Joshua
Chapter 18
1 The whole group of Israel’s people gathered at Shiloh and put the meeting tent there. The land was brought under their control.
2 Seven tribes of Israel’s children still hadn’t gotten their land.
3 Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you delay before going to take over the land that God has given you?”
4 Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will travel through the land, map it according to each tribe’s share, and then return to me.
5 They will split it into seven parts: Judah will stay within their southern territory, and Joseph’s family will stay within their northern territories.
6 Divide the land into seven parts and bring the map to me. Here, I will draw lots for you before God.
7 The Levites don’t share land with you because serving God is their inheritance. But Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh got their land across the Jordan River to the east, that Moses, God’s servant, gave them.
8 The men got up and left. Joshua told those who were to map out the land to go, travel through the land, map it out, and return to him so he could draw lots for them in the presence of God at Shiloh.
9 The men traveled through the region, divided it into seven parts by cities for a record, and returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
10 Joshua threw lots for them in Shiloh before God, and there Joshua divided the land among the Israelites according to their groups.
11 The land for the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants was divided according to their families. Their land was located between the territories of the descendants of Judah and Joseph.
12 Their northern border started at the Jordan River, went north to Jericho, climbed through the western mountains, and ended in the Bethaven desert.
13 The boundary line went from there toward Luz, to Luz’s edge, also known as Bethel, to the south; and the line went down to Atarothadar, close to the hill on the southern side of lower Bethhoron.
14 The boundary line went from there, circling around the southern corner of the sea, from the hill facing Bethhoron to the south; it ended at Kirjathbaal, also called Kirjathjearim, a city belonging to the tribe of Judah: this was the western side.
15 The southern side started from the edge of Kirjathjearim, went west, and reached the spring of water at Nephtoah.
16 The border went down to the end of the mountain near the Valley of Hinnom, which is by the Valley of the Giants to the north. It went down to Hinnom Valley, by the south side of Jebusi, and went down to Enrogel.
17 It came from the north to Enshemesh, then on to Geliloth, across from the climb to Adummim, and went down to Bohan son of Reuben’s stone.
18 It moved along the side across from Arabah to the north and went down to Arabah.
19 The border went by the side of Bethhoglah to the north, and the border ended at the north shore of the Dead Sea at the southern tip of the Jordan River; this was the southern boundary.
20 The Jordan River was its eastern border. This was the land given to the families of Benjamin’s descendants, surrounding it completely.
21 The towns for the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants, grouped by families, were Jericho, Bethhoglah, and the Keziz valley.
22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,
23 And Avim, Pharah, and Ophrah,
24 Chepharhaammonai, Ophni, and Gaba; twelve towns with their surrounding areas.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth,
26 And Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah,
28 Zelah, Eleph, Jebusi (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath are fourteen cities with their villages. This land is what the families of Benjamin’s descendants received as their share.