Study Desk

When she came to Othniel, she talked him into asking her father for a field. When she got down off her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

This is the land given to the family group of the people of Judah for their families.

The share of land for the people of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the desert. It went from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.

From Tappuah it went west to the river of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land given to the family group of the people of Ephraim for their families.

And there are the cities which were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the land that was given to the people of Manasseh, all the cities with the towns around them.

But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites live among Ephraim to this day. But they have been made to work for the people of Ephraim.

And land was given to the rest of the sons of Manasseh for their families. The sons of Joseph's son Manasseh, with their families, were Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida.

But the sons of Manasseh could not take these cities for their own because the Canaanites would not leave that land.

When the people of Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites work for them. But they did not drive all of them out.

Joshua said to them, "If you have many people, go up among the trees and clear a place for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you."

The sons of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us. But all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron war-wagons. Both those in Beth-shean and its towns and those in the valley of Jezreel have them."

The hill country will be yours. It is full of trees, but you will clear it. All of it will be yours. For you will drive out the Canaanites, even if they have iron war-wagons and much strength."

You will write down how the land should be divided into seven parts, then bring it to me. I will draw names for you here before the Lord our God.

The Levites have no share of land among you. Being the religious leaders for the Lord is their share. Gad and Reuben and the half-family group of Manasseh have received their land east of the Jordan. The Lord's servant Moses gave it to them."

As the men got up to go, Joshua told them, "Go and walk through the land. Write down what you find, and return to me. Then I will draw names for you here before the Lord in Shiloh."

Joshua drew names for them in Shiloh before the Lord. There he divided the land among the people of Israel, a part for each family.

The first name drawn was for the families of the people of Benjamin. The share of their land was between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.

The cities of the people of Benjamin for their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

The second name drawn was for the families of the people of Simeon. Their land was in the center of the land of the people of Judah.

The land of the people of Simeon was taken from the land of the people of Judah. For the share of the people of Judah was too large for them. So the people of Simeon received a share of land in the center of Judah's land.