Joshua

DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND

Now Joshua has grown old and advanced in years. The Lord says to him, “You are old now, yet much of the land is still unconquered, including:

All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites.

All the land from the river east of Egypt to the boundary of Ekron in the north is considered Canaanite territory. (The five chief towns of the Philistines are Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites are also in the south.)

The whole country of the Canaanites from Mearah, which the Sidonians hold, to Aphek at the Amorite border,

and then the country of the Gebalites with all Lebanon eastward from Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to the Pass of Hamath.

All the land of the Sidonians who live in the highlands from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim westward. I myself will drive them all out before the Israelites. In the meantime, share the land among the Israelites by drawing lots as I have commanded you.

The time has come to divide this land among the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh: from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea westward, you shall give it to them; the Mediterranean will mark their boundary.”

Transjordan

As for the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, they and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received the land Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given them

the land as far as Aroer, which lies on the edge of the Arnon valley, with the city in the middle of that valley and all the high, flat land from Medeba to Dibon.

All the towns of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who had reigned in Heshbon, were included, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites.

Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites with all the highlands of Hermon and with the whole of Bashan as far as Salecah.

In Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and was the last survivor of the Rephaim. Moses had conquered and driven these people out.

But the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites; therefore, Geshur and Maacah still live in Israel today.

To the tribe of Levi alone, no land was given; the Lord the God of Israel was their inheritance, as he had told them.

Moses had given the tribe of Reuben a part of the land according to their clans.

The land they received stretched from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the town within the valley itself, and all the high, flat land up to Medeba,

and Heshbon and all the towns on the high, flat land: Dibon, Bamoth-Baal, Beth-Baal-Meon,

Jahaz, Kedemoth Mephaath,

Kiriathaim, Sibmah, and Zereth-Shahar in the highlands of Gor;

Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth-jeshimoth,

all these towns and the whole kingdom of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon; he had been defeated by Moses and with him the princes of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who had ruled the land for king Sihon who used to live in this country.

As for Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the Israelites had put him to the sword with others they had killed.

Thus, the land of the Reubenites stretched to the Jordan River. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben according to their clans, with the towns and outlying villages.

Moses had given the tribe of Gad a part of the land according to their clans:

Jazer, all the towns of Gilead, half the country of the Ammonites as far as Aroer facing Rabbah,

and from Heshbon to Ramath-Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the territory of Lodebar,

and lastly, in the Jordan valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon the king of Heshbon. The Jordan River was their western border as far north as the Sea of Galilee, on the eastern side of the Jordan.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of Gad according to their clans, with the towns and outlying villages.

Moses had given half the tribe of Manasseh a part of the land according to their clans:

from Mahanaim right through Bashan, including the whole kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, and all sixty villages of Jair in Bashan.

Half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan, were given to half the families from Machir, son of Manasseh.

This was how Moses divided the land in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no land; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he told them.