Study Desk

So the allotment on the west side of the Jordan was for the remaining families within the clans of the tribe of Manasseh: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These clans represent the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph.

These women came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us a grant of land along with the men of our tribe." So Joshua gave them a grant of land along with their uncles, as the Lord had commanded.

The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?"

Joshua replied, "If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live."

Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, "Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion.

Their allocation of land came from part of what had been given to Judah because Judah's territory was too large for them. So the tribe of Simeon received an allocation within the territory of Judah.

But the tribe of Dan had trouble taking possession of their land, so they attacked the town of Laish. They captured it, slaughtered its people, and settled there. They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor.

These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders allocated as grants of land to the tribes of Israel by casting sacred lots in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. So the division of the land was completed.

So by the command of the Lord the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land.

So the Israelites obeyed the Lord 's command to Moses and assigned these towns and pasturelands to the Levites by casting sacred lots.

So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

So in all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clan.

So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.

So in all, twelve towns were allotted to the clan of Merari.

So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

And now the Lord your God has given the other tribes rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord , gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.

So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.

So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to the Lord 's command through Moses.

So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.

"The Lord , the Mighty One, is God! The Lord , the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord . If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.