The writer who was inspired by the Holy
Spirit to write this book is commonly assumed
to be Joshua, Moses’ assistant (See 24:25,26).
However, there has been some controversy
concerning Joshua’s authorship, as well as
the date when the book was initially written.
Though several theories have been given
as to who wrote the book, no one theory
has been accepted by a majority of Bible
scholars. Regardless of whether we come
to any conclusion concerning the human
authorship of the book, one thing is true. The
writer was inspired by the Holy Spirit. This
fact is clearly indicated by the nature of the
book and its historical accuracy in reference
to archaeological discoveries and its place in
Jewish history.
In reference to Jewish tradition, the Talmud
assumes that Joshua wrote the book, though it
is believed that Eleazar and Phinehas provided
the closing words in reference to the death of
Joshua. Since some parts of the book were
obviously written after the death of Joshua, it is
assumed that other authors participated in the
final words of its content.
The name Joshua means, “the Lord will
save.” The Greek equivalent of the name
is “Jesus” (See At 7:45; Hb 4:8). The name
sometimes takes the form of the name Hoshea
(Nm 13:8). Joshua was the son of Nun and
from the tribe of Ephraim (Nm 13:8).
Joshua was initially chosen to be the
representative of his tribe, the tribe of Ephraim
(Nm 13:8,16). He was later chosen as one
of twelve spies who were sent out to spy out
the land of Canaan immediately after Israel
received the law on Mt. Sinai (Nm 13:8,16).
He manifested his military skills when he led
in Israel’s battle against the Amalekites (Ex
17:9). After Israel was condemned to 38 years
of wandering in the wilderness, he worked as
Moses’ assistant (Ex 17:9; 24:13; 32:17; Ja
1:1). He was placed in charge of the tabernacle
when idolatry led to God’s threat to destroy the
nation (Ex 33:11). He was loyal to Moses and
his command because he realized that Moses
was God’s authority on earth (Nm 11:24-29).
As the Spirit-led successor of Moses (Nm
27:18), he was commissioned directly by God
to lead Israel in the conquest of Amalek (Ex
17:8-16; Dt 31:14,23). Throughout the years
of conquest, he manifested true loyalty to God
and the covenant that God had established
with Israel. According to Josephus, Joshua
was approximately 85 years old at the time
he assumed the leadership of Israel. After
successfully leading God’s people in their initial
and national conquest of Canaan, he died
when he was 110 years old. He was buried at
Timnath Serah in Ephraim, a place of burial no
one knows today (Ja 24:29,30).
The traditional date of writing is somewhere around 1375 B.C. After the years of conquest of Canaan, the book was written in order to give Israel a reminder of the history of their battles in order to possess their inheritances of the land of promise. Since Israel could not have done what they did in conquering the promise land, God led them through almost two decades of military struggles against the Canaanites in order that they appreciate the land. The recording of these battles was to remind generations to come that Israel’s possession of the land came with great military struggle. The book, therefore, was written after Israel had rest in the land, sometime immediately after the close of the military victories that led to the possession of the land. This period began at the time of the crossing of the Jordan around 1,400 B.C. to the time when the tribes settled in their possessions. Bible students have assumed that this was a period of 20 to 25 years. They would remain in the land until the time when all the tribes went into the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities.
1 ¶ Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ a assistant, saying,
2 b“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise. Go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land that I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 c“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, that I have given to you as I said to Moses.
4 d“From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory.
5 e“No man will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. fAs I was with Moses, so gI will be with you. hI will not fail you or forsake you.
6 i“Be strong and courageous, for to this people you will divide the land for an inheritance, which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 “Only be strong and very courageous so that you may observe to do according to all the law that jMoses My servant commanded you. So kdo not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 l“This book of the law will not depart out of your mouth. But myou will meditate on it day and night so that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
9 n“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. oDo not be afraid or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
10 ¶ Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for pwithin three days you will pass over this Jordan to go in to possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”
12 And to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke, saying,
13 “Remember qthe word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you rest and has given you this land.’
14 “Your wives, your little ones and your livestock will remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you will pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty valiant men, and help them,
15 “until the LORD has given your brethren rest, as He has given you. And they also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. rThen you will return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’S servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrising.”
16 ¶ And they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go.
17 “According as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only the LORD your God s be with you as He was with Moses.
18 “Whoever rebels against your commandment, and will not obey your words in all that you command him, he will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
Chapter 1: a Ex 24:13 b Dt 34:5 c Dt 11:24 d Gn 15:18 e Dt 7:24 f Ex 3:12 g Dt 31:8,23 h Dt 31:6,7 i Dt 31:7,23 j Dt 31:7 k Dt 5:32 l Ja 8:34 m Ps 1:1-3 n Dt 31:7 o Ps 27:1 p Dt 9:1 q Nm 32:20-28 r Ja 22:1-4 s 1 Sm 20:13
1 ¶ Then Joshua the son of Nun sent out of a Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, “Go view the land, even Jericho.” And they went and bcame into a harlot’s house, named cRahab. And they lodged there.
2 Now dit was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the children of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring forth the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
4 eAnd the woman took the two men and hid them. And she said thus, “There came men to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 “And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate when it was dark that the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue after them quickly, for you will overtake them.”
6 But fshe had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.
7 And the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan to the fords. And as soon as those who were pursuing after them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 And before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof.
9 And she said to the men, g“I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that your hterror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ifaint because of you.
10 “For we have heard how the LORD jdried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and kwhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you lutterly destroyed.
11 “And as soon as we mheard these things our nhearts melted, nor did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the oLORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
12 “Now therefore, I beg you, since I have shown you kindness, pswear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to qmy father’s house. And rgive me a token of truth
13 “that you will ssave alive my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters and all whom they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 So the men answered her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this our business. And it will be when the LORD has given us the land, twe will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
15 ¶ Then she ulet them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, and she lived on the wall.
16 Then she said to them, “Go to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you. And hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers have returned. And afterward you may go your way.”
17 Then the men said to her, “We will be vblameless of this oath to you that you have made us swear,
18 “wunless, when we come into the land, you will bind this cord of scarlet thread in the window by which you let us down, and xunless you will bring into your house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household.
19 “And it will be that whoever will go out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever will be with you in the house, yhis blood will be on our head if any hand is laid on him.
20 “And if you tell this our business, then we will be free from your oath that you have made us swear.”
21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
22 ¶ So they went and came to the mountain. And they remained there three days until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but did not find them.
23 So the two men returned and descended from the mountain. And they passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun. And they told him all things that happened to them.
24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly zthe LORD has delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country faint because of us.”
Chapter 2: a Nm 25:1 b Js 2:25 c Mt 1:5 d Ja 2:22 e 2 Sm 17:19,20 f Ex 1:17 g Dt 1:8 h Dt 2:25; 11:25 i Ja 5:1 j Ex 14:21 k Nm 21:21-35 l Ja 6:21 m Ex 15:14,15 n Ja 5:1; 7:5 o Dt 4:29 p 1 Sm 20:14,15,17 q 1 Tm 5:8 r Ja 2:18 s Ja 6:23-25 t Jg 1:24 u At 9:25 v Ex 20:7 w Ja 2:12 x Ja 6:23 y 1 Kg 2:32 z Ex 23:31
1 ¶ Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they moved from aShittim and came to the Jordan. He and all the children of Israel lodged there before they crossed over.
2 Now it came to pass bafter three days that the officers went throughout the camp.
3 And they commanded the people, saying, c“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the dLevitical priests bearing it, then you will move from your place and follow it.
4 e“However, there will be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near to it so that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, f“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, g“Take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people.” And they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 ¶ Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to hmagnify you in the sight of all Israel so that they may know that ias I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 “And you will command the jpriests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the brink of the water of the Jordan, kyou will stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 ¶ So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
10 Then Joshua said, “By this you will know that the lliving God is among you and that He will certainly mdrive out from before you the nCanaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites.
11 “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the oLORD of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
12 “Now therefore, ptake twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, a man out of every tribe.
13 “And it will come to pass qas soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the rLord of all the earth, will rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off from the waters that come down from above. And they swill stand up in a heap.”
14 ¶ So it came to pass when the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the tark of the covenant before the people,
15 when those who carried the ark came to the Jordan, and the ufeet of the priests who bore the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, (for the vJordan overflows all its banks all the days of the harvest,)
16 that the waters that came down from above stood and rose up in one heap a great distance from the city Adam that is beside xZaretan. And those that came down toward ythe sea of the plain, even the zSalt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
17 And the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. aAnd all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people had completely passed over the Jordan.
