THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

 

Joshua Chapter 18

1 ¶ And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

2 ¶ And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

3 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, How long will you neglect to go and take the land, which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?

4 Select from among you three men from each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall go through the land, and write a description of it showing how it should be divided to them as an inheritance; and then return to me.

5 And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.

6 You must write a description of the land in seven parts, and bring the description here to me, so that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

8 And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged those who went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and return here to me, that I may cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.

9 And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven parts in a book, and returned again to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.

10 And Joshua cast lots for them before the LORD in Shiloh: and there Joshua divided the land among the children of Israel to each division their part.

11 ¶ And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the territory of their lot fell between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

12 And on the north side their boundary began at the Jordan; and the border went up to the slope north of Jericho, and went west up through the mountains; and ended at the wilderness of Bethaven.

13 And the border went over from there toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz, which is Bethel; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill country that on the south side of lower Bethhoron.

14 Then the border goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward, from the hill that lies to the south opposite Bethhoron; and ends at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city belonging to the tribe of Judah: this was the west side.

15 And the south side begins at the outskirts of Kirjathjearim, and the border went on westward, to the well of the waters of Nephtoah:

16 Then the border went down to the edge of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is at the north end on the valley of the giants, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, south of the slope of Jebusi, and went on down to Enrogel,

17 It turns north, and goes to Enshemesh, and on toward Geliloth, which is opposite the assent of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18 And went on to the north of the slope facing Arabah, and went down to Arabah:

19 Then the border passed along to the northern ridge of Bethhoglah: and ended at the northern bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the southern border.

20 And the Jordan was its boundary on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by its boundaries round about, according to their families.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and EmekKeziz,

22 And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

24 And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:

25 Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

26 And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

27 And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.