Joshua
Chapter 15
1
The lot for the clans of the Judahite tribe fell in the extreme south toward the boundary of Edom, the desert of Zin in the Negeb.
2
The boundary there ran from the bay that forms the southern end of the Salt Sea,
3
southward below the pass of Akrabbim, across through Zin, up to a point south of Kadesh-barnea, across to Hezron, and up to Addar; from there, looping around Karka,
4
it crossed to Azmon and then joined the Wadi of Egypt before coming out at the sea. (This is your southern boundary.)
5
The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.
6
The northern boundary climbed from the bay where the Jordan meets the sea, up to Beth-hoglah, and ran north of Beth-arabah, up to Eben-Bohan-ben-Reuben.
7
Thence it climbed to Debir, north of the vale of Achor, in the direction of the Gilgal that faces the pass of Adummim, on the south side of the wadi; from there it crossed to the waters of En-shemesh and emerged at En-rogel.
8
1 Climbing again to the Valley of Ben-hinnom on the southern flank of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem), the boundary rose to the top of the mountain at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim, which bounds the Valley of Hinnom on the west.
9
From the top of the mountain it ran to the fountain of waters of Nephtoah, extended to the cities of Mount Ephron, and continued to Baalah, or Kiriath-jearim.
10
From Baalah the boundary curved westward to Mount Seir and passed north of the ridge of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon); thence it descended to Beth-shemesh, and ran across to Timnah.
11
It then extended along the northern flank of Ekron, continued through Shikkeron, and across to Mount Baalah, thence to include Jabneel, before it came out at the sea.
12
The western boundary was the Great Sea and its coast. This was the complete boundary of the clans of the Judahites.
13
As the LORD had commanded, Joshua gave Caleb, son of Jephunneh, a portion among the Judahites, namely, Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is, Hebron.
14
And Caleb drove out from there the three Anakim, the descendants of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.
15
From there he marched up against the inhabitants of Debir, which was formerly called Kiriath-sepher.
16
Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it."
17
2 Othniel, son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, captured it, and so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.
18
On the day of her marriage to Othniel, she induced him to ask her father for some land. Then, as she alighted from the ass, Caleb asked her, "What is troubling you?"
19
She answered, "Give me an additional gift! Since you have assigned to me land in the Negeb, give me also pools of water." So he gave her the upper and the lower pools.
20
3 This is the heritage of the clans of the tribe of Judahites:
21
The cities of the tribe of the Judahites in the extreme southern district toward Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22
Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23
Kedesh, Hazor and Ithnan;
24
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25
Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor);
26
Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27
Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,
28
Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba and Biziothiah;
29
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30
Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
31
Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32
Lebaoth, Shilhim and En-rimmon; a total of twenty-nine cities with their villages.
33
4 In the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34
Zanoah, Engannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36
Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities and their villages.
37
Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,
38
Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,
39
Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40
Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,
41
Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen cities and their villages.
42
Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43
Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44
Keilah, Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities and their villages.
45
Ekron and its towns and villages;
46
from Ekron to the sea, all the towns that lie alongside Ashdod, and their villages;
47
Ashdod and its towns and villages; Gaza and its towns and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coast of the Great Sea.
48
In the mountain regions: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49
Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),
50
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51
Goshen, Holon and Giloh; eleven cities and their villages.
52
Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53
Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
54
Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities and their villages.
55
Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57
Kain, Gibbeah and Timnah; ten cities and their villages.
58
Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
59
Maarath, Beth-anoth and Eltekon; six cities and their villages. Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Kulom, Tatam, Zores, Karim, Gallim, Bether and Manoko; eleven cities and their villages.
60
Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah; two cities and their villages.
61
5 In the desert: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62
Nibshan, Ir-hamelah and En-gedi; six cities and their villages.
63
(But the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem the Judahites could not drive out; so the Jebusites dwell in Jerusalem beside the Judahites to the present day.)
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Footnotes

1 [8] The Valley of Ben-hinnom: the southern limit of Jerusalem. Ben-hinnom means "son of Hinnom." The place was also called Valley of Hinnom, in Hebrew ge-hinnom, whence the word "Gehenna" is derived.

2 [17-19] The story of Othniel is told again in Judges 1:13-15; cf also Judges 3:9-11.

3 [20-62] This elaborate list of the cities of Judah was probably taken from a document made originally for administrative purposes; the cities are divided into four provincial districts, some of which have further subdivisions. For similar lists of the cities of Judah, cf Joshua 19:2-7; 1 Chron 4:28-32; Nehemiah 11:25-30. This list has suffered in transmission, so that the totals given in Joshua 15:32, 36 are not exact, and some of the names are probably misspelled; many of the cities cannot be identified.

4 [33] In the foothills: see note on Deut 1:7.

5 [61] In the desert: in the Jordan rift near the Dead Sea.


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