Chapter 3: a Ja 2:1 b Ja 1:10,11 c Nm 10:33 d Dt 31:9,25 e Ex 19:12 f Ja 7:13 g Nm 4:15 h Ja 4:14 i Ja 1:5,9 j Ja 3:3 k Ja 3:17 l 1 Th 1:9 m Ex 33:2 n At 13:19 o Zc 4:14; 6:5 p Ja 4:2,4 q Ja 3:15,16 r Ja 3:11 s Ps 78:13; 114:3 t At 7:44,45 u Ja 3:13 v 1 Ch 12:15 w Ja 4:18; 5:10-12 x 1 Kg 4:12; 7:46 y Dt 3:17 z Gn 14:3 a Ex 3:8; 6:1-8; 14:21,22,29; 33:1
1 ¶ Now when all the nation had finished passing aover the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 b“Take twelve men out of the people, one man from each tribe,
3 “and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the cpriests’ feet stood firm. And you will carry them over with you and leave them in the dlodging place where you will lodge this night.’”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe.
5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.
6 “Let this be a esign among you so that fwhen your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’
7 “then you will answer them, ‘Because the gwaters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ And these stones will be for a hmemorial to the children of Israel forever.”
8 ¶ So the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded. And they took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests stood who bore the ark of the covenant. And they are there to this day.
10 ¶ For the priests who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and passed over.
11 Now it came to pass when all the people had finished passing over, the iark of the LORD and the priests passed over in the presence of the people.
12 And the jchildren of Reuben and the children of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel as Moses had spoken to them.
13 About 40,000 prepared for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 On that day the LORD kmagnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel. And they feared him all the days of his life as they feared Moses.
15 ¶ And the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
16 “Command the priests who bore the lark of the testimony that they come up out of the Jordan.”
17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 Now it came to pass when the priests who bore the lark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the middle of the Jordan, when the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and mflowed over all its banks as they did before.
19 ¶ And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped in nGilgal, on the eastern edge of Jericho.
20 And Joshua set up in Gilgal those otwelve stones that they took out of the Jordan.
21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, p“When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What mean these stones?’
22 “Then you will let your children know, saying, q‘Israel came over this Jordan on rdry land.’
23 “For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you until you had passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which sHe dried up from before us until we had gone over.
24 t“He did this in order that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is umighty, so that you might vfear the LORD your God forever.”
Chapter 4: a Dt 27:2 b Ja 3:12 c Ja 3:13 d Ja 4:19,20 e Dt 27:2 f Dt 6:20 g Ja 3:13,16 h Nm 16:40 i Ja 3:11; 6:11 j Nm 32:17,20,27,28 k Ja 3:7 l Ex 25:16,22 m Ja 3:15 n Ja 5:9 o Ja 4:3; 5:9,10 p Ja 4:6 q Dt 26:5-9 r Ja 3:17 s Ex 14:21 t 1 Kg 8:42 u 1 Ch 29:12 v Jr 10:7
1 ¶ Now it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites awho were by the sea, bheard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had passed over, that ctheir hearts melted. Neither was there any more spirit in them because of the children of Israel.
2 ¶ At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make for yourselves dsharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.”
3 So Joshua made for himself sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at Gibeath Haaraloth.
4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: eall the people who came out of Egypt who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way after they came out of Egypt.
5 Now all the people who came out were circumcised. But all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
6 For the children of Israel walked fforty years in the wilderness, until all the people who were men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that gHe would not show them the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, a hland that flowed with milk and honey.
7 And itheir children whom He raised up in their place, them Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them along the way.
8 Now it came to pass when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.
9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the kreproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore, the name of the place is called lGilgal to this day.
10 ¶ So the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the mfourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.
11 And they ate of the old grain of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on the same day.
12 And the nmanna ceased on the day after they had eaten of the old grain of the land. There was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
13 ¶ Now it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there ostood a man opposite him pwith his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”
14 And he said, “No, but as captain of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua qfell on his face to the earth and rworshiped. And he said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
15 And the captain of the LORD’S army said to Joshua, s“Loose your sandal from off your foot, for the place on which you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Chapter 5: a Nm 13:29 b Ex 15:14,15 c Ja 2:10,11; 9:9 d Ex 4:25 e Dt 2:14-16 f Nm 14:33 g Hb 3:11 h Ex 3:8 i Dt 1:39 j Gn 34:25 k Gn 34:14 l Ja 4:19 m Ex 12:6 n Ex 16:35 o Gn 18:1,2; 32:24,30 p Nm 22:23 q Gn 17:3 r Ex 34:8 s Ex 3:5
1 ¶ Now aJericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, bI have given Jericho into your hand, and its cking and the valiant warriors.”
3 “And you will circle the city, all the men of war, and go around the city once. Thus you will do so for six days.”
4 “Also have seven priests carry dtrumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. And on the seventh day you will circle the city eseven times, and fthe priests will blow with the trumpets.”
5 “Then it will come to pass when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people will shout with a great shout. And the wall of the city will fall down flat and the people will ascend up every man straight ahead.”
6 ¶ So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.”
7 And he said to the people, “Go forward and circle the city. And let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD.”
8 ¶ Now it came to pass when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD and blew with the trumpets. And the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9 Then the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the grear guard came after the ark, while the priests went on blowing with the trumpets.
10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You will not shout nor make any noise with your voice. Neither will any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you will shout.”
11 So the hark of the LORD circled the city, going around it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night there.
12 ¶ Then Joshua rose early in the morning and ithe priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went forward. And they blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, but the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while the priests continued to blow the trumpets.
14 Then the second day they circled the city once and returned into the camp. They did this for six days.
15 ¶ Then it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early at the dawning of the day and circled the city after the same manner seven times. Only on that day they circled the city seven times.
16 Now it came to pass at the seventh time when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.
17 “And the city will be jconsecrated to the LORD, it and all who are in it. Only kRahab the harlot will live, she and all who are with her in the house, because lshe hid the messengers whom we sent.”
18 “But mkeep yourselves from the consecrated things, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the consecrated things and make the camp of Israel a curse and ntrouble it.”
19 “But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to the LORD. They will come into the treasury of the LORD.”
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the owall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in. And they took the city.
21 Then they putterly destroyed with the edge of the sword all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey.
22 ¶ But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring out here the woman and all that she has, as qyou swore to her.”
23 And the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and rher father and her mother and her brothers and all that she had. And they brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the city with fire and all that was in it. Only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 So Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive and her father’s household and all that she had. And sshe dwells in Israel even to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 ¶ Then Joshua pronounced an oath at that time, saying, t“Cursed is the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho. He will lay the foundation of it with the loss of his firstborn, and with the loss of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was spread throughout all the country.
Chapter 6: a Ja 2:1 b Ja 2:9,24; 8:1 c Dt 7:24 d Lv 25:9 e 1 Kg 18:43 f Nm 10:8 g Nm 10:25 h Ja 4:11 i Dt 31:25 j Dt 13:17 k Mt 1:5 l Ja 2:4,6 m Dt 7:26 n Ja 7:1,12,25 o Hb 11:30 p Dt 7:2; 20:16,17 q Ja 2:12-19 r Ja 2:13 s Mt 1:5 t 1 Kg 16:34
1 ¶ But the Israelites a acted unfaithfully in regard to the b consecrated things, for c Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the consecrated things. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel. And he said to them, “Go up and view the country.” And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai. Do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.”
4 So there went up from the people about three thousand men. d And they fled before the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai smote about thirty-six of their men. They chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them down on the slopes. So the e hearts of the people melted and became as water.
6 ¶ Then Joshua f tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening. He and the elders of Israel g put dust on their heads.
7 Then Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, h why did You even bring this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites in order to destroy us? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan!
8 “O Lord, what will I say when Israel turns their backs before their enemies?
9 “For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and i cut off our name from the earth. And j what will You do to Your great name?”
10 ¶ And the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face?
11 “Israel has sinned. And they have also transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, k for they have taken of the consecrated things and have also stolen and l deceived. And they have put it even among their own things.
12 m “Therefore, the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies because n they were accursed. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy whatever among you is consecrated to destruction.
13 “Rise up! o Sanctify the people and say, p ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, for thus says the LORD God of Israel, “There is a consecrated thing in the midst of you, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the consecrated thing from among you.”’
14 ‘In the morning therefore you will be brought according to your tribes. And it will be that the tribe that the q LORD takes will come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD takes will come forward by households. And the family that the LORD takes will come forward man by man.
15 r ‘And it will be that he who is taken with the consecrated things will be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has s transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he t has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 ¶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes. And the tribe of Judah was taken.
17 Then he brought the family of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites. And he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man. And Zabdi was taken.
18 Then he brought his household man by man. And Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, u was taken.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beseech you, v give glory to the LORD God of Israel and w make confession to Him, and x tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”
20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed y I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:
21 “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them. And behold, they are hid in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver under it.”
22 ¶ So Joshua sent messengers and they ran to the tent. And behold, it was hid in his tent and the silver under it.
