Joshua

1 And it came about after the death of Moses the servant* of Jehovah that Jehovah proceeded to say to Joshua*+ the son of Nun, the minister*+ of Moses: 2 “Moses my servant is dead;+ and now get up, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.+ 3 Every place upon which the sole of YOUR foot will tread, to YOU people I shall certainly give it, just as I promised to Moses.+ 4 From the wilderness and* this Lebʹa·non to the great river, the river Eu·phraʹtes, that is, all the land of the Hitʹtites,+ and to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun YOUR territory will prove to be.+ 5 Nobody will take a firm stand before you all the days of your life.+ Just as I proved to be with Moses I shall prove to be with you.+ I shall neither desert you nor leave you entirely.+ 6 Be courageous and strong,+ for you are the one who will cause this people to inherit+ the land that I swore to their forefathers to give to them.+

7 “Only be courageous and very strong to take care to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.+ Do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left,+ in order that you may act wisely everywhere you go.+ 8 This book of the law should not depart from your mouth,+ and you must in an undertone read in it day and night, in order that you may take care to do according to all that is written in it;+ for then you will make your way successful and then you will act wisely.+ 9 Have I not commanded you?+ Be courageous and strong. Do not suffer shock or be terrified,+ for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.”+

10 And Joshua proceeded to command the officers of the people, saying: 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, because three days from now YOU are crossing this Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that Jehovah YOUR God is giving YOU to take possession of it.’”+

12 And to the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh Joshua said: 13 “Let there be a remembering* of the word that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded YOU,+ saying, ‘Jehovah YOUR God is giving YOU rest and has given YOU this land. 14 YOUR wives, YOUR little ones and YOUR livestock will dwell in the land that Moses has given YOU on this side of the Jordan;+ but YOU men will pass over in battle formation+ before YOUR brothers, all the valiant mighty men,+ and YOU must help them. 15 First when Jehovah gives rest to YOUR brothers the same as to YOU and they also have taken possession of the land that Jehovah YOUR God is giving them,+ YOU must also return to the land of YOUR holding and take possession of it,+ the one that Moses the servant of Jehovah has given YOU on the side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun.’”+

16 Accordingly they answered Joshua, saying: “All that you have commanded us we shall do, and wherever you may send us we shall go.+ 17 As we listened to Moses in everything, so we shall listen to you. Only may Jehovah your God prove to be with you+ just as he proved to be with Moses.+ 18 Any man that behaves rebelliously against your order+ and does not listen to your words in all that you may command him will be put to death.+ Only be courageous and strong.”+

2 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out secretly from Shitʹtim*+ as spies, saying: “Go, take a look at the land and Jerʹi·cho.” So they went and came to the house of a prostitute woman whose name was Raʹhab,+ and they took up lodging there. 2 In time it was said to the king of Jerʹi·cho: “Look! Men from the sons of Israel have come in here tonight to search out the land.” 3 At that the king of Jerʹi·cho sent to Raʹhab, saying: “Bring out the men that came to you, that have come into your house, for it is to search out all the land that they have come.”+

4 Meantime the woman took the two men and concealed them. And she proceeded to say: “Yes, the men did come to me, and I did not know from where they were. 5 And it came about at the closing of the gate+ by dark that the men went out. I just do not know where the men have gone. Chase after them quickly, for YOU will overtake them.” 6 (She, though, had taken them up to the roof,+ and she kept them out of sight among stalks of flax laid in rows for her upon the roof.) 7 And the men chased after them in the direction of the Jordan at the fords,+ and they shut the gate immediately after those chasing after them had gone out.

8 As for these, before they could lie down, she herself came up to them on the roof. 9 And she went on to say to the men: “I do know that Jehovah will certainly give YOU the land,+ and that the fright of YOU has fallen upon us,+ and that all the inhabitants of the land have become disheartened because of YOU.+ 10 For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea from before YOU when YOU came out of Egypt,+ and what YOU did to the two kings of the Amʹor·ites who were on the other side of the Jordan, namely, Siʹhon+ and Og,+ whom YOU devoted to destruction.+ 11 When we got to hear it, then our hearts began to melt,+ and no spirit* has arisen yet in anybody because of YOU,+ for Jehovah YOUR God is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.+ 12 And now, please, swear to me by Jehovah+ that, because I have exercised loving-kindness* toward YOU, YOU also will certainly exercise loving-kindness toward the household of my father,+ and YOU must give me a trustworthy sign.+ 13 And YOU must preserve alive my father+ and my mother and my brothers and my sisters and all who belong to them, and YOU must deliver our souls from death.”+

14 At that the men said to her: “Our souls are to die instead of YOU people!+ If YOU will not tell about this matter of ours, it must also occur that when Jehovah gives us the land, we also shall certainly exercise loving-kindness and trustworthiness* toward you.”+ 15 After that she had them descend by a rope through the window, for her house was on a side of the wall, and it was on the wall that she was dwelling.+ 16 And she proceeded to say to them: “Go to the mountainous region, that those in pursuit may not come in contact with YOU; and YOU must keep hid there three days, until those in pursuit have come back, and afterward YOU may go in YOUR own direction.”

