Joshua

CHAPTER 13

Division of Land Commanded. 1When Joshua was old and advanced in years, the LORD said to him:^a Though now you are old and advanced in years, a very large part of the land still remains to be possessed. 2This is the remaining land: all Geshur^* and all the districts of the Philistines 3(from the stream adjoining Egypt to the boundary of Ekron in the north is reckoned Canaanite territory, though held by the five lords of the Philistines in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron); 4also where the Avvim are in the south;^b all the land of the Canaanites from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, and the boundaries of the Amorites;^c 5and the Gebalite territory; and all the Lebanon on the east, from Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath. 6All the inhabitants of the mountain regions between Lebanon and Misrephoth-maim, all Sidonians, I will drive out before the Israelites;^d at least include these areas in the division of the Israelite heritage, just as I have commanded you. 7Now, therefore, apportion among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh the land which is to be their heritage.

The Eastern Tribes. 8^e Now the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, as well as the Reubenites and Gadites, had taken as their heritage what Moses, the servant of the LORD, had given them east of the Jordan: 9from Aroer on the bank of the Wadi Arnon and the city in the wadi itself, through the tableland of Medeba and Dibon, 10with the rest of the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the boundary of the Ammonites; 11also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah, 12the entire kingdom in Bashan of Og, who was king at Ashtaroth and Edrei (he was a holdover from the remnant of the Rephaim). These Moses defeated and dispossessed. 13But the Israelites did not dispossess the Geshurites and Maacathites, so that Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day. 14^f However, Moses assigned no heritage to the tribe of Levi; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their heritage, as the LORD had promised them.

Reuben. 15^g This is what Moses gave to the tribe of the Reubenites by their clans:^h 16Their territory reached from Aroer, on the bank of the Wadi Arnon, and the city in the wadi itself, through the tableland about Medeba, 17to include Heshbon and all its towns on the tableland, Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the knoll within the valley, 20Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth, 21and the other cities of the tableland and of the whole kingdom of Sihon. This Amorite king, who reigned in Heshbon, Moses had defeated, with the princes of Midian, vassals of Sihon who were settled in the land: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba;ⁱ 22Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, the Israelites killed with the sword, together with those they struck down.^j 23The boundary of the Reubenites was the Jordan. These cities and their villages were the heritage of the Reubenites by their clans.

Gad. 24^k This is what Moses gave to the tribe of the Gadites by their clans: 25Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, toward Rabbah 26(that is, from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the boundary of Lo-debar); 27and in the Jordan valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, the other part of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, with the bank of the Jordan to the southeastern tip of the Sea of Chinnereth. 28These cities and their villages were the heritage of the clans of the Gadites.

Manasseh. 29^l This is what Moses gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh; the half-tribe of the Manassites, by their clans, had 30territory including Mahanaim, all of Bashan, the entire kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are sixty cities in Bashan. 31Half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, royal cities of Og in Bashan, fell to the descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, to half the Machirites, by their clans.

32These are the heritages which Moses gave when he was in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33But Moses gave no heritage to the tribe of Levi: the LORD, the God of Israel, is their heritage, as he had promised them.^m

* [13:2] Geshur: not to be confused with the large Aramean district of the same name in Bashan (vv. 11–13; Dt 3:14); here it is a region to the south of the Philistine country, since vv. 2–5 list the unconquered lands along the coast from south to north; cf. also 1 Sm 27:8.

a. [13:1] Jos 23:1.

b. [13:4] Jgs 3:3.

c. [13:4] Jos 1:4.

d. [13:6] Jos 11:8.

e. [13:8] Jos 12:6; Nm 32:33.

f. [13:14] Jos 14:3–4; Nm 18:20–24.

g. [13:15–31] Dt 3:12–17.

h. [13:15–23] Nm 21:25–31; 32:37–38.

i. [13:21] Nm 21:24; 31:8; Dt 3:10.

j. [13:22] Nm 31:8.

k. [13:24–28] Nm 32:34–36.

l. [13:29–31] Nm 32:39–42.

m. [13:33] Jos 18:7; Nm 18:20.