23 Then they took them out of the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel. And they laid them out before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his donkeys and his sheep, and his tent and z all that he had, and they brought them to the a valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, b “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” And c all Israel stoned him with stones. And they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they d raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the e LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that place has been called to this day, The f Valley of Achor.
Chapter 7: a Ja 7:20,21 b Ja 6:17-19 c Ja 22:20 d Lv 26:17 e Lv 26:36 f Gn 37:29,34 g 1 Sm 4:12 h Ex 17:3 i Dt 32:26 j Ex 32:12 k Ja 6:17-19 l At 5:1,2 m Jg 2:14 n Hg 2:13,14 o Ex 19:10 p Ja 3:5 q Pv 16:33 r 1 Sm 14:38,39 s Ja 7:11 t Gn 34:7 u 1 Sm 14:42 v Jr 13:16 w Nm 5:6,7 x 1 Sm 14:43 y Nm 22:34 z Nm 16:32,33 a Ja 7:26; 15:7 b Ja 6:18 c Dt 17:5 d 2 Sm 18:17 e Dt 13:17 f Is 65:10
1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Joshua, a “Do not fear nor be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. See, b I have given into your hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land.
2 “And you will do to Ai and her king as you did to c Jericho and her king. Only its spoil and its cattle you will take for a d spoil for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”
3 ¶ So Joshua arose and all the people of war to go up against Ai. And Joshua chose out 30,000 mighty men of valour and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, e “Behold, you will set an ambush behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
5 “And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And it will come to pass when they come out against us as at the first, that f we will flee before them.
6 “For they will come out after us until we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They flee before us as at the first.’ So we will flee before them.
7 “Then you will rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 “And it will be when you have taken the city that you will set the city on fire. You will do this according to the commandment of the LORD. g See, I have commanded you.”
9 ¶ Joshua therefore sent them off. And they went to lie in ambush and remain between Bethel and Ai on the west side of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people. And he went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
11 h Then all the people of war who were with him, went up and drew near. And they came before the city and pitched on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between them and Ai.
12 And he took about 5,000 men and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
13 Now when they had set the people, even all the army that was on the north of the city, and the ambush in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the middle of the valley.
14 ¶ Now it came to pass when the king of Ai saw it, that they hurried and rose up early. And the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people at the appointed place before the Arabah. But i he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
15 So Joshua and all Israel j made as if they were beaten before them. And they fled by the way of the wilderness.
16 Now all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue after them. And they pursued after Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 Now there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that did not go out after Israel. And they left the city open and pursued after Israel.
18 ¶ Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.
19 And the ambush rose quickly out of their place and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand. And they entered into the city and took it. Then they quickly set the city on fire.
20 When the men of Ai looked behind them, behold, they saw the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no place to flee this way or that way. Then the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers.
21 Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again and slew the men of Ai.
22 And the others came out of the city against them, so they were in the middle of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they smote them so that they k let none of them remain or escape.
23 But the king of Ai they took alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 ¶ Now it came to pass when Israel had finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness where they chased them, and when they had all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai. And they smote it with the edge of the sword.
25 And so it was that all who fell that day, both of men and women, were 12,000, even all the men of Ai.
26 For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had l utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27 m Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which n He commanded Joshua.
28 And Joshua burned Ai and made it a o heap forever, even a desolation to this day.
29 p And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. q And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city and r raise on it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.
30 ¶ Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel on s Mount Ebal,
31 as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an t altar of whole stones on which no man has lifted an iron tool. And u they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.
32 Then v he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers and their judges, stood on both sides of the ark before the priests, the Levites, w who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the x alien as well as he who was born among them. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, y as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, so that they should bless the people of Israel.
34 Then afterward z he read all the words of the law, the a blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the b book of the law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, c with the women and the little ones and the d aliens who were living among them.
a Ja 1:9; 10:8 b Ja 6:2 c Ja 6:21 d Dt 20:14 e Jg 20:29 f Jg 20:32 g 2 Sm 13:28 h Ja 8:5 i Jg 20:34 j Jg 20:36 k Dt 7:2 l Ja 6:21 m Nm 31:22,26 n Ja 8:2 o Dt 13:16 p Ja 10:26 q Dt 21:22,23 r Ja 7:26; 10:27 s Dt 27:4-8 t Ex 20:25 u Ex 20:24 v Dt 27:2,3,8 w Dt 31:9,25 x Dt 31:12 y Dt 11:29; 27:12 z Ne 8:3 a Dt 28:2,15,45; 29:20,21; 30:19 b Ja 1:8 c Dt 31:12 d Ja 8:33
1 ¶ Now it came to pass when aall the kings who were on this side of the Jordan in the hills and in the valleys and on all the coasts of the bGreat Sea over toward Lebanon, the cHittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it,
2 that they dgathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.
3 ¶ And when the inhabitants of eGibeon fheard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 they acted craftily and went and made as if they had been ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, and wine bottles, old and torn and mended,
5 and wornout and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves. And all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.
6 And they went to Joshua gto the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country. Now, therefore, make a covenant with us.”
7 And the men of Israel said to the hHivites, “Perhaps you are living near us. And ihow will we make a covenant with you?”
8 Then they said to Joshua, j“We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And from where have you come?”
9 Then they said to him, k“From a very far country your servants have come because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have lheard the fame of Him and all that He did in Egypt,
10 “and mall that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.
11 “Therefore, our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Now therefore, make a covenant with us.”’
12 “This our bread we took hot for our provisions out of our houses on the day we left to come to you. But now behold, it is dry and it is moldy.
13 “And these bottles of wine that we filled were new. And behold, they are torn. And these our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey.”
14 And the men took of their provisions, and ndid not ask counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
15 So Joshua omade peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live. And the princes of the assembly swore to them.
16 ¶ Now it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors and that they dwelt among them.
17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were pGibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kirjath Jearim.
18 And the children of Israel did not strike them qbecause the princes of the assembly had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the assembly murmured against the princes.
19 So all the princes said to all the assembly, “We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. Now, therefore, we may not touch them.
20 “This we will do to them: we will let them live lest rwrath be on us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”
21 And the princes said to them, “Let them live. But let them be shewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly, as the princes had tpromised them.”
22 ¶ Then Joshua called for them and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, u‘We are very far from you,’ when vyou dwell among us?
23 “Now therefore, you are wcursed and none of you will be freed from being bondmen and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”
24 And they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was certainly told your servants that the LORD your God xcommanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore ywe were greatly afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
25 “And now, behold, we are zin your hands. Do as it seems good and right for you to do to us.”
26 And so he did to them. And he delivered them out of the hands of the children of Israel, and they did not kill them.
27 Then Joshua made them that day ahewers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly, and for the altar of the LORD, even to this day bin the place which He would choose.
Chapter 9: a Ja 3:10 b Nm 34:6 c Ex 3:17; 23:23 d Ps 83:3,5 e Ja 9:17,22; 10:2; 21:17 f Ja 6:27 g Ja 5:10 h Ja 9:1; 11:19 i Ex 23:32 j Dt 20:11 k Dt 20:15 l Ja 2:9,10; 5:1 m Nm 21:24,33 n Nm 27:21 o 2 Sm 21:2 p Ja 18:25 q Ps 15:4 r 2 Sm 21:1,2,6 s Dt 29:11 t Ja 9:15 u Ja 9:6,9 v Ja 9:16 w Gn 9:25 x Dt 7:1,2 y Ex 15:14 z Gn 16:6 a Ja 9:21,23 b Dt 12:5
1 ¶ Now it came to pass when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had a heard how Joshua had taken b Ai and had utterly destroyed it, c as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to d Ai and its king, and e how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,
2 that they f feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai and all its men were mighty.
3 Therefore, Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 “Come up to me and help me so that we may smite Gibeon, for g it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”
5 Therefore, the five kings of the h Amorites — the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon — i gathered themselves together. And they went up, they and all their armies and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
6 ¶ Then the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to j Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”
7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and k all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.
8 And the LORD said to Joshua, l “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand. m Not one of them will n stand before you.”
9 Therefore, Joshua came to them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.
10 And the LORD o confused them before Israel. And they slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes up to p Beth Horon and smote them as far as q Azekah and Makkedah.
11 Now it came to pass as they fled from before Israel and were in the descent to Beth Horon that the r LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them as far as Azekah. And they died. There were more who died with hailstones than those whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12 ¶ Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. And he said in the sight of Israel, s “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, and O moon, over the valley of t Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies. Is not this u written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and delayed going down about a whole day.
14 And there was v no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD hearkened to the voice of a man. For the w LORD fought for Israel.
15 x And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp to Gilgal.
16 ¶ But these five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.”
18 Then Joshua said, “Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave and set men by it in order to keep them.
19 “And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue after your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”
20 Now it came to pass when Joshua and the children of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, that the rest who remained of them entered into fortified cities.
21 And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. y No one uttered a word against any of the children of Israel.
22 ¶ Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring out these five kings to me out of the cave.”
