CHAPTER 18
Then the whole
congregation
of Israel
assembled
at Shiloh
and set up
the Tent
of Meeting
there.
And though the land
was subdued
before them,
So Joshua
said
to
the Israelites,
“How long
will you
neglect
to go out
and possess
the land
that
the LORD,
the God
of your fathers,
has given
you?
Appoint
three
men
from each tribe,
and I will send them out
to survey
the land
and map it out,
according to
the inheritance of each.
Then they will return
to me
and divide
the land
into seven
portions.
Judah
shall remain
in
their territory
in the south
and the house
of Joseph
shall remain
in
their territory
in the north.
When you
have mapped out
the seven
portions
of land
and brought
it to me,
I will cast
lots
for you here
in the presence
of the LORD
our God.
The Levites,
however,
have no
portion
among you,
because
their inheritance
is the priesthood
of the LORD.
And Gad,
Reuben,
and half
the tribe
of Manasseh
have already received
the inheritance
that
Moses
the servant
of the LORD
gave
them
beyond
the Jordan
to the east."
As the men
got up
to go out,
Joshua
commanded
them
to map out
of the land,
saying,
“Go
and survey
the land,
map it out,
and return
to me.
Then I will cast
lots
for you
here
in Shiloh
in the presence
of the LORD."
So the men
departed
and went throughout
the land,
mapping it
city by city
into seven
portions.
Then they returned
with the document
to
Joshua
at
the camp
in Shiloh.
And Joshua
cast
lots
for them
in the presence
of the LORD
at Shiloh,
where
he
distributed
the land
to the Israelites
according to their divisions.
The first lot
came up
for the clans
of the tribe
of Benjamin.
Their allotted
territory
lay
between
the tribes
of Judah
and
Joseph:
On the north
side
their border
began
at
the Jordan,
went up
past
the northern
slope
of Jericho,
headed
west
through the hill country,
and came out
at the wilderness
of Beth-aven.
From there
the border
crossed over
to
the southern
slope
of Luz
(that is,
Bethel)
and went down
to Ataroth-addar
on
the hill
south
of Lower
Beth-horon.
On the west
side
the border
curved
southward
from
the hill
facing
Beth-horon
on the south
and came out
at
Kiriath-baal
(that is,
Kiriath-jearim),
a city
of the sons
of Judah.
This
was the western
side.
On the south
side
the border
began at the outskirts
of Kiriath-jearim
and extended
westward
to
the spring
at the Waters
of Nephtoah.
Then it
went down
to
the foot
of the hill
that
faces
the Valley of Hinnom
at the northern
end of the Valley
of Rephaim
and ran down
the Valley of Hinnom
toward
the southern
slope
of the Jebusites
and downward
to En-rogel.
From there it curved
northward
and proceeded
to En-shemesh
and on to
Geliloth
facing
the Ascent
of Adummim,
and continued down
to the Stone
of Bohan
son
of Reuben.
The border
continued
to
the northern
slope
of Beth-hoglah
and came out
at
the northern
bay
of the Salt Sea,
at
the mouth
of the Jordan.
This
was the southern
border.
On the east
side
the border
was the Jordan.
These
were the borders
around
the inheritance
of the clans
of the tribe
of Benjamin.
Zelah
Haeleph,
Jebus
(that is,
Jerusalem),
Gibeah,
and Kiriath-jearim—
fourteen
cities,
along with their villages.
This
was the inheritance
of the clans
of the tribe
of Benjamin.