Joshua divides the rest of the land
1 After they had conquered the land, the whole community of Israel gathered
at Shiloh, and the Tent of Meeting was set up there.
2 Among the Israelites were seven tribes which had not yet been given their
share of the land.
3 Then Joshua said to them, ¡°How much longer will you wait before going in
and taking possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers has
given you?
4 Choose three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of
the whole territory so that it can be divided.
5 They must divide the land into seven parts, because those of the tribe of
Judah have already their territory to the south, and those of the tribe of
Joseph have their territory to the north.
6 You are to survey the land in seven divisions and bring your findings to
me here, so that I can cast lots for you before Yah weh our God.
7 The Levites have no share in the land with the rest of you; their share is
to serve as priests of Yahweh, and the tribes of Gad and Reu ben and half
the tribe of Manasseh have received their land beyond the Jordan eastward,
as Moses, Yahweh¡¯s servant, gave it to them.¡±
8 To those who were to survey the country, Joshua gave this command before
they started on their way: ¡°Go, survey and map the whole country, and then
come back to me. Here in Shiloh I will consult Yahweh for you by drawing
lots.¡±
9 So the men left and went all over the country, making a list of all the
towns and how they were to be divided into seven parts. When they brought it
back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh,
10 he drew lots to consult Yahweh for them and divided the land among the
Israelites according to their clans.
The tri be of Benjamin
11 The first share of land went to the tribe of Benjamin according to their
clans: their territory lay between that of the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 The northern border began at the Jordan, climbed to the northern side of
Jericho, rose through the hill country westward and ended at the wilderness
of Beth-aven.
13 From there it continued toward the south side of Luz which is now called
Bethel; then downward to Ata-roth-addar, on the mountain south of Lower
Beth-horon.
14 The border then curved, and on the western side of this mountain turned
southward and ended at Kiriath-baal, which is now called Kiriath-jearim, a
city of the tribe of Judah. This was the western border.
15 The southern border ran from the edge of Kiriath-jearim toward Gasin, and
to the spring of Nephtoah.
16 It continued to the foot of the mountain facing the Valley of Ben-hinnom,
at the north end of Rephaim Valley. It then went south through the Valley of
Hinnom, south of the mountainside of the Jebu sites and reached En-rogel.
17 It then curved northward to En-shemesh coming out at the circles of
stones facing the Ascent of Adum mim,
18 then on to Cheteph in sight of the Ara bah and down to the Arabah and
19 the stone of Bohan (Bohan was a son of Reuben) and from there passed
north of the mountainside overlooking the Jordan Valley. The border ended at
the bay of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern
border.
20 The Jordan itself was the eastern border. Such was the land given to the
tribe of Benjamin, with the borders defining it.
21 The towns of the tribe of Benjamin, according to their clans, were
Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz;
22 Beth-ara bah, Zemaraim, Bethel;
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba: twelve towns and their surrounding villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth;
26 Miz peh, Chephirah, Mozah;
27 Rekem, Ir peel, Taralah;
28 Zela, Haeleph, Jerusa lem, Gibeah and Kiriath: fourteen towns with their
surrounding villages. This was the land given to the tribe of Benjamin, ac
cording to their clans.