23 And they did so. So they brought forth these five kings to him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 Now it came to pass when they brought out these kings to Joshua that Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” And they came near and z put their feet on their necks.
25 And Joshua said to them, a “Do not fear nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus b the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
26 And afterward Joshua smote them and slew them. And c he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.
27 Now it came to pass at sunset that Joshua commanded and they d took them down off the trees and cast them into the cave in which they had been hid. And they laid great stones in the cave’s mouth that remain unto this very day.
28 ¶ And that day Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword. And he e utterly destroyed its king and all the souls who were in it. He let none remain. And he did to the king of Makkedah f as he did to the king of Jericho.
29 ¶ Then Joshua passed from Makkedah and all Israel with him, to Libnah. And he fought against g Libnah.
30 And the LORD delivered it also, and its king, into the hand of Israel. And he smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls who were in it. He let no one remain in it, but did to its king as he did to the king of Jericho.
31 ¶ Then Joshua passed from Libnah and all Israel with him, to Lachish. And he camped by it and fought against it.
32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. And he took it on the second day and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua smote him and his people until he had left him no survivor.
34 ¶ And from Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon and all Israel with him. And they camped by it and fought against it.
35 And they took it on that day and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all the souls who were in it he utterly destroyed that day according to all that he had done to Lachish.
36 ¶ Then Joshua went up from Eglon and all Israel with him, to h Hebron. And they fought against it.
37 And they took it and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king and all its cities and all the souls who were in it. He left no one to remain according to all that he had done to Eglon. But he utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it.
38 ¶ So Joshua returned to i Debir and all Israel with him. And he fought against it.
39 Now he took it and its king and all its cities. And they smote them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one to remain. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to its king as he had done also to Libnah and to its king.
40 ¶ So Joshua smote all the j country of the hills and of the Negev and of the lowland and the springs and k all their kings. He left no one remaining, but l utterly destroyed all who breathed as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
41 And Joshua smote them from m Kadesh Barnea even to n Gaza, and o all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.
42 And all these kings and their land Joshua took at one time p because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
43 And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp to Gilgal.
Chapter 10: a Ja 9:1 b Ja 8:1 c Ja 6:21 d Ja 8:22,26,28 e Ja 9:15 f Ex 15:14–16 g Ja 9:15; 10:1 h Nm 13:29 i Ja 9:2 j Ja 5:10; 9:6 k Ja 8:1 l Ja 11:6 m Ja 1:5,9 n Ja 21:44 o Is 28:21 p Ja 16:3,5 q Ja 15:35 r Is 30:30 s Hb 3:11 t Jg 12:12 u 2 Sm 1:18 v Is 38:7,8 w Dt 1:30; 20:4 x Ja 10:43 y Ex 11:7 z Ml 4:3 a Dt 31:6–8 b Dt 3:21; 7:19 c Ja 8:29 d Dt 21:22–23 e Dt 7:2,16 f Ja 6:21 g Ja 15:42; 21:13 h Ja 14:13–15; 15:13 i Ja 15:15 j Dt 1:7 k Dt 7:12 l Dt 20:16–17 m Dt 9:23 n Gn 10:19 o Ja 11:16; 15:51 p Ja 10:14
1 ¶ Now it came to pass when Jabin king of Hazor had heard these things that he a sent to Jobab king of Madon and to the king b of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph,
2 and to the kings who were on the north of the mountains and in the Arabah south of c Chinneroth and in the valley and in the borders of d Dor on the west,
3 and to the Canaanites on the east and on the west and to the e Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Jebusites on the mountains and to the f Hivites at the foot of g Hermon in the h land of Mizpeh.
4 And they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people in multitude i as the sand that is on the seashore, with many horses and chariots.
5 And when all these kings met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom in order to fight against Israel.
6 ¶ Then the LORD said to Joshua, j “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You will k hock their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”
7 So Joshua came suddenly, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom. And they fell on them.
8 And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them and chased them to Great l Sidon and to m Misrephoth Maim and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward. And they smote them until they left none of them remaining.
9 Then Joshua did to them as the LORD told him. He hocked their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
10 ¶ And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor, and he smote its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.
11 And they smote all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, n utterly destroying them. There was not any left to o breathe. And he burned Hazor with fire.
12 And all the cities of these kings and all their kings Joshua took and smote them with the edge of the sword. So he utterly destroyed them p as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.
13 But Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
14 And all the q spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took for their plunder. But every man they smote with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them. They left no one who breathed.
15 r As the LORD commanded s Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and t so did Joshua. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
16 ¶ So Joshua took all that land, the u hills and all the south country and all the v land of Goshen and the valley and the plain and the hill country of Israel and its valley,
17 w even from Mount Halak that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He took x all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
18 Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.
19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the y Hivites living in Gibeon. All others they took in battle.
20 For z it was of the LORD to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, so that He might utterly destroy them and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them a as the LORD commanded Moses.
21 ¶ And at that time Joshua came and cut off the b Anakims from the hill country—from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.
22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in c Gaza, in Gath, and in d Ashdod some remained.
23 So Joshua took the whole land e according to all that the LORD said to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel f according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land g rested from war.
Chapter 11 References: a Ja 10:3; b Ja 19:15; c Nm 34:11; d Ja 17:11; e Ja 9:1; f Jg 3:3,5; g Ja 11:17; 13:5,11; h Gn 31:49; i Jg 7:12; j Ja 10:8; k 2 Sm 8:4; l Gn 49:13; m Ja 13:6; n Dt 20:16; o Ja 10:40; p Nm 33:50-56; q Dt 20:14-18; r Ex 34:10-17; s Dt 31:7-8; t Ja 1:7; u Ja 12:8; v Ja 10:40-41; w Ja 12:7; x Dt 7:24; y Ja 9:3-7; z Dt 2:30; a Dt 20:16-17; b Nm 13:22,33; c 1 Sm 17:4; d Ja 15:46; e Nm 34:2-15; f Nm 26:53; g Dt 12:9-10; 25:19.
1 ¶ Now these are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, a from the River Arnon to b Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah on the east:
2 c Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the River Arnon, and from the middle of the river, even to the brook Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon. This included half of Gilead.
3 He also ruled from the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth d on the east, and to the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward toward e Beth Jeshimoth, and on the south, below the f slopes of Pisgah;
4 and the territory of g Og king of Bashan, who was of the h remnant of the giants, i who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei.
5 And he reigned over j Mount Hermon and in k Salecah and in all Bashan, l to the border of the Geshurites and the Maachasites, and half of Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 m Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel defeated them. And n Moses the servant of the LORD gave it as a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
7 And these are the kings of the country o that Joshua and the children of Israel defeated on this side of the Jordan on the west, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon even to Mount Halak that goes up to p Seir, which Joshua q gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions,
8 r in the hill country and in the valleys and in the plains and in the springs and in the wilderness and in the Negev; the s Hittites, the Amorites and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites:
9 t the king of Jericho, one; the u king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
10 v the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
12 the king of Eglon, one; the w king of Gezer, one;
13 x the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
15 y the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
16 z the king of Makkedah, one; a the king of Bethel, one;
17 the king of Tappuah, one; b the king of Hepher, one;
18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;
19 the king of Madon, one; c the king of Hazor, one;
20 the king of d Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;
22 e the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;
23 the king of Dor in the f heights of Dor, one; the king of the g people of Gilgal, one;
24 the king of Tirzah, one: h thirty-one kings in all.
Chapter 12 References: a Nm 21:24; b Dt 3:8; c Dt 2:24–27; d Dt 3:17; e Ja 13:20; f Dt 3:17; 4:49; g Nm 21:33; h Dt 3:11; i Dt 1:4; j Dt 3:8; k Dt 3:10; l Dt 3:14; m Nm 21:24,35; n Nm 32:29–33; o Ja 11:17; p Gn 14:6; 32:3; q Ja 11:23; r Ja 10:40; 11:16; s Ex 3:8; 23:23; t Ja 6:2; u Ja 8:29; v Ja 10:23; w Ja 10:33; x Ja 10:38,39; y Ja 10:29,30; z Ja 10:28; a Jg 1:22; b 1 Kg 4:10; c Ja 11:10; d Ja 11:1; 19:15; e Ja 19:37; 20:7; 21:32; f Ja 11:2; g Is 9:1; h Dt 7:24.
1 ¶ Now Joshua a was old and stricken in years. And the LORD said to him, “You are old and stricken in years and yet much land remains to be possessed.
2 b“This is the land that yet remains: c all the regions of the Philistines and all d Geshuri,
3 e“from Sihor, which is east of Egypt, even to the territory of Ekron northward that is counted as Canaanite territory: f five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites and the Ekronites, also the g Avites;
4 “from the south, all the land of the Canaanites and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians h to Aphek, to the territory of the i Amorites;
5 “and the land of the j Giblites and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, k from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 “All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to l Misrephoth Maim, and all the Sidonians, m I will drive them out from before the children of Israel: only n allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you.
