Joshua 16-18 - Prayer Tents

Joshua 16

The Land Given to Ephraim and West Manasseh

16The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan River near Jericho, east of the springs of Jericho, through the wilderness and into the hill country of Bethel.H1486H1121H3130H3318H3383H3405H4325H3405H4217H4057H5927H3405H2022H10082From Bethel (that is, Luz) it ran over to Ataroth in the territory of the Arkites.H3318H1008H3870H5674H1366H757H58523Then it descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer and over to the Mediterranean Sea.H3381H3220H1366H3311H1366H1032H8481H1507H8444H32204This was the homeland allocated to the families of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.H1121H3130H4519H669H5157

The Land Given to Ephraim

5The following territory was given to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim. The boundary of their homeland began at Ataroth-addar in the east. From there it ran to Upper Beth-horon,H1366H1121H669H4940H1366H5159H4217H5853H1032H59456then on to the Mediterranean Sea. From Micmethath on the north, the boundary curved eastward past Taanath-shiloh to the east of Janoah.H1366H3318H3220H4366H6828H1366H5437H4217H8387H5674H4217H32397From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River.H3381H3239H5852H5292H6293H3405H3318H33838From Tappuah the boundary extended westward, following the Kanah Ravine to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Ephraim.H1366H3212H8599H3220H5158H7071H8444H3220H5159H4294H1121H669H49409In addition, some towns with their surrounding villages in the territory allocated to the half-tribe of Manasseh were set aside for the tribe of Ephraim.H3995H5892H1121H669H8432H5159H1121H4519H5892H269110They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, however, so the people of Gezer live as slaves among the people of Ephraim to this day.H3423H3669H3427H1507H3669H3427H7130H669H3117H5647H4522

Joshua 17

The Land Given to West Manasseh

17The next allotment of land was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph's older son. Makir, the firstborn son of Manasseh, was the father of Gilead. Because his descendants were experienced soldiers, the regions of Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan had already been given to them.H1486H4294H4519H1060H3130H4353H1060H4519H1H1568H376H4421H1568H1316 2So the allotment on the west side of the Jordan was for the remaining families within the clans of the tribe of Manasseh: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These clans represent the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph.H3498H1121H4519H4940H1121H44H1121H2507H1121H844H1121H7928H1121H2660H1121H8061H2145H1121H4519H1121H3130H4940 3However, Zelophehad, a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons. He had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.H6765H1121H2660H1121H1568H1121H4353H1121H4519H1121H1323H8034H1323H4244H5270H2295H4435H8656 4These women came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us a grant of land along with the men of our tribe." So Joshua gave them a grant of land along with their uncles, as the LORD had commanded.H7126H6440H499H3548H6440H3091H1121H5126H6440H5387H559H3068H6680H4872H5414H5159H8432H251H6310H3068H5414H5159H8432H251H1 5As a result, Manasseh's total allocation came to ten parcels of land, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan River,H5307H6235H2256H4519H776H1568H1316H5676H3383 6because the female descendants of Manasseh received a grant of land along with the male descendants. (The land of Gilead was given to the rest of the male descendants of Manasseh.)H1323H4519H5157H5159H8432H1121H3498H4519H1121H776H1568 7The boundary of the tribe of Manasseh extended from the border of Asher to Micmethath, near Shechem. Then the boundary went south from Micmethath to the settlement near the spring of Tappuah.H1366H4519H836H4366H6440H7927H1366H1980H3225H3427H5887 8The land surrounding Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh's territory, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.H4519H776H8599H8599H1366H4519H1121H669 9From the spring of Tappuah, the boundary of Manasseh followed the Kanah Ravine to the Mediterranean Sea. Several towns south of the ravine were inside Manasseh's territory, but they actually belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.H1366H3381H5158H7071H5045H5158H5892H669H8432H5892H4519H1366H4519H6828H5158H8444H3220 10In general, however, the land south of the ravine belonged to Ephraim, and the land north of the ravine belonged to Manasseh. Manasseh's boundary ran along the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. North of Manasseh was the territory of Asher, and to the east was the territory of Issachar.H5045H669H6828H4519H3220H1366H6293H836H6828H3485H4217 11The following towns within the territory of Issachar and Asher, however, were given to Manasseh: Beth-shan, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphoth-dor), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.H4519H3485H836H1052H1323H2991H1323H3427H1756H1323H3427H5874H1323H3427H8590H1323H3427H4023H1323H7969H5316 12But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns. They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there.H1121H4519H3201H3423H5892H3669H2974H3427H776 13Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land.H1121H3478H2388H5414H3669H4522H3423H3423 14The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the LORD has blessed us with so many people?"H1121H3130H1696H3091H559H5414H259H1486H259H2256H5159H7227H5971H5704H3068H1288H3541 15Joshua replied, "If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live."H3091H559H7227H5971H5927H3293H1254H776H6522H7497H2022H669H213 16The descendants of Joseph responded, "It's true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us."H1121H3130H559H2022H4672H3669H3427H776H6010H7393H1270H1052H1323H6010H3157 17Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, "Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion.H3091H559H1004H3130H669H4519H559H7227H5971H1419H3581H259H1486 18The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots."H2022H3293H1254H8444H3423H3669H1270H7393H2389

