Joshua 18:1-12

The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting. ¹  Though they had subdued the land, ²  18:2 seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land. ³  18:3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long do you intend to put off occupying ⁴  the land the Lord God of your ancestors ⁵  has given you? 18:4 Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them out to walk through the land and make a map of it for me. ⁶  18:5 Divide it into seven regions. ⁷  Judah will stay ⁸  in its territory in the south, and the family ⁹  of Joseph in its territory in the north. 18:6 But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will draw lots for you here before the Lord our God. 18:7 But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their inheritance is to serve the Lord. ¹⁰  Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allotted land ¹¹  east of the Jordan which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned them.”

18:8 When the men started out, Joshua told those going to map out the land, “Go, walk through the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will draw lots for you before the Lord here in Shiloh.” 18:9 The men journeyed ¹²  through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven regions on a scroll. Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 18:10 Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord and divided the land among the Israelites according to their allotted portions.

Benjamin’s Tribal Lands

18:11 The first lot belonged to the tribe of Benjamin ¹³  by its clans. Their allotted territory was between Judah and Joseph. ¹⁴  18:12 Their northern border started at the Jordan, went up to the slope of Jericho ¹⁵  on the north, ascended westward to the hill country, and extended to the desert of Beth Aven.

[18:1]  ¹ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

[18:1]  ² tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”

[18:2]  ³ tn Heb “there were left among the sons of Israel who had not divided up their inheritance seven tribes.”

[18:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “How long are you putting off entering and possessing.”

[18:3]  ⁵ tn Or “fathers.”

[18:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will send them so they may arise and walk about in the land and describe it in writing according to their inheritance and come to me.”

[18:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “portions.”

[18:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “stand.”

[18:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “the house.”

[18:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the priesthood of the Lord.”

[18:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “inheritance.”

[18:9]  ¹² tn Heb “went and passed through.”

[18:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the lot came up for the tribe of the sons of Benjamin.”

[18:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and the territory of their allotment went out between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.”

[18:12]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.