7 “Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
8 ¶ With the other half-tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites, they received their inheritance o that Moses gave them p beyond the Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;
9 from Aroer, that is on the bank of the Arnon valley, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and q all the plain of Medeba to Dibon;
10 r and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;
11 and s Gilead, and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon and all Bashan to Salcah;
12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the t remnant of the giants; u for Moses defeated these and cast them out.
13 Nevertheless, the children of Israel v did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So the Geshurites and the Maacathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.
14 w Only to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance. The sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, x as He said to them.
15 ¶ y And Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben an inheritance according to their families.
16 And their territory was z from Aroer that is on the bank of the valley of Arnon, and the a city that is in the middle of the valley and all the b plain by Medeba;
17 c Heshbon and all her cities that are in the plain; Dibon and Bamoth Baal and Beth Baal Meon,
18 and d Jahaza and Kedemoth and Mephaath,
19 and e Kirjathaim and f Sibmah and Zareth Shahar in the hill of the valley,
20 and Beth Peor and the g slopes of Pisgah and Beth Jeshimoth,
21 h and all the cities of the plain and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, i whom Moses smote j with the princes of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, who were princes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.
22 Also k Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, the children of Israel slew with the sword among those who were slain by them.
23 And the border of the children of Reuben was the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and their villages.
24 ¶ l And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, even to the children of Gad according to their families.
25 m And their territory was Jazer and all the cities of Gilead and n half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is before o Rabbah;
26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,
27 and in the valley, p Bet Haram and Beth Nimrah and q Succoth and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan as a border, even to the edge of the r Sea of Chinnereth on the other side of the Jordan eastward.
28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities and their villages.
29 ¶ s And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half-tribe of the children of Manasseh by their families.
30 And their territory was from Mahanaim, all of Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and t all the towns of Jair, that are in Bashan, sixty cities;
31 also half of Gilead, and u Ashtaroth and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were for the v children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to half of the children of Machir by their families.
32 These are the countries that Moses distributed for an inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho, eastward.
33 w But to the tribe of Levi Moses did not give any inheritance. The LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, x as he said to them.
Chapter 13: a Ja 14:10; 23:1,2 b Jg 3:1-3 c Jl 3:4 d 2 Sm 3:3 e Jr 2:18 f Jg 3:3 g Dt 2:23 h Ja 12:18; 19:30 i Jg 1:34 j 1 Kg 5:18; Ez 27:9 k Ja 12:7 l Ja 11:8 m Ja 23:13 n Ja 14:1,2 o Nm 32:33 p Ja 12:1-6 q Nm 21:30 r Nm 21:24,25 s Ja 12:5 t Dt 3:11 u Nm 21:24,34,35 v Ja 13:11 w Ja 14:3,4 x Ja 13:33 y Nm 34:14 z Ja 12:2 a Nm 21:28 b Nm 21:30 c Nm 21:28,30 d Nm 21:23 e Nm 32:37 f Nm 32:38 g Dt 3:17 h Dt 3:10 i Nm 21:24 j Nm 31:8 k Nm 22:5; 31:8 l Nm 34:14 m Nm 32:1,35 n Jg 11:13,15 o Dt 3:11 p Nm 32:36 q Gn 33:17 r Nm 34:11 s Nm 34:14 t Nm 32:41 u Ja 9:10; 12:4; 13:12 v Nm 32:39,40 w Ja 13:14; 18:7 x Nm 18:20
1 ¶ And these are the countries that the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, a which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel distributed for an inheritance to them.
2 b By lot their inheritance was assigned, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes and for the half-tribe.
3 c For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and the half-tribe on the other side of the Jordan. But to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
4 For the d children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. Therefore, they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except e cities in which to dwell with their pasture lands for their cattle and for their property.
5 f As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did. And they divided the land.
6 ¶ Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the g Kenezite said to him, “You know h the word that the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning me and i you in Kadesh Barnea.
7 “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD j sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. And I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
8 “Nevertheless, k my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt. But I wholly l followed the LORD my God.
9 “And Moses swore on that day, saying, m ‘Surely the land on n which your feet have trodden will be your inheritance, and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10 “And now, behold, the LORD has kept me o alive, p as He said, these forty-five years, even since the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.
11 q “I am still as strong this day as I was in the day when Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both r to go out and to come in.
12 “Now therefore give me this mountain about which the LORD spoke in that day. For you heard in that day how the s Anakims were there and that the cities were great and walled. t If the LORD will be with me, u then I will be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”
13 ¶ And Joshua v blessed him and w gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
14 x Hebron, therefore, became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite to this day, because he y wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
15 And the z name of Hebron before was Kirjath Arba, which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. a And the land had rest from war.
a Nm 34:16–29 b Nm 26:55; 33:54; 34:13 c Ja 13:8,32,33 d 2 Ch 30:1 e Nm 35:2–8 f Ja 21:2 g Nm 32:11,12 h Nm 14:24,30 i Nm 13:26 j Nm 13:6,17; 14:6 k Nm 13:31,32 l Nm 14:24 m Nm 14:23,24 n Dt 1:36 o Nm 14:24,30,38 p Ja 5:6 q Dt 34:7 r Dt 31:2 s Nm 13:28,33 t Rm 8:31 u Ja 15:14 v Ja 22:6 w Ja 10:37; 15:13 x Ja 21:12 y Ja 14:8,9 z Gn 23:2 a Ja 11:23
1 ¶ Now the allotment for the tribe of the children of Judah by their families extended to the a border of Edom, southward to the b wilderness of Zin at the extreme south.
2 And their c south border was from the shore of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looks southward.
3 And it went out to the south side to the d ascent of Acrabbim and passed along to Zin, and ascended on the south side to Kadesh Barnea and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Addar, and turned around to Karka.
4 From there it passed e toward Azmon and went out to the river of Egypt, and the border ended at the sea. This will be your south border.
5 And the east border was the Salt Sea, even to the end of the Jordan. And their f border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.
6 And the border went up to g Beth Hoglah and passed along by the north of Beth Arabah. And the border went up to h the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
7 And the border went up toward i Debir from the j valley of Achor, and turned northward, looking toward Gilgal that is before the ascent to Adummim that is on the south side of the valley. And the border continued toward the waters of En Shemesh and came out at k En Rogel.
8 Then the border went up l by the valley of Ben Hinnom to the south side of the m Jebusite city that is Jerusalem. And the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward that is at the end of the valley of the n giants northward.
9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill to the o fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and came out to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the border was drawn to p Baalah, which is q Kirjath Jearim.
10 Then the border curved westward from Baalah to Mount Seir and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side. And it went down to Beth Shemesh and passed on to r Timnah.
11 Then the border went out to the side of s Ekron northward. And the border was drawn to Shikkeron and passed along to Mount Baalah, and proceeded to Jabneel. The boundary ended at the sea.
12 And the t west border was to the Great Sea and its coast. This is the border around the children of Judah according to their families.
13 ¶ u And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of v Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of w Arba the father of Anak, that is Hebron.
14 And Caleb drove from x there the three sons of Anak, y Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.
15 And z he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir. And the name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.
16 ¶ a And Caleb said, “He who smites Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as a wife.”
17 And b Othniel the c son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it. So he gave him d Achsah his daughter as a wife.
18 e Now it came to pass as she came to him that she moved him to ask of her father a field. And f she dismounted from her donkey and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
19 She answered, “Give me a g blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
20 ¶ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.
21 And the southernmost cities of the tribe of Judah toward the border of Edom southward were Kabzeel, h Eder and Jagur,
22 and Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah,
23 and Kedesh and Hazor and Ithnan,
24 i Ziph and Telem and Bealoth,
25 and Hazor, Hadattah and Kerioth and Hezron, which is Hazor,
26 Amam and Shema and Moladah,
27 and Hazar Gaddah and Heshmon and Beth Palet,
28 and Hazar Shual and j Beersheba and Bizjothjah,
29 Baalah and Iim and Azem,
30 and Eltolad and Chesil and k Hormah,
31 and l Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah,
32 and Lebaoth and Shilhim and Ain and m Rimmon. All the cities are twenty-nine with their villages.
33 ¶ And in the valley are n Eshtaol and Zoreah and Ashnah,
34 and Zanoah and En Gannim, Tappuah and Enam,
35 Jarmuth and o Adullam, Socoh and Azekah,
36 and Sharaim and Adithaim and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages.
37 Zenan and Hadashah and Migdalgad,
38 and Dilean and Mizpeh and p Joktheel,
39 q Lachish and Bozkath and r Eglon,
40 and Cabbon and Lahmam and Kithlish,
41 and Gederoth, Beth Dagon and Naamah and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages.
42 s Libnah and Ether and Ashan,
43 and Jiphtah and Ashnah and Nezib,
44 and Keilah and Achzib and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.