Joshua 18

The Allotments of the Remaining Land

18Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle.H5712H1121H3478H6950H7887H7931H168H4150H776H3533H64402But there remained seven tribes who had not yet been allotted their grants of land.H3498H1121H3478H7651H7626H2505H51593Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?H3091H559H1121H3478H7503H935H3423H776H3068H430H1H54144Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to explore the land and map it out. They will then return to me with a written report of their proposed divisions of their new homeland.H3051H7969H582H7626H7971H6965H1980H776H3789H6310H5159H9355Let them divide the land into seven sections, excluding Judah's territory in the south and Joseph's territory in the north.H2505H7651H2506H3063H5975H1366H5045H1004H3130H5975H1366H68286And when you record the seven divisions of the land and bring them to me, I will cast sacred lots in the presence of the LORD our God to assign land to each tribe.H3789H776H7651H2506H935H3384H1486H6440H3068H4307"The Levites, however, will not receive any allotment of land. Their role as priests of the LORD is their allotment. And the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh won't receive any more land, for they have already received their grant of land, which Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave them on the east side of the Jordan River."H3881H2506H7130H3550H3068H5159H1410H7205H2677H7626H4519H3947H5159H5676H3383H4217H4872H5650H3068H54148As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua commanded them, "Go and explore the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will assign the land to the tribes by casting sacred lots here in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh."H582H6965H3212H3091H6680H1980H3789H776H559H3212H1980H776H3789H7725H7993H1486H6440H3068H78879The men did as they were told and mapped the entire territory into seven sections, listing the towns in each section. They made a written record and then returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.H582H3212H5674H776H3789H5892H7651H2506H5612H935H3091H4264H788710And there at Shiloh, Joshua cast sacred lots in the presence of the LORD to determine which tribe should have each section.H3091H7993H1486H7887H6440H3068H3091H2505H776H1121H3478H4256

The Land Given to Benjamin

11The first allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. It lay between the territory assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.H1486H4294H1121H1144H5927H4940H1366H1486H3318H1121H3063H1121H313012The northern boundary of Benjamin's land began at the Jordan River, went north of the slope of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the wilderness of Beth-aven.H1366H6828H6285H3383H1366H5927H3802H3405H6828H5927H2022H3220H8444H4057H100713From there the boundary went south to Luz (that is, Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar on the hill that lies south of Lower Beth-horon.H1366H5674H3870H3802H3870H1008H5045H1366H3381H5853H2022H5045H8481H103214The boundary then made a turn and swung south along the western edge of the hill facing Beth-horon, ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a town belonging to the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.H1366H8388H5437H6285H3220H5045H2022H6440H1032H5045H8444H7154H7157H5892H1121H3063H3220H628515The southern boundary began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. From that western point it ran to the spring at the waters of Nephtoah,H5045H6285H7097H7157H1366H3318H3220H3318H4599H4325H531816and down to the base of the mountain beside the valley of Ben-Hinnom, at the northern end of the valley of Rephaim. From there it went down the valley of Hinnom, crossing south of the slope where the Jebusites lived, and continued down to En-rogel.H1366H3381H7097H2022H6440H1516H1121H2011H6010H7497H6828H3381H1516H2011H3802H2983H5045H3381H588317From En-rogel the boundary proceeded in a northerly direction and came to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth (which is across from the slopes of Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan. (Bohan was Reuben's son.)H8388H6828H3318H5885H3318H1553H5227H4608H131H3381H68H932H1121H720518From there it passed along the north side of the slope overlooking the Jordan Valley. The border then went down into the valley,H5674H3802H4136H6160H6828H3381H616019ran past the north slope of Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea, which is the southern end of the Jordan River. This was the southern boundary.H1366H5674H3802H1031H6828H8444H1366H6828H3956H4417H3220H5045H7097H3383H5045H136620The eastern boundary was the Jordan River. These were the boundaries of the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.H3383H1379H6924H6285H5159H1121H1144H1367H5439H4940

The Towns Given to Benjamin

21These were the towns given to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,H5892H4294H1121H1144H4940H3405H1031H6010H710422Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,H1026H6787H100823Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,H5761H6511H608424Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their surrounding villages.H3726H6078H1387H8147H6240H5892H269125Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,H1391H7414H88126Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,H4708H3716H468127Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,H7552H3416H863428Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath—fourteen towns with their surrounding villages. This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.H6762H507H2983H3389H1394H7157H702H6240H5892H2691H5159H1121H1144H4940