Land Division West of the Jordan 1 UST Here is a description of the areas where the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan. Eleazar the high priest, Joshua, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes divided the land among them. BSB BSB: Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.
2 UST They decided what land to give to each of the remaining nine and one- half tribes by casting lots. Yahweh had told Moses to tell them to do it that way, and so they did. BSB BSB: Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
3 UST Moses had given land as a permanent possession to two and a half tribes before Israel crossed over the Jordan River. Moses did not give any land to the tribe of Levi.(Rather than give them part of the land, Moses gave them cities to live in. He also gave them pastureland around those cities for their livestock so they could sustain their families.) Even so, there were nine and a half of the twelve Israelite tribes that still needed land, because the descendants of Joseph had become two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. BSB BSB: For Moses had given the inheritance east of the Jordan to the other two and a half tribes. But he granted no inheritance among them to the Levites.
5 UST The people of Israel did just what Yahweh commanded Moses. They gave out portions of the land as permanent possessions. BSB BSB: So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
Caleb Requests Hebron 6 UST Some men from the tribe of Judah went to Joshua while he and all the Israelites were at Gilgal. Among those men was Jephunneh’ s son Caleb. He said to Joshua,“I am sure that you remember what Yahweh said to the prophet Moses concerning you and me when we were at Kadesh Barnea. BSB BSB: Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.
7 UST I was 40 years old at that time. Moses sent me from Kadesh Barnea with you and some other men to explore this land. When we returned, I gave to Moses an accurate report about what we had seen. BSB BSB: I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report.
8 UST The other Israelites who went with us gave a report that caused the people to be afraid. But I did everything that Yahweh my God wanted me to do.{ I encouraged the people to conquer the land.} BSB BSB: Although my brothers who went with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal to the LORD my God.
9 UST That day Moses promised me,‘The land that you walked on will become yours as your permanent possession. It will always belong to you and your descendants. I promise that it will be yours because you did everything that Yahweh, my God, wanted you to do.’ BSB BSB: On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10 UST Now Yahweh has done for me what he promised he would do. It has been 45 years since Moses made that promise to me during the time when we Israelites were still in the wilderness. But just as Yahweh promised, he has kept me alive and well all during that time. Look at me! I am now 85 years old. BSB BSB: Now behold, as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old,
11 UST But I am still as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me to explore this land. I have the same strength now that I had as a young man. I can still fight wars as a soldier or as a commander. BSB BSB: still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. As my strength was then, so it is now for war, for going out, and for coming in.
12 UST So please give me the hill country that Yahweh promised to give to me on that day long ago. At that time, you heard me say that the Anakim lived there. You heard me say that their cities were large and that they had walls around them to protect them.{ And that is still true today.} But I hope that Yahweh will help me to force the people there to leave, just as Yahweh promised.” BSB BSB: Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.”
13 UST Then Joshua asked God to bless Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Joshua gave Caleb the city of Hebron as his possession. BSB BSB: Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
14 UST In this way, Hebron became the permanent possession and the home of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. To this day his descendants live there because Caleb did everything that Yahweh, the God of Israel, wanted him to do. BSB BSB: Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.
15 UST (Now people used to call Hebron Kiriath Arba. Arba had been a very famous Anakite.) No enemies were attacking the Israelites at this time{, so they were able to divide up the land peacefully}. BSB BSB: (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.