45 Ekron, with its towns and its villages;
46 from Ekron even to the sea, all that lay near t Ashdod, with their villages;
47 Ashdod with its towns and its villages, Gaza with its towns and its villages, to the u river of Egypt and the v Great Sea and its border.
48 ¶ And in the mountains, Shamir and Jattir and Socoh,
49 and Dannah and Kirjath Sannah, which is Debir,
50 and Anab and Eshtemoh and Anim,
51 and w Goshen and Holon and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.
52 Arab and Dumah and Eshean,
53 and Janum and Beth Tappuah and Aphekah,
54 and Humtah and x Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
55 y Maon, Carmel and Ziph and Juttah,
56 and Jezreel and Jokdeam and Zanoah,
57 Cain, Gibeah and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur and Gedor,
59 and Maarath and Beth Anoth and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.
60 z Kirjath Baal, which is Kirjath Jearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.
61 ¶ In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin and Secacah,
62 and Nibshan, and the city of Salt and a Engedi; six cities with their villages.
63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the b children of Judah could not drive them out. But the c Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
a Nm 34:3 b Nm 33:36 c Nm 34:3-4 d Nm 34:4 e Nm 34:5 f Ja 18:15-19 g Ja 18:18,21 h Ja 19:17 i Ja 13:26 j Ja 7:26 k 2 Sm 17:17 l Ja 18:16 m Jg 1:21 n Ja 18:16 o Ja 18:15 p 1 Ch 13:6 q Jg 18:12 r Gn 38:13 s Ja 19:43 t Nm 34:6-7 u Ja 14:13 v Nm 13:6 w Ja 14:15 x Jg 1:10 y Nm 13:22 z Jg 1:11 a Jg 1:12 b Jg 1:13 c Nm 32:12 d Jg 1:12 e Jg 1:14 f Gn 24:64 g Gn 33:11 h Gn 35:21 i 1 Sm 23:14 j Gn 21:31 k Ja 19:4 l 1 Sm 27:6 m Jg 20:45 n Jg 13:25 o 1 Sm 22:1 p 2 Kg 14:7 q 2 Kg 14:19 r Ja 10:3 s Ja 21:13 t Ja 11:22 u Ja 15:4 v Nm 34:6 w Ja 10:41 x Ja 14:15 y 1 Sm 23:24 z Ja 18:14 a 1 Sm 23:29 b 2 Sm 5:6 c Jg 1:21
1 ¶ Now the allotment for the children of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east to the a wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout Mount Bethel.
2 It goes out from b Bethel to Luz and passes along to the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
3 and goes down westward to the territory of Japhleti c to the territory of lower Beth Horon and to d Gezer, ending at the sea.
4 e So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
5 ¶ f And the territory of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was g Ataroth Addar h to upper Beth Horon.
6 And the border went out toward the sea to i Michmethah on the north side. And the border turned about eastward to Taanath Shiloh and passed by it on the east to Janohah.
7 And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and to Naarath, and came to Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
8 The border went out from j Tappuah westward to the k River Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
9 l And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
10 m And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer. But the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and serve under tribute.
a Ja 8:15; 18:12 b Ja 18:13 c 2 Ch 8:5 d 1 Kg 9:15 e Ja 17:14 f Jg 1:29 g Ja 18:13 h 2 Ch 8:5 i Ja 17:7 j Ja 17:8 k Ja 17:9 l Ja 17:9 m Jg 1:29
1 ¶ Also an allotment for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the a firstborn of Joseph, that is, for b Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead. He had received c Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers.
2 There was also an allotment for the d rest of the children of Manasseh by their families, for the e children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the f children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the g children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida. These were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.
3 ¶ But h Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. And these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
4 And they went before i Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the princes, saying, j “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.” Therefore, according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.
5 And there fell ten portions to k Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan that were on the other side of the Jordan,
6 because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. And the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.
7 ¶ And the territory of Manasseh was from Asher to l Michmethah that lies before Shechem. And the border went along on the right hand to the inhabitants of En Tappuah.
8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but m Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.
9 And the border went down to the River Kanah, southward of the river. n These cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh was also on the north side of the river and ended at the sea.
10 On the south the land belonged to Ephraim and on the north to Manasseh. And the territory of Manasseh reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.
11 And in Issachar and in Asher, o Manasseh had p Beth Shean and its towns and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, even three countries.
12 Yet the q children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
13 Yet it came to pass when the children of Israel became strong that they put the Canaanites to r forced labor. But they did not utterly drive them out.
14 ¶ s And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but t one allotment and one portion for an inheritance, seeing I am a u numerous people, whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”
15 And Joshua answered them, “If you are a numerous people, then go up to the wood country and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.”
16 And the children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. And all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have v chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the w valley of Jezreel.”
17 Then Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You will not have only one lot.
18 “But the mountain will be yours because it is a forest, and you will cut it down. And to its farthest borders it will be yours, for you will drive out the Canaanites, x though they have iron chariots and though they are strong.”
a Gn 41:51; 46:20; 48:18 b Gn 50:23 c Dt 3:15 d Nm 26:29-33 e 1 Ch 7:18 f Nm 26:31 g Nm 26:32 h Nm 26:33; 27:1; 36:2 i Ja 14:1 j Nm 27:2-11 k Ja 22:7 l Ja 16:6 m Ja 16:8 n Ja 16:9 o 1 Ch 7:29 p 1 Kg 4:12 q Jg 1:19,27,28 r Ja 16:10 s Ja 16:4 t Gn 48:22 u Gn 48:19 v Jg 1:19; 4:3 w 1 Kg 4:12 x Dt 20:1
1 ¶ Then the whole assembly of the children of Israel assembled together at a Shiloh and b set up the tabernacle of the assembly there. And the land was subdued before them.
2 And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.
3 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, c “How long will you wait to go to possess the land that the LORD God of your fathers has given you?”
4 “Appoint from among you three men for each tribe. And I will send them, and they will rise and go through the land and describe it according to their inheritance. And they will come again to me.
5 “And they will divide it into seven parts. d Judah will remain in his territory on the south and the e house of Joseph will remain in his territory on the north.
6 “You will therefore describe the land in seven parts, and bring the description here to me f so that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
7 g “But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. And h Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.”
8 ¶ So the men arose and went away. And Joshua charged them who went to describe the land, saying, “Go and walk i throughout the land and describe it. And come again to me so that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.”
9 So the men went and passed through the land and described it by cities in seven parts on a scroll. And they came again to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
10 Then Joshua cast j lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there k Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
11 ¶ l And the allotment for the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 m And their border on the north side was from the Jordan. And the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side and went up through the mountains westward, and it ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
13 And the border went over from there toward Luz southward, to the side of Luz, n that is Bethel. And the border went down to Ataroth Addar, near the hill that lies on the south side of o lower Beth Horon.
14 And the border was drawn from there, and turned round the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lies before Beth Horon southward. And it ended at p Kirjath Baal, which is Kirjath Jearim, a city of the children of Judah. This was the west side.
15 And the south side was from the end of Kirjath Jearim. And the border went out on the west and went out to the q well of waters of Nephtoah.
16 Then the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before the r valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of the giants on the north. And it went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusite on the south, and went down to s En Rogel.
17 And it was drawn from the north and went forth to En Shemesh. And it went forth toward Geliloth that is opposite the ascent of Adummim. And it descended to the t stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
18 Then it passed along toward the side in front of the Arabah northward and went down to Arabah.
19 And the border passed along to the side of Beth Hoglah northward. And it came out at the northern bay of the u Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the south border.
20 And the Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to their families and according to its borders all around.
21 ¶ Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho and Beth Hoglah and the valley of Keziz.
22 And Beth Arabah and Zemaraim and Bethel
23 and Avim and Parah and Ophrah
24 and Chephar Ammonai and Ophni and Gaba, twelve cities with their villages.
25 v Gibeon and w Ramah and Beeroth
26 and Mizpeh and Chephirah and Mozah
27 and Rekem and Irpeel and Taralah
28 and Zelah, Eleph and x Jebus (that is Jerusalem) Gibeath and Kirjath, fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
a Jr 7:12 b Jg 18:31 c Jg 18:9 d Ja 15:1 e Ja 16:1–17:18 f Ja 14:2; 18:10 g Ja 13:33 h Ja 13:8 i Gn 13:17 j At 13:19 k Nm 34:16-29 l Jg 1:21 m Ja 16:1 n Gn 28:19 o Ja 16:3 p Ja 15:9 q Ja 15:9 r Ja 15:8 s Ja 15:7 t Ja 15:6 u Ja 15:2,5 v 1 Kg 3:4,5 w Jr 31:15 x Ja 15:8,63
1 ¶ And the a second lot fell to Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. b And their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.
