Joshua 14:5-15
14:5 The Israelites followed the
Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.
14:6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.
14:7 I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.
14:8 My countrymen who accompanied me frightened the people, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.
14:9 That day Moses made this solemn promise: ‘Surely the land on which you walked will belong to you and your descendants permanently, for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’
14:10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old.
14:11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.
14:12 Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer them, as the Lord promised.”
14:13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.
14:14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel.
14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.) Then the land was free of war.