Joshua Gives Out the Rest of the Land
1 After Israel had captured the land, they met at Shiloh and set up the sacred tent. 2 There were still seven tribes without any land, 3-7 so Joshua told the people:
The Judah tribe has already settled in its land in the south, and the Joseph tribes have settled in their land in the north. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh already have the land that the Lord's servant Moses gave them east of the Jordan River. And the people of Levi won't receive land like the other tribes. Instead, they will serve the Lord as priests.
But the rest of you haven't done a thing to take over any land. The Lord God who was worshiped by your ancestors has given you the land, and now it's time to go ahead and settle there.
Seven tribes still don't have any land. Each of these tribes should choose three men, and I'll send them to explore the remaining land. They will divide it into seven regions, write a description of each region, and bring these descriptions back to me. I will find out from the Lord our God what region each tribe should get.
8 Just before the men left camp, Joshua repeated their orders: “Explore the land and write a description of it. Then come back to Shiloh, and I will find out from the Lord how to divide the land.”
9 The men left and went across the land, dividing it into seven regions. They wrote down a description of each region, town by town, and returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua found out from the Lord how to divide the land, and he told the tribes what the Lord had decided.
Benjamin's Land
11 Benjamin was the first tribe chosen to receive land. The region for its clans lay between the Judah tribe on the south and the Joseph tribes on the north. 12 Benjamin's northern border started at the Jordan River and went up the ridge north of Jericho, then on west into the hill country as far as the Beth-Aven Desert. 13-14 From there it went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. The border ran along the ridge south of Luz, then went to Ataroth-Orech and on as far as the mountain south of Lower Beth-Horon. At that point it turned south and became the western border. It went as far south as Kiriath-Baal, a town in Judah now called Kiriath-Jearim.
15 Benjamin's southern border started at the edge of Kiriath-Jearim and went east to the ruins and on to Nephtoah Spring. 16 From there it went to the bottom of the hill at the northern end of Rephaim Valley. The other side of this hill faces Hinnom Valley, which is on the land that slopes south from Jerusalem. The border went down through Hinnom Valley until it reached Enrogel.
17 At Enrogel the border curved north and went to Enshemesh and on east to Geliloth, which is across the valley from Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the Monument of Bohan, who belonged to the Reuben tribe. 18 The border ran along the hillside north of Beth-Arabah, then down into the Jordan River valley. 19 Inside the valley it went south as far as the northern hillside of Beth-Hoglah. The last section of the border went from there to the northern end of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan River. 20 The Jordan River itself was Benjamin's eastern border.
These were the borders of Benjamin's tribal land, where the clans of Benjamin lived.
21-24 One region of Benjamin's tribal land had twelve towns with their surrounding villages. Those towns were Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz, Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, Chephar-Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba.
25-28 In the other region there were the following 14 towns with their surrounding villages: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Haeleph, Gibeah, Kiriath-Jearim, and Jerusalem, which is also called Jebusite Town.
These regions are the tribal lands of Benjamin.
1 And the whole Congregation of the children of Israel, came together at Shiloh: for they set vp the Tabernacle of the Congregation there, after the land was subiect vnto them. 2 Nowe there remained among the children of Israel seuen tribes, to whom they had not deuided their inheritance. 3 Therefore Ioshua said vnto the children of Israel, Howe long are ye so slacke to enter and possesse the land which the Lord God of your fathers hath giuen you? 4 Giue from among you for euery tribe three men, that I may sende them, and that they may rise, and walke through the land, and distribute it according to their inheritance, and returne to me. 5 And that they may deuide it vnto them into seuen parts, (Iudah shall abide in his coast at the South, and the house of Ioseph shall stand in their coastes at the North) 6 Ye shall describe the land therefore into seuen partes, and shall bring them hither to me, and I will cast lottes for you here before the Lord our God. 7 But the Leuites shall haue no part among you: for the Priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance: also Gad and Reuben and halfe the tribe of Manasseh haue receiued their inheritance beyond Iorden Eastward, which Moses the seruant of the Lord gaue them. 8 Then the men arose, and went their way: and Ioshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Depart, and goe through the land, and describe it, and returne to me, that I may here cast lottes for you before the Lord in Shiloh. 9 So the men departed, and passed through the lande, and described it by cities into seuen partes in a booke, and returned to Ioshua into the campe at Shiloh. 10 Then Ioshua cast lottes for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Ioshua deuided the land vnto the children of Israel, according to their portions: 11 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Beniamin came foorth according to their families, and the cost of their lot lay betweene the children of Iudah, and the children of Ioseph. 12 And their coast on the Northside was from Iorden, and the border went vp to the side of Iericho on the Northpart, and went vp through the mountaines Westward, and the endes thereof are in the wildernesse of Beth-auen: 13 And this border goeth along from thence to Luz, euen to the Southside of Luz (the same is Beth-el) and this border descendeth to Atroth-addar, neere the mount, that lyeth on the Southside of Beth-horon the nether. 14 So the border turneth, and compasseth the corner of the Sea Southward, from the mount that lyeth before Beth-horon Southward: and the endes thereof are at Kiriath-baal (which is Kiriath-iearim) a citie of the children of Iudah: this is the Westquarter. 15 And the Southquarter is from the ende of Kiriath-iearim, and this border goeth out Westward, and commeth to the fountaine of waters of Nephtoah. 16 And this border descendeth at the ende of the mountaine, that lyeth before the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the valley of the gyants Northward, and descendeth into the valley of Hinnom by the side of Iebusi Southwarde, and goeth downe to En-rogel, 17 And compasseth from the North, and goeth foorth to En-shemesh, and stretcheth to Geliloth, which is toward the going vp vnto Adummim, and goeth downe to the stone of Bohan the sonne of Reuben. 18 So it goeth along to the side ouer against the plaine Northward, and goeth downe into the plaine. 19 After, this border goeth along to the side of Beth-hoglah Northward: and the endes thereof, that is, of the border, reach to the point of the salt Sea Northward, and to the ende of Iorden Southward: this is the Southcoast. 20 Also Iorden is the border of it on the Eastside: this is the inheritance of the children of Beniamin by the coastes thereof rounde about according to their families. 21 Nowe the cities of the tribe of the children of Beniamin according to their families, are Iericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz, 22 And Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el, 23 And Auim, and Parah, and Ophrah, 24 And Chephar, Ammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba: twelue 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 Zela, Eleph, and Iebusi, (which is Ierusalem) Gibeath, and Kiriath: fourteene cities with their villages: this is the inheritance of the children of Beniamin according to their families.