1 ARST The entire assembly of the people of Israel met together at Shiloh. There they set up the tent where they worshiped Yahweh. There was no more war in the land. BSB BSB: Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,
2 ARST However, there seven tribes of Israel had not yet been assigned any land. BSB BSB: there were still seven tribes of Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.
3 ARST Joshua said to the people of Israel,“Why are you waiting such a long time? How long are you going to delay going into the land that Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors worshiped, has promised to give to you? BSB BSB: So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
4 ARST Choose three men from each of your seven tribes. I will send them out to explore the parts of the land which you have not occupied yet. When they finish, they will write a report to tell you what the land is like. They will also make a map to show you where cities and important places are located and which tribe will live in which area. BSB BSB: Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me
5 ARST They will divide the remaining land into seven parts. The tribe of Judah will keep its land in the south, and the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will keep their land in the north. BSB BSB: and divide the land into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.
6 ARST But in their report, the men from the seven tribes should describe the seven parts of the remaining land that they wish to receive, and bring the report to me. While Yahweh is watching, I will cast lots to decide which land should be assigned to each tribe. BSB BSB: When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.
7 ARST But the tribe of Levi will not be assigned any land, because their reward is to be Yahweh’ s priests. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have already been assigned their land on the east side of the Jordan River, just as Moses, the man who served God well, decided, so they will not get any more land.” BSB BSB: The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
8 ARST When the men who were chosen got ready to leave, Joshua told them,“Go and explore the land. Then write a report of what you have seen, and bring it back to me. Then while Yahweh is watching, I will cast lots here at Shiloh, to determine what area each tribe will receive.” BSB BSB: As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”
9 ARST So the men left and walked through the area. Then they described in a scroll each of the seven parts into which they had divided the land, together with their cities. Then they returned to Joshua, who was still at Shiloh. BSB BSB: So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
10 ARST After Joshua read their report at Shiloh, while Yahweh was watching, he cast lots to choose which land would be assigned to each of the seven Israelite tribes. BSB BSB: And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
11 ARST The first tribe that was assigned land was the tribe of Benjamin. Each clan in that tribe was assigned some of the land that was between the area that was assigned to the tribe of Judah and the area that was assigned to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. BSB BSB: The first lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
12 ARST The northern border started at the Jordan River and extended west along the northern side of Jericho, into the hill country. From there the border extended west to the wilderness near Beth Aven. BSB BSB: On the north side their border began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho, headed west through the hill country, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.
13 ARST From there it extended south to Luz(which is now called Bethel). From there it goes down to Ataroth Addar, which is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon. BSB BSB: From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.
14 ARST At the hill south of Beth Horon, the border turned and extended south to Kiriath Baal(which is also named Kiriath Jearim). That is a town where people of the tribe of Judah live. That was the western border. BSB BSB: On the west side the border curved southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the western side.
15 ARST The south border of their land started near Kiriath Jearim and extended west to the springs of Nephtoah. BSB BSB: On the south side the border began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended westward to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.
16 ARST From there it extended down to the bottom of the hill, near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. The border extended down along the Hinnom Valley, south of the city where the Jebusites lived, to En Rogel. BSB BSB: Then it went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Ben-hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel.
17 ARST From there the border extended west to En Shemesh and continued to Geliloth near the hill of Adummim. Then it extended to the great stone of Reuben’ s son Bohan. BSB BSB: From there it curved northward and proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
18 ARST From there the border extended to the northern edge of Beth Arabah and down into the plain along the Jordan. BSB BSB: Then it went on to the northern slope of Beth-arabah and went down into the valley.
19 ARST From there it extended east to the northern edge of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north end of the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. That was the boundary on the south. BSB BSB: The border continued to the northern slope of Beth-hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border.
20 ARST The Jordan River was the eastern boundary of the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin. Those were the boundaries of the land assigned to them, each border well described in turn. BSB BSB: On the east side the border was the Jordan. These were the borders around the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
21 ARST The cities in the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, BSB BSB: These were the cities of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,
22 ARST Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, BSB BSB: Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 ARST Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, BSB BSB: Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 ARST Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. Altogether there were fourteen cities, not counting their villages. BSB BSB: Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.
25 ARST The tribe of Benjamin also had the cities of Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, BSB BSB: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
27 ARST Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, BSB BSB: Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 ARST Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus(the city where the Jebusites lived, which is now called Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. Altogether there were fourteen cities, not counting their villages. All that area was assigned to the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. BSB BSB: Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.