<p class="bodytext">Saul replied, &#8220;Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel&#8217;s tribes, and is not my family clan the smallest of all the tribes of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The scepter will not depart from Judah,p> <p class="poetry">nor the ruler&#8217;s staff from between his feet,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">until he comes to whom it belongs;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the nations will obey him.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">These<n id="1" /> are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or she<n id="1" /> dies as a result of the blow,<n id="2" /> he will surely be punished.<n id="3" />

The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of<n id="1" /> their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.p>

All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Bring with you your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, so that they may join<n id="1" /> with you and minister to you while<n id="2" /> you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.

When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe;<n id="1" /> and the Spirit of God came upon him.

Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me.

But you must seek only the place he<n id="1" /> chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence,<n id="2" /> and you must go there.

for you may do so<n id="1" /> only in the place the <sc>Lordsc> chooses in one of your tribal areas &#8211; there you may do everything I am commanding you.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">You must appoint judges and civil servants<n id="1" /> for each tribe in all your villages<n id="2" /> that the <sc>Lordsc> your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Levitical priests<n id="1" /> &#8211; indeed, the entire tribe of Levi &#8211; will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the <sc>Lordsc> and of his inheritance.<n id="2" />

For the <sc>Lordsc> your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to stand<n id="1" /> and serve in his name<n id="2" /> permanently.

You are standing today, all of you, before the <sc>Lordsc> your God &#8211; the heads of your tribes,<n id="1" /> your elders, your officials, every Israelite man,

The <sc>Lordsc> will single him out<n id="1" /> for judgment<n id="2" /> from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.

Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them.

<p class="bodytext">Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe.

The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them.

<p class="bodytext">Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant and the Israelites defeated them and Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant assigned their land<n id="1" /> to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.p>