Joshua 13

Unconquered Lands

1 Joshua was now old, advanced in age,  * 13:1 Gn 18:11; 24:1; Jos 14:10; 23:1–2; 1Kg 1:1 and the Lord said to him, "You have become old, advanced in age, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.  * 13:1 Ex 23:27–332 This is the land that remains:

All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory) — the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites 4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites;  * 13:5 1Kg 5:18 and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath  * 13:5 Or to Lebo-hamath,* 13:5 Jos 12:7  —  6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim,  * 13:6 Jos 11:8 all the Sidonians.

I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. 7 Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh."

The Inheritance East of the Jordan

8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them:  * 13:8 Jos 12:6

9 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley,  * 13:9 Dt 2:36; Jos 13:16 all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; 11 also Gilead  * 13:11 Dt 3:10 and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah —  12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim.

Moses struck them down and drove them out,  * 13:12 Nm 21:2413 but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites.  * 13:13 Jos 16:10; 17:12–13; Jdg 1:1–2:5 So Geshur and Maacath still live in Israel today.  * 13:13 Jos 4:9; 5:9; 6:25; 7:26; 8:28–29; 10:27; 14:14; 15:63; 16:10; 22:17; 23:8–9

14 He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just as he had promised: the food offerings made to the Lord, the God of Israel.  * 13:14 Nm 18:20; Dt 10:9; 18:1–2; Jos 13:33; 14:3–4; 18:7; 21:1–42

Reuben’s Inheritance

15 To the tribe of Reuben’s descendants by their clans, Moses gave 16 this as their territory:

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau as far as  * 13:16 Some Hb mss read plateau near Medeba, 17 with Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau — Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,  * 13:18 Nm 21:2319 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley,  * 13:19 Nm 32:3720 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth —  21 all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.  * 13:21 Nm 31:822 Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.

Gad’s Inheritance

24 To the tribe of the Gadites by their clans, Moses gave 25 this as their territory:

Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah; 26 from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir;  * 13:26 Or Lidbir, orLo-debar27 in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon — the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth  * 13:27 = Galilee on the east side of the Jordan.

28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements.

East Manasseh’s Inheritance

29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave 30 this as their territory:

From Mahanaim through all Bashan — all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages  * 13:30 Or all of Havvoth-jair,* 13:30 Nm 32:41 that are in Bashan — sixty cities. 31 But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan — Ashtaroth and Edrei — are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh (that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans).

32 These were the portions Moses gave them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But Moses did not give a portion to the tribe of Levi. The Lord, the God of Israel, was their inheritance, just as he had promised them.  * 13:33 Dt 18:1–2; Jos 13:14