2 c And they had in their inheritance Beersheba and Sheba and Moladah
3 and Hazar Shual and Balah and Azem
4 and Eltolad and Bethul and Hormah
5 and Ziklag and Beth Marcaboth and Hazar Susah
6 and Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen, thirteen cities and their villages,
7 Ain, Remmon and Ether and Ashan, four cities and their villages.
8 And all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath Beer, d Ramath of the Negev. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.
9 Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the e children of Simeon, because the share for the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore, the children of Simeon had their inheritance within their inheritance.
10 ¶ And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families. And the border of their inheritance was to Sarid.
11 f And their border went up toward the sea and Maralah and touched Dabbasheth. And it reached to the river that is g before Jokneam.
12 And it turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising to the border of Chisloth Tabor, and then went out to h Daberath and up to Japhia.
13 And from there it continued on along on the east to i Gittah Hepher, to Ittah Kazin, and it proceeded to Rimmon which stretches to Neah.
14 And the border circled around it on the north side to Hannathon. And it ended at the valley of Jiphthahel.
15 Included were Kattath and Nahallal and Shimron and Idalah and Bethlehem, twelve cities with their villages.
16 This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
17 And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families.
18 And their border was toward Jezreel and Chesulloth and Shunem
19 and Haphraim and Shihon and Anaharath
20 and Rabbith and Kishion and Abez
21 and Remeth and Engannim and Enhaddah and Beth Pazzez.
22 And the border reached to Tabor and Shahazimah and j Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan, sixteen cities with their villages.
23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.
24 ¶ k And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.
25 And their border was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph
26 and Alammelech and Amad and Misheal. And it reached to l Carmel westward and to Shihor Libnath.
27 And it turned east to Beth Dagon and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Beth Emek and Neiel, and went out to m Cabul on the left hand,
28 and Hebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, n even to great Sidon.
29 And the border turned to Ramah and to the strong city of Tyre. And the border turned to Hosah, and it ended at the sea by the region of o Achzib.
30 Including also were Ummah and Aphek and Rehob, twenty-two cities with their villages.
31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
32 ¶ p The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
33 And their border was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim and Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, to Lakum, and it ended at the Jordan.
34 q And then the border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor and went out from there to Hukkok and reached to Zebulun on the south side. And it reached to Asher on the west side and to Judah at the Jordan toward the east.
35 And the fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer and Hammath, Rakkath and Chinnereth
36 and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor
37 and r Kedesh and Edrei and Enhazor
38 and Iron and Migdalel, Horem and Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh, nineteen cities with their villages.
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.
40 ¶ And s the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
41 And the border of their inheritance was Zorah and t Eshtaol and Ir Shemesh
42 and u Shaalabbin and v Ajalon and Jethlah
43 and Elon and Thimnah and w Ekron
44 and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath
45 and Jehud and Bene Berak and Gath Rimmon
46 and Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.
47 And the x territory of the sons of Dan went beyond them. Therefore, the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it. And they smote it with the edge of the sword and possessed it and dwelt in it. And they called Leshem, y Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.
49 ¶ When they had finished the dividing the land for inheritance by their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them.
50 According to the word of the LORD, they gave him the city which he asked, even z Timnath a Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built the city and dwelt in it.
51 b These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in c Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the assembly. So they finished the dividing the country.
a Jg 1:3 b Ja 19:9 c 1 Ch 4:28 d 1 Sm 30:27 e Ja 19:1 f Gn 49:13 g Ja 12:22 h 1 Ch 6:72 i 2 Kg 14:25 j Ja 15:10 k Jg 1:31,32 l Jr 46:18 m 1 Kg 9:13 n Jg 1:31 o Jg 1:31 p Jg 1:33 q Dt 33:23 r Ja 20:7 s Jg 1:34-36 t Ja 15:33 u Jg 1:35 v Ja 10:12; 21:24 w Jg 1:18 x Jg 18 y Jg 18:29 z Ja 24:30 a 1 Ch 7:24 b Nm 34:17 c Ja 18:1,10
1 ¶ The LORD also spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, a ‘Appoint out for yourselves cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 so that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.
4 And when he who does flee to one of those cities will stand at the entering of the gate of the city and will declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they will take him into the city to them and give him a place so that he may dwell among them.
5 b And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, then they will not deliver the manslayer up into his hand, because he smote his neighbor unintentionally and without malice beforehand.
6 And he will dwell in that city g until he stands before the assembly for judgment, and until the death of the high priest who is serving in those days. Then the manslayer will return and come to his own city and to his own house, to the city from where he fled.’”
7 ¶ And they appointed d Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and e Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and f Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron in the g hill country of Judah.
8 And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward they assigned h Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and i Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and j Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 k These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, l until he stands before the assembly.
a Nm 35:6-34 b Nm 35:12 c Nm 35:12,24,25 d 1 Ch 6:76 e Ja 21:21 f Ja 14:15; 21:11,13 g Lk 1:39 h Dt 4:43 i Ja 21:38 j Ja 21:27 k Nm 35:15 l Ja 20:6
1 ¶ Then the heads of the fathers of the a Levites approached b Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.
2 And they spoke to them at c Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, d “The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the pasture lands for our cattle.”
3 So the children of Israel gave the following cities and their pasture lands to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of the LORD:
4 and the first lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the e children of Aaron the priest who were from the Levites had f thirteen cities by lot out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin.
5 g And the rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 And the h children of Gershon had thirteen cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar and out of the tribe of Asher and out of the tribe of Naphtali and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 i The children of Merari by their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben and out of the tribe of Gad and out of the tribe of Zebulun.
8 j And the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their suburbs, k as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
9 ¶ And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities that are here mentioned by name,
10 that the children of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites, of the sons of Levi, for the lot was theirs first.
11 l And they gave them the city of Kiriath Arba, Arba being the father of m Anak, that is, n Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the pasture lands around it.
12 But the o fields of the city and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13 ¶ Thus they gave p Hebron with its pasture lands to the q children of Aaron the priest, to be a city of refuge for the manslayer and r Libnah with its pasture lands,
14 and s Jattir with the pasture lands and t Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,
15 and u Holon with its pasture lands and v Debir with its pasture lands,
16 and w Ain with its pasture lands and x Juttah with its pasture lands and y Beth Shemesh with its pasture lands; nine cities out of those two tribes.
17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, z Gibeon with its pasture lands, a Geba with its pasture lands,
18 Anathoth with its pasture lands and b Almon with its pasture lands; four cities.
19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
20 ¶ c And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites who remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
21 For they gave them d Shechem with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the manslayer, and e Gezer with its pasture lands,
22 and Kibzaim with its pasture lands and Beth Horon with its pasture lands; four cities.
23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands,
24 f Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands; four cities.
25 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with its pasture lands and Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands; two cities.
26 All the cities were ten with their pasture lands for the families of the children of Kohath who remained.
27 ¶ g And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half-tribe of Manasseh they gave h Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands to be a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be Eshterah with its pasture lands; two cities.
28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with its pasture lands, Dabareh with its pasture lands,
29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, En Gannim with its suburbs; four cities.
30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands,
31 Helkath with its pasture lands and Rehob with its pasture lands; four cities.
32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, i Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the manslayer; and Hammoth Dor with its pasture lands and Kartan with its pasture lands; three cities.
33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.
34 ¶ j And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasture lands and Kartah with its pasture lands,
35 Dimnah with its pasture lands, Nahalal with its pasture lands; four cities.
36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, k Bezer with its pasture lands and Jahazah with its pasture lands,
37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands and Mephaath with its pasture lands; four cities.
38 And out of the tribe of Gad, l Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, to be a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands,
39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its pasture lands; four cities in all.
40 So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families who were remaining of the families of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
41 m All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands.
42 Each of these cities had their pasture lands around them. Thus it was with all these cities.
43 ¶ And the LORD gave to Israel n all the land that He swore to give to their fathers. And they o possessed it and dwelt in it.
44 p And the LORD gave them q rest all around according to all that He swore to their fathers. And r no one of all their enemies stood before them. The LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45 s Not one good thing failed of all that the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
a Nm 35:1-8 b Ja 14:1;17:4 c Ja 18:1 d Nm 35:2 e Ja 21:8,19 f Ja 19:51 g Ja 21:20 h Ja 21:27 i Ja 21:34 j Ja 21:3 k Nm 35:2 l 1 Ch 6:55 m Ja 14:15;15:13,14 n Ja 20:7 o Ja 14:14 p Ja 15:54;20:2,7 q 1 Ch 6:47 r Ja 15:42 s Ja 15:48
1 ¶ Then Joshua called the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
2 And he said to them, “You have kept a all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and b have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.
3 “You have not left your brethren these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
4 “And now the LORD your God has given c rest to your brethren as He promised them. Therefore, return now and go to your tents and to the land of your possession d that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 “But e be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, f to love the LORD your God and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cleave to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 So Joshua g blessed them and sent them away. And they went to their tents.
7 ¶ Now to one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan, h but to the other half Joshua gave a possession among their brethren westward beyond the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them.
