Study Desk

The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh^(a) where it set up the tent of meeting there; the land had been subdued by them.

Seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance.

So Joshua said to the Israelites, "How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord , the God of your fathers, gave you?^(b)

Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go and survey the land, write a description of it for the purpose of their inheritance, and return to me.

Then they are to divide it into seven portions. Judah is to remain in its territory in the south and Joseph's family in their^[a] territory in the north.^(c)

When you have written a description of the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God.^(d)

But the Levites among you do not get a portion, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the Lord .^(e) Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses the Lord 's servant gave them."

As the men prepared to go, Joshua commanded them^[b] to write down a description of the land, saying, "Go and survey the land, write a description of it, and return to me. I will then cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord ."

So the men left, went through the land, and described it by towns in a document of seven sections. They returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.

Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.

The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin's descendants by their clans, and their allotted territory lay between Judah's descendants and Joseph's descendants.

Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.^(f)

From there the border went toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); it then went down by Ataroth-addar, over the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.^(g)

On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.

The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extended westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.

The border descended to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the south Jebusite slope and downward to En-rogel.

It curved northward and went to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan^(h) son of Reuben.

Then it went north to the slope opposite the Jordan Valley^[c][d] and proceeded into the valley.^[e]

The border continued to the north slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

The Jordan formed the border on the east side. This was the inheritance of Benjamin's descendants, by their clans, according to its surrounding borders.

These were the cities of the tribe of Benjamin's descendants by their clans: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—12 cities, with their villages;

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

Mizpeh,^[f] Chephirah, Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

Zela, Haeleph, Jebus^[g] (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath^[h]—14 cities, with their villages. This was the inheritance for Benjamin's descendants by their clans.

The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of his descendants by their clans, but their inheritance was within the portion of Judah's descendants.

Their inheritance included: Beer-sheba (or Sheba^(a)), Moladah,

Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—13 cities, with their villages;

Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities, with their villages;

and all the villages surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the south^[a]). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon's descendants by their clans.

The inheritance of Simeon's descendants was within the territory of Judah's descendants, because the share for Judah's descendants was too large for them. So Simeon's descendants received an inheritance within Judah's portion.

The third lot came up for Zebulun's descendants by their clans. The territory of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid;

their border went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.

From Sarid, it turned east toward the sunrise along the border of Chisloth-tabor, went to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

From there, it went east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon, curving around to Neah.

The border then circled around Neah on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah-el,

along with Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—12 cities, with their villages.

This was the inheritance of Zebulun's descendants by their clans, these cities, with their villages.

The fourth lot came out for the tribe of Issachar's descendants by their clans.

Their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem,^(b)

Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez.

The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan—16 cities, with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar's descendants by their clans, the cities, with their villages.

The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher's descendants by their clans.

Their boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal and reached westward to Carmel and Shihor-libnath.

It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, passed Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah-el, north toward Beth-emek and Neiel, and went north to Cabul,^(c)

Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon.

The boundary then turned to Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre; it turned back to Hosah and ended at the sea, including Mahalab, Achzib,^[b]

Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—22 cities, with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher's descendants by their clans, these cities with their villages.

The sixth lot came out for Naphtali's descendants by their clans.

Their boundary went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.

To the west, the boundary turned to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah^[c] at the Jordan on the east.

The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,^[d]

Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—19 cities, with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali's descendants by their clans, the cities with their villages.

The seventh lot came out for the Danite tribe by its clans.

The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa.

When the territory of the Danites slipped out of their control,^[e] they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and struck it down with the sword. So they took possession of it, lived there, and renamed Leshem after^[f] their ancestor Dan.

This was the inheritance of the Danite tribe by its clans, these cities with their villages.

When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them.

By the Lord 's command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim,^(d) which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.

These were the portions that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the Lord 's presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(e) So they finished dividing up the land.

Then the Lord spoke to Joshua,

"Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,^(a)

so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.^(b)

When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before^[a] the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.^(c)

And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.

He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time.^(d) Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled."

So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee,^(e) Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.^(f)

Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben's tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad's tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh's tribe.

These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them,^(g) so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.

The heads of the Levite families approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes.

At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them, "The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock."^(a)

So the Israelites, by the Lord 's command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance.

The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of Aaron the priest received 13 cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

The remaining descendants of Kohath^[a] received 10 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Gershon's descendants received 13 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

Merari's descendants received 12 cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

The Israelites gave these cities with their pasturelands around them to the Levites by lot, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

The Israelites gave these cities by name from the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon

to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because they received the first lot.

They gave them Kiriath-arba^(b) (that is, Hebron) with its surrounding pasturelands in the hill country of Judah. Arba was the father of Anak.

But they gave the fields and villages of the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.