Joshua 18

The entire assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

KJV 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.

Seven tribes among the Israelites had not yet received their inheritance.

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

Joshua said to the Israelites, "How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

KJV 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?

Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to travel through the land, survey it for the purpose of their inheritance, and then report back to me.

KJV 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.

They are to divide it into seven portions. Judah will remain in its territory to the south, and the house of Joseph in its territory to the north.

KJV 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 coast on the north.

You are to survey the land in seven portions and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

KJV 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.

The Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

KJV 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.

The men set out on their way. Joshua charged those going to survey the land: "Go, travel through the land, write up a description, and come back to me. Then I will cast lots for you before the LORD at Shiloh."

KJV 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.

The men went and traveled through the land, recording it city by city in seven portions in a document. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.

KJV 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.

Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before the LORD, and there he divided the land among the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.

KJV 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.

The lot for the tribe of Benjamin came up first, clan by clan. Their allotted territory fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.

KJV 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.

Their northern boundary began at the Jordan, went up along the northern slope of Jericho, ascended westward into the hill country, and ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

KJV 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.

From there the boundary crossed to Luz — to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) — then descended to Ataroth-addar, near the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.

KJV 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.

The boundary curved around the western side, turning south from the hill facing Beth-horon, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of Judah. This was the western side.

KJV 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.

The southern side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim. The boundary went westward to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah,

KJV 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 the waters of Nephtoah:

then descended to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben-hinnom, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It went down through the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and on down to En-rogel.

KJV 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,

It turned north to En-shemesh, then went to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and descended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.

KJV 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,

It crossed to the slope overlooking the Arabah on the north and descended into the Arabah.

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

The boundary passed along the northern slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

KJV 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.

The Jordan formed the eastern boundary. This was the inheritance of the Benjaminites on all sides, clan by clan.

KJV 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.

The cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

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

Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

KJV And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

KJV And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba — twelve cities with their surrounding settlements.

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

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

KJV Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah,

KJV And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

KJV And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

Zela, Ha-eleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath — fourteen cities with their surrounding settlements. This was the inheritance of the Benjaminites, clan by clan.

KJV 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.