8 And he spoke to them, saying, “Return with great riches to your tents and with much livestock, with silver and with gold and with brass and with iron, and with many clothes. i Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
9 So the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, that is in the land of Canaan, to go to the j country of Gilead, to the land of their possession that they had possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
10 ¶ And when they came to the borders of the Jordan that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar in appearance.
11 And the children of Israel k heard say, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan in the region of the Jordan at the passage of the children of Israel.”
12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the l whole assembly of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh in order to go up to war against them.
13 ¶ Then the children of Israel sent m Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben and to the children of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
14 and with him ten princes, a prince of each chief house throughout all the tribes of Israel. And o each one was head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
15 So they came to the children of Reuben and to the children of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead. And they spoke with them, saying,
16 “Thus says the whole assembly of the LORD, p ‘What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar in order that q you might rebel this day against the LORD?
17 ‘Is the iniquity of r Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the assembly of the LORD,
18 ‘but that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? And it will be, seeing you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow s He will be angry with the whole assembly of Israel.
19 ‘However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the LORD in which the t LORD’S tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us in building for yourselves an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God.
20 u ‘Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the assembly of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’”
21 ¶ Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel,
22 “The v Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! w He knows! And may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD do not save us this day!
23 “If we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer on it burnt offering or grain offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the LORD Himself x call us to account.
24 “And if we have not done it for fear of this thing, saying, ‘In time to come your children might speak to our children,’ saying, “What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel?
25 “For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no part in the LORD.” So your children may make our children cease from fearing the LORD.’
26 “Therefore, we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;
27 ‘but that it may be a y witness between us and you and our generations after us, that we might z do the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your children may not say to our children in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.”’
28 “Therefore, we said, ‘It will be when they should say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we may say again, “Behold, the pattern of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, but it is a witness between us and you.’
29 “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn this day from following the LORD, a to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, in addition to the altar of the LORD our God that is before His tabernacle.”
30 ¶ So when Phinehas the priest and the princes of the assembly and heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them.
31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben and to the children of Gad and to the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is b among us because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.”
32 ¶ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the princes returned from the children of Reuben and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel. And the children of Israel c blessed God and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar “A witness between us that the LORD is God.”
a Nm 32:20-22 b Ja 1:12-18 c Ja 21:44 d Nm 32:33 e Dt 6:6,17;11:22 f Dt 10:12;11:13,22 g 2 Sm 6:18 h Ja 17:1-13 i 1 Sm 30:24 j Nm 32:1,26,29 k Jg 20:12,13 l Ja 18:1 m Dt 13:14 n Ex 6:25 o Nm 1:4 p Dt 12:5-14 q Lv 17:8,9 r Nm 25:1-9 s Nm 16:22 t Ja 18:1 u Ja 7:1-26 v Dt 4:35;10:17 w Jr 12:3 x 1 Sm 20:16 y Gn 31:48 z Dt 12:5,14 a Dt 12:13,14 b Lv 26:11,12 c 1 Ch 29:20
1 ¶ Now it came to pass a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies around them, that Joshua b was old and advanced in age.
2 So Joshua c called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers. And he said to them, “I am old and stricken in years.
3 “And you have seen all that the d LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the e LORD your God is He who has fought for you.
4 “Behold, f I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea westward.
5 “And the LORD your God, He g will expel them from before you and drive them from out of your sight. And you will possess their land h as the LORD your God has promised to you.
6 i “Be therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses so that j you turn not aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
7 “so that k you not associate with these nations that remain among you, or l make mention of the name of their gods, or make anyone m swear by them, or n serve them, or bow yourselves to them.
8 “But o cleave to the LORD your God as you have done to this day.
9 p “For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations. But as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.
10 q “One man of you will chase a thousand. For the LORD your God, He it is who fights for you as r He has promised you.
11 s “Take diligent heed therefore to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.
12 “If you ever t go back and cleave to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and u will intermarry with them, and go in to them and they to you,
13 “know for a certainty that the v LORD your God will no longer drive out any of these nations from before you. w But they will be snares and traps to you, and scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
14 ¶ “And behold, this day x I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that y not one thing has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass to you and not one thing has failed.
15 z “Therefore, it will come to pass that as all good things have come on you that the LORD your God promised you, so will the LORD bring on you a all evil things, until He has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
16 “When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God that He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods and bowed yourselves to them, then will the b anger of the LORD be kindled against you and you will perish quickly from off the good land that He has given to you.”
a Ja 21:44; 22:4 b Ja 13:1; 24:29 c Dt 31:28 d Ps 44:3 e Dt 1:30 f Ja 13:2,6;18:10 g Ex 23:30;33:2 h Nm 33:53 i Ja 1:7 j Dt 5:32 k Dt 7:2,3 l Ex 23:13 m Dt 6:13;10:20 n Ex 20:5 o Dt 10:20 p Dt 7:24;11:23 q Lv 26:8 r Ex 14:14 s Ja 22:5 t 2 Pt 2:20,21 u Dt 7:3,4 v Jg 2:3 w Ex 23:33;34:12 x 1 Kg 2:2 y Ja 21:45 z Dt 28:63 a Dt 28:15-68 b Dt 4:24-28
1 ¶ Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to a Shechem and b called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers. And they c presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘In ancient times d our fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and e worshiped other gods.
3 ‘And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River and led him throughout all the land of Canaan. And I multiplied his seed and g gave him Isaac.
4 ‘Then to Isaac I gave h Jacob and Esau, and to i Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it. j But Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 ‘I sent Moses also and Aaron. And l I plagued Egypt according to that which I did among them. And afterward I brought you out.
6 ‘Then I m brought your fathers out of Egypt. And you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7 ‘And when they cried to the LORD, He put n darkness between you and the Egyptians. And He brought the sea upon them and covered them. And o your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. And you dwelt in the wilderness a p long time.
8 ‘And I brought you into the land of the Amorites who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and q they fought with you. And I gave them into your hand so that you might possess their land. And I destroyed them from before you.
9 ‘Then r Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel. And s he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
10 ‘But I would not hearken to Balaam. u Therefore, he had to bless. So I delivered you out of his hand.
11 ‘Then v you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the w men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. And I delivered them into your hand.
12 x ‘Then I sent the hornet before you which drove out from before you the two kings of the Amorites, but y not with your sword or with your bow.
13 ‘And I have given you a land for which you did not labor and z cities that you did not build, and you dwell in them. You are eating of vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
14 ¶ a “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in b sincerity and in truth. And c put away the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the River and d in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, e choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the f gods that your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the g gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. h But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
16 Then the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD in order to serve other gods.
17 “It was the LORD our God who brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way in which we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
18 “And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. i We will also serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
19 And Joshua said to the people, j “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a k holy God. He is a l jealous God. m He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20 n “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, o then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done good to you.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.”
22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that p you have chosen for yourselves the LORD in order to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
23 “Now therefore, q put away the foreign gods that are among you, and r incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.”
24 And the people s said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and we will obey His voice.”
25 So Joshua t made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance u in Shechem.
26 ¶ And Joshua v wrote these words in the book of the law of God. And he took a great stone and x set it up there y under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone will be z a witness to us, for a it has heard all the words of the LORD that He spoke to us. It will be, therefore, a witness to you lest you deny your God.”
28 So b Joshua let the people depart, every man to his inheritance.
29 ¶ c Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, d died. He was one hundred and ten years old.
30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in d Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
31 e And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and f who had known all the works of the LORD that He had done for Israel.
32 ¶ g And the bones of Joseph that the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in a parcel of ground h that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver. And it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
33 Then i Eleazar the son of Aaron died. And they buried him on a hill that belonged to j Phinehas his son, that was given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.
a Gn 35:4 b Ja 23:2 c 1 Sm 10:19 d Gn 11:7-32 e Ja 24:14 f Gn 12:1; At 7:2,3 g Ps 127:3 h Gn 25:24-26 i Dt 2:5 j Gn 46:1,3,6 k Ex 3:10 l Ex 7–10 m Ex 12:37,51; 14:2-31 n Ex 14:20 o Dt 4:34 p Ja 5:6 q Nm 21:21-35 r Jg 11:25 s Nm 22:2-14 t Dt 23:5 u Nm 23:11,20; 24:10 v Ja 3:14,17 w Ja 6:1; 10:1 x Ex 23:28 y Ps 44:3 z Dt 6:10,11 a 1 Sm 12:24 b 2 Co 1:12 c Ez 20:18 d Ez 20:7,8 e 1 Kg 18:21 f Ja 24:2 g Ex 23:24,32 h Gn 18:19 i Ps 116:16 j Mt 6:24 k 1 Sm 6:20 l Ex 20:5 m Ex 23:21 n Er 8:22 o Dt 4:24-26 p Ps 119:173 q Gn 35:2 r 1 Kg 8:57,58 s Dt 5:24-27