2

¹ This additional land includes all Geshur and all the districts of the Philistines

3

(from the stream adjoining Egypt to the boundary of Ekron in the north is reckoned Canaanite territory, though held by the five lords of the Philistines in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron); also where the Avvim are in the south;

4

all the land of the Canaanites from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, and the boundaries of the Amorites;

5

and the Gebalite territory; and all the Lebanon on the east, from Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to Labo in the land of Hamath.

6

At the advance of the Israelites I will drive out all the Sidonian inhabitants of the mountain regions between Lebanon and Misrephoth-maim; at least include these areas in the division of the Israelite heritage, just as I have commanded you.

7

Now, therefore, apportion among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh the land which is to be their heritage."

8

Now the other half of the tribe of Manasseh as well as the Reubenites and Gadites, had received their heritage which Moses, the servant of the LORD, had given them east of the Jordan:

9

from Aroer on the bank of the Wadi Arnon and the city in the wadi itself, through the tableland of Medeba and Dibon,

10

with the rest of the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the boundary of the Ammonites;

11

also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah,

12

the entire kingdom in Bashan of Og, a survivor of the Rephaim, who reigned at Ashtaroth and Edrei. Though Moses conquered and occupied these territories,

13

the Israelites did not dislodge the Geshurites and Maacathites, so that Geshur and Maacath survive in the midst of Israel to this day.

14

However, to the tribe of Levi Moses assigned no heritage since, as the LORD had promised them, the LORD, the God of Israel, is their heritage.

15

What Moses gave to the Reubenite clans:

16

Their territory reached from Aroer, on the bank of the Wadi Arnon, and the city in the wadi itself, through the tableland about Medeba,

17

to include Heshbon and all its towns which are on the tableland, Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,

18

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19

Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the knoll within the valley,

20

Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth,

21

and the other cities of the tableland and, generally, of the kingdom of Sihon. This Amorite king, who reigned in Heshbon, Moses had killed, with his vassals, the princes of Midian, who were settled in the land: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba;

22

and among their slain followers the Israelites put to the sword also the soothsayer Balaam, son of Beor.

23

The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These cities and their villages were the heritage of the clans of the Reubenites.

24

What Moses gave to the Gadite clans:

25

Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, toward Rabbah (that is,

26

from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the boundary of Lodebar);

27

and in the Jordan valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, the other part of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, with the bank of the Jordan to the southeastern tip of the Sea of Chinnereth.

28

These cities and their villages were the heritage of the clans of the Gadites.

29

What Moses gave to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh:

30

Their territory included Mahanaim, all of Bashan, the entire kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are sixty cities in Bashan.

31

Half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, once the royal cities of Og in Bashan, fell to the descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, for half the clans descended from Machir.

32

These are the portions which Moses gave when he was in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

33

However, Moses gave no heritage to the tribe of Levi, since the LORD himself, the God of Israel, is their heritage, as he promised.

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Footnotes

¹ [2] Geshur: not to be confused with the large Aramaean district of the same name in Bashan (Joshua 13:11-13; Deut 3:14); here it is a region to the south of the Philistine country, since 13:2-5 list the unconquered lands along the coast from south to north; cf also 1 Sam 27:8.

New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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