Manasseh's Land West of the Jordan River
1-6 Manasseh was Joseph's oldest son, and Machir was Manasseh's oldest son. Machir had a son named Gilead, and some of his descendants had already received the regions of Gilead and Bashan because they were good warriors. The other clans of the Manasseh tribe descended from Gilead's sons Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. The following is a description of the land they received.
Hepher's son Zelophehad did not have any sons, but he did have five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. One day the clans that were descendants of Zelophehad's five daughters went to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of Israel. The people of these clans said, “The Lord told Moses to give us land just as he gave land to our relatives.”
Joshua followed the Lord's instructions and gave land to these five clans, as he had given land to the five clans that had descended from Hepher's brothers. So Manasseh's land west of the Jordan River was divided into ten parts.
7 The land of the Manasseh tribe went from its northern border with the Asher tribe south to Michmethath, which is to the east of Shechem. The southern border started there, but curved even farther south to include the people who lived around Tappuah Spring. 8 The town of Tappuah was on Manasseh's border with Ephraim. Although the land around Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, the town itself belonged to Ephraim.
9-10 Then the border went west to the Kanah Gorge and ran along the northern edge of the gorge to the Mediterranean Sea. The land south of the gorge belonged to Ephraim. And even though there were a few towns that belonged to Ephraim north of the gorge, the land north of the gorge belonged to Manasseh.
The western border of Manasseh was the Mediterranean Sea, and the tribe shared a border with the Asher tribe on the northwest and with the Issachar tribe on the northeast.
11 Manasseh was supposed to have the following towns with their surrounding villages inside the borders of Issachar's and Asher's tribal lands:
Beth-Shan, Ibleam, Endor, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, which is also called Naphath.
12 But the people of Manasseh could not capture these towns, so the Canaanites kept on living in them. 13 When the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Canaanites in these towns work as their slaves, though they never did force them to leave.
Joseph's Descendants Ask for More Land
14 One day the Joseph tribes came to Joshua and asked, “Why didn't you give us more land? The Lord has always been kind to us, and we have too many people for this small region.”
15 Joshua replied, “If there's not enough room for you in the hill country of Ephraim, then go into the forest that belonged to the Perizzites and the Rephaim. Clear out the trees and make more room for yourselves there.”
16 “Even if we do that,” they answered, “there still won't be enough land for us in the hill country. And we can't move down into Jezreel Valley, because the Canaanites who live in Beth-Shan and in other parts of the valley have iron chariots.”
17 “Your tribes do have a lot of people,” Joshua admitted. “I'll give you more land. Your tribes are powerful, 18 so you can have the rest of the hill country, but it's a forest, and you'll have to cut down the trees and clear the land. You can also have Jezreel Valley. Even though the Canaanites there are strong and have iron chariots, you can force them to leave the valley.”
1 This was also the lot of the tribe of Manasseh: for he was the first borne of Ioseph, to wit, of Machir the first borne of Manasseh, and the father of Gilead: nowe because he was a man of warre, he had Gilead and Bashan. 2 And also of the rest of the sonnes of Manasseh by their families, euen of the sonnes of Abiezer, and of the sonnes of Helek, and of ye sonnes of Azriel, and of the sonnes of Shechem, and of the sonnes of Hepher, and of the sonnes of Shemida: these were the males of Manasseh, the sonne of Ioseph according to their families. 3 But Zelophehad the sonne of Hephir, the sonne of Gilead, the sonne of Machir, ye sonne of Manasseh, had no sonnes, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah: 4 Which came before Eleazar the Priest, and before Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to giue vs an inheritance among our brethren: therefore according to the commandement of the Lord he gaue them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. 5 And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side Iorden, 6 Because the daughters of Manasseh did inherite among his sonnes: and Manassehs other sonnes had the land of Gilead. 7 So the borders of Manasseh were from Asher to Michmethah that lieth before Shechem, and this border goeth on the right hand, euen vnto the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah beside the border of Manasseh belongeth to the sonnes of Ephraim. 9 Also this border goeth downe vnto the riuer Kanah Southward to the riuer: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: and the border of Manasseh is on the Northside of the riuer, and the endes of it are at the Sea, 10 The South perteyneth to Ephraim, and the North to Manasseh, and the Sea is his border: and they met together in Asher Northwarde, and in Issachar Eastward. 11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher, Beth-shean, and her townes, and Ibleam, and her townes, and the inhabitants of Dor with ye townes thereof, and the inhabitants of En-dor with the townes thereof, and the inhabitants of Thaanach with her townes, and the inhabitants of Megiddo with the townes of the same, euen three countreis. 12 Yet the children of Manasseh coulde not destroy those cities, but the Canaanites dwelled still in that land. 13 Neuerthelesse, when the children of Israel were strong, they put the Canaanites vnder tribute, but cast them not out wholy. 14 Then the children of Ioseph spake vnto Ioshua, saying, Why hast thou giuen me but one lot, and one portion to inherite, seeing I am a great people, for as much as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto? 15 Ioshua then answered them, If thou be much people, get thee vp to the wood, and cut trees for thy selfe there in the lande of the Perizzites, and of the gyants, if mount Ephraim be too narowe for thee. 16 Then the children of Ioseph saide, The mountaine will not be ynough for vs: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the lowe countrey haue charets of yron, aswell they in Beth-shean, and in the townes of the same, as they in the valley of Izreel. 17 And Ioshua spake vnto the house of Ioseph, to Ephraim, and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power, and shalt not haue one lot. 18 Therefore the mountaine shall be thine: for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it downe: and the endes of it shall be thine, and thou shalt cast out the Canaanites, though they haue yron charets, and though they be strong.