Study Desk

Then the lot for the sons of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east into ^(C1)the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.

It went from Bethel to Luz, and ^(C1)continued to the border of the Archites at Ataroth.

Then it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of lower ^(C1)Beth-horon even to ^(C2)Gezer, and ^(F1)it ended at the sea.

The ^(C1)sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

Now this was the territory of the sons of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance eastward was ^(C1)Ataroth-addar, as far as upper Beth-horon.

Then the border went westward at ^(C1)Michmethath on the north, and the border turned eastward to Taanath-shiloh and continued beyond it to the east of Janoah.

Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to ^(C1)Naarah, then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.

From ^(C1)Tappuah the border continued westward to the ^(F1)brook of Kanah, and ^(F2)it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families,

together with the cities which were set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.

^(C1)But they did not ^(F1)drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so ^(C2)the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.

Now this was the lot for the tribe of ^(C1)Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, ^(F1)were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.

So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer, the sons of Helek, the sons of Asriel, the sons of Shechem, the sons of Hepher, and the sons of Shemida; these were the male ^(F1)descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

However, ^(C1)Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." So ^(C1)in accordance with the ^(F1)command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers.

So ten portions fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan,

because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the ^(C1)land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

The border of Manasseh ^(F1)ran from Asher to Michmethath which was east of Shechem; then the border went ^(F2)southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but ^(C1)Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the sons of Ephraim.

And the ^(C1)border went down to the ^(F1)brook of Kanah, southward of the ^(F1)brook (these cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh), and the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the ^(F1)brook, and ^(F2)it ended at the sea.

The south side belonged to Ephraim and the north side to Manasseh, and the sea was ^(F1)their border; and they reached to Asher on the north and to Issachar on the east.

In Issachar and in Asher, ^(C1)Manasseh had Beth-shean and its towns and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the third is ^(C2)Napheth.

^(C1)But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in this land.

And it came about when the sons of Israel became strong, ^(C1)they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not ^(F1)drive them out completely.

Then the ^(C1)sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, though I am a numerous people whom the LORD has blessed up to this point?"

And Joshua said to them, "If you are a numerous people, go ^(F1)up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you."

The sons of Joseph then said, "The hill country is not enough for us, but all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have ^(C1)iron chariots, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the Valley of Jezreel."

But Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, "You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only,

but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its ^(F1)farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall ^(F2)drive out the Canaanites, even though they have ^(C1)iron chariots and though they are strong."

Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at ^(C1)Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

But there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes who had not divided their inheritance.

So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "^(C1)How long will you ^(F1)put off entering to take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

"Provide for yourselves three men from ^(F1)each tribe so that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall ^(F2)return to me.

"And they shall divide it into seven portions; ^(C1)Judah shall stay in its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall stay in their territory on the north.

"And you shall write a description of the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. ^(C1)Then I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

"For ^(C1)the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the LORD is ^(F1)their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh also have received their inheritance eastward beyond the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to write a description of the land, saying, "Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in ^(C1)Shiloh."

So the men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh.

^(C1)Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, and there Joshua divided the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions.

Now the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot ^(F1)lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

^(C1)Their border on the north side was from the Jordan, then the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward, and ^(F1)it ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

Then from there the border continued to ^(C1)Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of ^(C2)lower Beth-horon.

And the border changed direction from there and turned around on the west side southward, from the hill which lies opposite Beth-horon southward; and ^(F1)it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the west side.

Then the ^(C1)south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah.

Then the border went down to the edge of the hill which is ^(F1)in the ^(C1)Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is in the Valley of Rephaim northward; and it went down to the Valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En-rogel.

Then it turned northward and went to En-shemesh, and went to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and it went down to the ^(C1)stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

And it continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah.

Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the ^(F1)border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.

Moreover, the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and according to its borders all around.

Now the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, and Emek-keziz,

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, and Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, and Ophrah,

Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and ^(C1)Geba; twelve cities with their villages.

Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth,

Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah,

^(C1)Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, Kiriath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the ^(C2)sons of Benjamin according to their families.

Then the second lot went to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families; and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.

So they had in their inheritance Beersheba or ^(F1)Sheba and Moladah,

Hazar-shual, Balah, and Ezem,

Eltolad, Bethul, and Hormah,

Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah,

Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities with their villages;

Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities with their villages;

and all the villages which were around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the ^(F1)Negev. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.

The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, because the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of ^(F1)Judah's inheritance.

Now the third lot came up for the sons of Zebulun according to their families. And the territory of their inheritance was as far as Sarid.

Then their border went up to the west and to Maralah, and it reached Dabbesheth and reached to the ^(F1)brook that is opposite Jokneam.

Then it turned from Sarid to the east toward the sunrise as far as the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and ^(F1)up to Japhia.

From there it continued eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and it proceeded to Rimmon ^(F1)which stretches to Neah.

Then the border circled around it on the north to Hannathon, and ^(F1)it ended at the Valley of Iphtahel.

Included also were Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; twelve cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

The fourth lot went to Issachar, to the sons of Issachar according to their families.

Their territory was to Jezreel and included Chesulloth, ^(C1)Shunem,

Hapharaim, Shion, and Anaharath,

Rabbith, Kishion, and Ebez,

Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez.

The border reached to ^(C1)Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ^(F1)their border ended at the Jordan; sixteen cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar according to their families, the cities with their villages.

Now the fifth lot went to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families.

Their territory was Helkath, Hali, Beten, and Achshaph,

Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and Shihor-libnath.

It turned toward the ^(F1)east to Beth-dagon and reached Zebulun, and to the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on ^(F2)north to ^(C1)Cabul,

Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Great ^(C1)Sidon.

The border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and ^(F1)it ended at the sea by the region of ^(C1)Achzib.

Included also were Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

The sixth lot went to the sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families.

Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ^(F1)it ended at the Jordan.

Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and proceeded from there to Hukkok; and it reached Zebulun on the south and reached Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan toward the ^(F1)east.

The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, ^(C1)Hammath, Rakkath, and ^(C2)Chinnereth,

Adamah, Ramah, and Hazor,

Kedesh, Edrei, and En-hazor,

Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities with their villages.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali according to their families, the cities with their villages.

The seventh lot went to the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families.

The territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh,

Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah,

Elon, Timnah, and Ekron,

Eltekeh, Gibbethon, and Baalath,

Jehud, Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon,

Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory opposite ^(F1)Joppa.

The territory of the ^(C1)sons of Dan proceeded ^(F1)beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and took possession of it and ^(F2)settled in it; and they named ^(F3)(C2)Leshem Dan after the name of their father Dan.

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

When they finished apportioning the land for inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.

In accordance with the ^(F1)command of the LORD, they gave him the city for which he asked, ^(C1)Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and ^(F2)settled in it.

^(C1)These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,

"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, '^(F1)Designate ^(C1)the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you ^(F2)through Moses,

so that one who commits manslaughter by ^(F1)killing a person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.

'Then he shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the ^(C1)gate of the city, and state his case in the ^(F1)presence of the elders of that city; and they shall ^(F2)receive him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may remain among them.

'Now ^(C1)if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they are not to hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, since he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him previously.

'And he shall remain in that city ^(C1)until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then ^(F1)he shall ^(F2)return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"

So they ^(F1)set apart ^(C1)Kedesh in ^(F2)Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in ^(C2)the hill country of Judah.

And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they ^(F1)designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

^(C1)These were the designated cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them, so that whoever ^(F1)kills a person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.