Joshua
Chapter 18

1

After they had subdued the land, the whole community of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh, where they set up the meeting tent.

2

Seven tribes among the Israelites had not yet received their heritage.

3

Joshua therefore said to the Israelites, "How much longer will you put off taking steps to possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

4

Choose three men from each of your tribes; I will commission them to begin a survey of the land, which they shall describe for purposes of inheritance. When they return to me

5

you shall divide it into seven parts. Judah is to retain its territory in the south, and the house of Joseph its territory in the north.

6

You shall bring here to me the description of the land in seven sections. I will then cast lots for you here before the LORD, our God.

7

For the Levites have no share among you, because the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage; while Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received the heritage east of the Jordan which Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave them."

8

When those who were to map out the land were ready for the journey, Joshua instructed them to survey the land, prepare a description of it, and return to him; then he would cast lots for them there before the LORD in Shiloh.

9

So they went through the land, listed its cities in writing in seven sections, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.

10

Joshua then divided up the land for the Israelites into their separate shares, casting lots for them before the LORD in Shiloh.

11

One lot fell to the clans of the tribe of Benjaminites. The territory allotted them lay between the descendants of Judah and those of Joseph.

12

¹ Their northern boundary began at the Jordan and went over the northern flank of Jericho, up westward into the mountains, till it reached the desert of Beth-aven.

13

From there it crossed over to the southern flank of Luz (that is, Bethel). Then it ran down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountaintop south of Lower Beth-horon.

14

For the western border, the boundary line swung south from the mountaintop opposite Bethhoron till it reached Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), which city belonged to the Judahites. This was the western boundary.

15

The southern boundary began at the limits of Kiriath-jearim and projected to the spring at Nephtoah.

16

It went down to the edge of the mountain on the north of the Valley of Rephaim, where it faces the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and continuing down the Valley of Hinnom along the southern flank of the Jebusites, reached En-rogel.

17

Inclining to the north, it extended to En-shemesh, and thence to Geliloth, opposite the pass of Adummim. Then it dropped to Eben-Bohan-ben-Reuben,

18

across the northern flank of the Arabah overlook, down into the Aarabah.

19

From there the boundary continued across the northern flank of Beth-hoglah and extended to the northern tip of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

20

The Jordan bounded it on the east. This was how the heritage of the clans of the Benjaminites was bounded on all sides.

21

Now the cities belonging to the clans of the tribe of the Benjaminites were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

22

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

23

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24

Chephar-ammoni, Ophni and Geba; twelve cities and their villages.

25

Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

26

Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

27

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

28

Zela, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath; fourteen cities and their villages. This was the heritage of the clans of Benjaminites.

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Footnotes

¹ [12-20] Benjamin's northern boundary (Joshua 18:12-13) corresponded to part of the southern boundary of Ephraim Joshua 16:1-2). Their western border (Joshua 1:14) was the eastern border of Dan (cf Joshua 19:40-47). Their southern boundary (Joshua 18:15-19) corresponded to part of the northern boundary of Judah (Joshua 15:6-9).

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