17 In turn the men said to her: “We are free from guilt respecting this oath of yours that you have made us swear.+ 18 Look! We are coming into the land. This cord of scarlet thread you should tie in the window by which you have had us descend, and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the household of your father you should gather to yourself into the house.+ 19 And it must occur that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the open,+ his blood will be upon his own head, and we shall be free from guilt; and everyone who continues with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads if a hand should come upon him. 20 And if you should report this matter of ours,+ we shall also have become free from guilt respecting this oath of yours that you have made us swear.” 21 To this she said: “According to YOUR words so let it be.”

With that she sent them off, and they went their way. After that she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 So they went and came to the mountainous region and kept dwelling there three days, until the pursuers had come back. Now the pursuers were looking for them on every road, and they did not find them. 23 And the two men proceeded to descend again from the mountainous region and to cross over and come to Joshua the son of Nun, and they began to relate to him all the things that had happened to them. 24 And they went on to say to Joshua: “Jehovah has given all the land into our hand.+ Consequently all the inhabitants of the land have also grown disheartened because of us.”+

3 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and he and all the sons of Israel proceeded to pull away from Shitʹtim+ and to come as far as the Jordan; and they went spending the night there before they would cross.

2 So it came about at the end of the three days+ that the officers+ proceeded to pass through the midst of the camp 3 and to command the people, saying: “As soon as YOU see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah YOUR God, and the priests, the Levites, carrying it,+ then YOU yourselves will pull away from YOUR place, and YOU must follow it, 4 —only let there prove to be a distance between YOU and it of about two thousand cubits* by measure;+ do not get near to it—in order that YOU may know the way by which YOU should go, for YOU have not passed over on that way before.”

5 Joshua now said to the people: “Sanctify+ yourselves, for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonderful things in YOUR midst.”+

6 Then Joshua said to the priests: “Take up the ark of the covenant+ and pass before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 And Jehovah proceeded to say to Joshua: “This day I shall start to make you great in the eyes of all Israel,+ that they may know that just as I proved to be with Moses+ I shall prove to be with you.+ 8 And you—you should command+ the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘As soon as YOU have come as far as the edge of the waters of the Jordan, YOU should stand+ still in the Jordan.’”

9 And Joshua went on to say to the sons of Israel: “Approach here and listen to the words of Jehovah YOUR God.” 10 After that Joshua said: “By this YOU will know that a living God* is in YOUR midst,+ and that he will without fail drive away from before YOU the Caʹnaan·ites and the Hitʹtites and the Hiʹvites and the Perʹiz·zites and the Girʹga·shites and the Amʹor·ites and the Jebʹu·sites.+ 11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord* of the whole earth is passing before YOU into the Jordan. 12 And now take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.+ 13 And it must occur that at the instant that the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of the whole earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, the waters descending from above, and they will stand still as one dam.”+

14 And it came about that when the people pulled away from their tents just before passing over the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark+ of the covenant before the people, 15 and at the instant that the carriers of the Ark came as far as the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the Ark were dipped in the edge of the waters (now the Jordan overflows all its banks+ all the days of harvest), 16 then the waters descending from above began to stand still. They rose up as one dam+ very far away at Adam,* the city at the side of Zarʹe·than,+ while those descending toward the sea of the Arʹa·bah, the Salt Sea,+ were exhausted. They were cut off, and the people passed over in front of Jerʹi·cho. 17 Meanwhile the priests carrying the ark of Jehovah’s covenant kept standing immovable on dry ground+ in the middle of the Jordan as all Israel were passing over on dry ground,+ until the whole nation had completed passing over the Jordan.

4 And it came about that as soon as the whole nation had completed passing over the Jordan,+ Jehovah proceeded to say to Joshua: 2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,+ 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves from the very middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood motionless,+ twelve stones,+ and YOU must carry them over with YOU and deposit them in the lodging place+ in which you will lodge tonight.’”

