Joshua

Territory of Joseph

The land given by lot to the descendants of Joseph stretched from the Jordan River opposite Jericho eastward. From Jericho onward, the southern border climbed the highlands into the hill country as far as Bethel;

Their southern border began at the end of the Dead Sea;

went south from the Ascent of Akrabbim and crossed through Zin. It went south of Kadesh-Barnea, passed Hezron, went up to Addar, turned toward Karka,

skirted Azmon, came out at the stream on the border of Egypt, and ended at the Mediterranean.

On the east, the border was formed by the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.

On the north, the border started at the Sea Tongue at the mouth of the Jordan. This border went up to Beth-hoglah, passed through the north of Beth-Arabah, and reached the Stone of Bohan of Reuben.

The border then went up to Debir from Achor Valley and turned toward the circle of stones opposite the Ascent of Adummim, south of the valley; the border continued to the waters of En-Shemesh and ended at En-Rogel.

Next, it went along the Ben-Hinnom Valley on the south side of the hill where the Jebusite city, Jerusalem, was located. The border then climbed to the top of the mountain on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of the Rephaim Plain.

From the mountain, the border bent toward the source of the waters of Nephtoah, then from there toward Mount Ephron, and turned toward Baalah, also known as Kiriath-jearim.

From Baalah, the border turned west into the mountain country of Seir, moved along the northern slope of Mount Jearim, also called Chesalon, went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed through Timnah.

It reached the north side of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed by the Hill of Baalah, then on to Jabneel, and ended at the Big Sea, which is the Mediterranean.

The western border was the Big Sea itself. This border enclosed the lands given to the clans of the tribe of Judah.

Caleb and Othniel

Caleb, son of Jephunneh, received a portion of the territory of Judah, as the Lord commanded Joshua. Joshua gave him Kiriath-Arba, the chief city of the Anakim, which is now Hebron.

Caleb drove out the descendants of Anak, including the clans of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

From there, he marched to attack the people living in Debir, which was once called Kiriath-Sepher. Then Caleb said:

“To the man who conquers and captures Kiriath-Sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife.”

Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, conquered the city; Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

When she came to her husband, he urged her to ask her father for a field. When she jumped down from her donkey, Caleb asked: “What do you want?”

She answered: “Grant me a favor; since you have sent me away to the wilderness of the Negeb, at least grant me some springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

This was the land given to the tribe of Judah according to their clans.

The Towns of Judah

These are the furthermost towns of the tribe of Judah, toward the boundary of Edom in the Negeb: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

Hazor-Hadassah, Kerioth-Hezron (that is to say, Hazor),

Amam, Shema, Moladah,

Hazar-Jeddah, Heshmon, Beth-pellet,

Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah,

Baalah, Lim, Ezem,

Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

Lebaoth, Shilhim, and Ain and Rimmon. In all, twenty-nine towns, with their surrounding villages.

In the lowlands, there were fourteen towns with their villages: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

Zanoah, Engannim, Tappuah, Enam,

Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederotaim: fourteen towns and their villages.

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,

Gederoth, Beth-Dagon, Naamah, Makkedah, altogether sixteen towns with their villages.There are

Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah, and nine towns with their villages.

Ekron with its towns and villages near Ashdod.

From Ekron to the sea,

Ashdod and Gaza with their towns and villages as far as the stream on the Egypt and Mediterranean Sea border.

In the highlands: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

Dannah, Kiriath-sannah, which is now Debir,

Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

Goshen, Holon, Giloh—eleven towns with their villages.

Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

Janim, Beth-tapped, Aphekah,

Humtah, Kiriath-Arba, now Hebron, Zior—nine towns with their villages.

Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

Kain, Gibeah, Timnah—ten towns with their villages.

Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon—six towns with their villages. Tekoa, Ephrathah, which is now Bethlehem, Peor, Etam, Kulom, Tatam, Zores, Karim, Gallim, Bether, and Manoko are eleven towns with their villages.

Kiriath-Baal, which is now Kiriath- gerim, and Rabbah—two towns with their villages.

In the wilderness: Beth-Arabah, Middin, Secacah,

Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi—six towns with their villages.

But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; the Jebusites lived there side by side with the sons of Judah, as they still do today.