Joshua, 18

1. The whole community of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh, and the Tent of Meeting was set up there; the whole country had been subdued for them.

1. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

2. But among the Israelites there were still seven tribes left who had not received their heritage.

2. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.

3. Joshua then said to the Israelites, 'How much more time are you going to waste before you go and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors, has given to you?

3. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long [are] ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?

4. Choose three men from each tribe for me to send all over the country so that they can make a survey with a view to their inheritances and then come back to me.

4. Give out from among you three men for [each] tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come [again] to me.

5. They will divide the country into seven portions. Judah will remain in his territory in the south, and those of the House of Joseph will remain in their territory in the north.

5. And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.

6. You must survey the country in seven sections and bring your findings to me here, so that I can cast lots for you here, in the presence of Yahweh our God.

6. Ye shall therefore describe the land [into] seven parts, and bring [the description] hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

7. The Levites, however, will have no portion with the rest of you; the priesthood of Yahweh will be their heritage. As regards Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they have received their heritage on the further, eastern side of the Jordan, the one given them by Moses, servant of Yahweh.'

7. But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD [is] their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

8. The men stood up and set off. To those who were to survey the country Joshua gave this order, 'Start out, then, go all over the country, survey it, and then come back to me; and I shall cast lots for you here, in the presence of Yahweh, at Shiloh.'

8. And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.

9. The men left, went all over the country and surveyed it by towns, in seven sections, writing down their findings in a book, and then went back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.

9. And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came [again] to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

10. Joshua cast lots for them in Yahweh's presence at Shiloh, and there Joshua divided the country between the Israelites, share by share.

10. And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

11. A portion fell first to the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, by clans: the territory of their portion lay between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.

11. And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

12. Their northern frontier began at the Jordan, went up the flank of Jericho to the north, climbed westwards through the highlands and came out at the desert of Beth-Aven.

12. And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.

13. Thence, the frontier went on to Luz, on the southern flank of Luz -- now Bethel-and then down to Ataroth-Arach, on the mountain south of Lower Beth-Horon.

13. And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which [is] Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that [lieth] on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.

14. At this westerly point, the frontier curved round and turned south, from the mountain facing Beth-Horon from the south and came out at Kiriath-Baal, now Kiriath-Jearim, a town of the sons of Judah. That was the western side.

14. And the border was drawn [thence], and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that [lieth] before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which [is] Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this [was] the west quarter.

15. This was the south side: from the tip of Kiriath-Jearim, the frontier went to Gasin and came out near the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah,

15. And the south quarter [was] from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:

16. it then went down to the edge of the mountain facing the Valley of Hinnom, in the Valley of the Rephaim to the north; it then went down into the Valley of Hinnom, past the southerly flank of the Jebusite, and went down to En-Rogel.

16. And the border came down to the end of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of the son of Hinnom, [and] which [is] in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,

17. It then curved northwards, coming out at En-Shemesh, and came out at the stone circle opposite the Ascent of Adummim, then went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

17. And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which [is] over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

18. It then went on to Cheteph on the flank of Beth-ha-Arabah northwards, and went down into the Arabah;

18. And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:

19. the frontier then passed round the northern flank of Beth-Hoglah, and the frontier came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. Such was the southern frontier.

19. And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this [was] the south coast.

20. The Jordan itself formed the frontier on the east. Such was the heritage of the sons of Benjamin as defined by their frontier, by clans.

20. And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This [was] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.

21. The towns of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, by clans, were:

21. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,

22. Jericho, Beth-Hoglah, Emek-Keziz;

22. And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

23. Beth-Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel; Avvim, Parah, Ophrah;

23. And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

24. Chephar-Ammoni, Ophni, Geba: twelve towns and their villages.

24. And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:

25. Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth;

25. Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

26. Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah;

26. And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

27. Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah;

27. And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

28. Zela-ha-Eleph, the Jebusite -- that is, Jerusalem -- Gibeah and Kiriath: fourteen towns with their villages. Such was the heritage of the sons of Benjamin, by clans.

28. And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which [is] Jerusalem, Gibeath, [and] Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.