4 So Joshua called twelve men+ whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua went on to say to them: “Pass ahead of the ark of Jehovah YOUR God to the middle of the Jordan, and lift up for yourselves each one a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 in order that this may serve as a sign in YOUR midst.+ In case YOUR sons should ask in time to come, saying, ‘Why do you have these stones?’+ 7 YOU must also say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off from before the ark of Jehovah’s covenant.+ When it passed through the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off, and these stones must serve as a memorial to the sons of Israel to time indefinite.’”+

8 Accordingly the sons of Israel did so, just as Joshua had commanded, and they took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Jehovah had stated to Joshua, to correspond with the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel;+ and they went taking them over with them to the lodging place+ and depositing them there.

9 There were also twelve stones that Joshua set up in the middle of the Jordan on the standing place+ of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, and they continue there until this day.

10 And the priests carrying the Ark were standing in the middle+ of the Jordan until the whole matter had been completed that Jehovah had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.+ All the while the people hurried up+ and passed over. 11 And it came about that as soon as all the people had completed passing over, then the ark+ of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, before the people. 12 And the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh+ proceeded to pass over in battle formation+ in the sight of the sons of Israel, just as Moses had stated to them.+ 13 About forty thousand equipped for the army passed over before Jehovah for the war onto the desert plains of Jerʹi·cho.

14 On that day Jehovah made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel,+ and they began to fear him just as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.+

15 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony+ that they go up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying: “Go up out of the Jordan.” 18 And it came about that when the priests carrying the ark+ of the covenant of Jehovah came up out of the middle of the Jordan and the soles+ of the feet of the priests were drawn out onto the dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan began returning to their place and went overflowing+ all its banks as formerly.

19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and took up camping at Gilʹgal+ on the eastern border of Jerʹi·cho.

20 As for the twelve stones that they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set these up at Gilʹgal.+ 21 And he went on to say to the sons of Israel: “When YOUR sons ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’+ 22 YOU must then let YOUR sons know, saying, ‘On the dry land it was that Israel passed over this Jordan,+ 23 when Jehovah YOUR God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before them* until they* had passed over, just as Jehovah YOUR God had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up from before us until we had passed over;+ 24 in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Jehovah’s hand,+ that it is strong;+ in order that YOU may indeed fear Jehovah YOUR God always.’”+

5 And it came about that as soon as all the kings of the Amʹor·ites,+ who were on the side of the Jordan to the west,* and all the kings of the Caʹnaan·ites,+ who were by the sea, heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until they had passed over, then their hearts began to melt,+ and there proved to be no spiritedness* in them anymore because of the sons of Israel.+

2 At that particular time Jehovah said to Joshua: “Make for yourself flint knives* and circumcise+ the sons of Israel again, the second time.” 3 Accordingly Joshua made flint knives for himself and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibʹe·ath-ha·arʹa·loth.*+ 4 And this was the reason why Joshua did the circumcising: all the people that came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died+ in the wilderness on the road when they were coming out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out proved to be circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the road when they were coming out of Egypt they had not circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel had walked forty years+ in the wilderness, until all the nation of the men of war who came out of Egypt that did not listen to the voice of Jehovah had come to its finish, to whom Jehovah swore that he would never let them see the land+ that Jehovah had sworn to their forefathers to give to us,+ a land flowing with milk and honey.+ 7 And their sons he raised up instead of them.+ These Joshua circumcised, because they proved to be uncircumcised, for they had not circumcised them on the road.

8 And it came about that when they had completed circumcising all the nation, they kept sitting in their place in the camp until they revived.+

9 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off YOU.”+ So the name of that place came to be called Gilʹgal*+ until this day.

10 And the sons of Israel continued to camp in Gilʹgal, and they proceeded to carry out the passover on the fourteenth day of the month,+ in the evening, on the desert plains of Jerʹi·cho. 11 And they began to eat some of the yield of the land the day after the passover, unfermented cakes+ and roasted grains, on this same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the following day when they had eaten some of the yield of the land, and manna did not occur anymore for the sons of Israel,+ and they began to eat some of the produce of the land of Caʹnaan in that year.+

13 And it came about when Joshua happened to be by Jerʹi·cho that he proceeded to raise his eyes and look, and there there was a man+ standing in front of him with his drawn sword in his hand.+ So Joshua walked up to him and said to him: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 To this he said: “No, but I—as prince of the army of Jehovah* I have now come.”+ With that Joshua fell on his face to the earth and prostrated+ himself and said to him: “What is my lord saying to his servant?” 15 In turn the prince of the army of Jehovah said to Joshua: “Draw your sandals from off your feet, because the place on which you are standing is holy.” At once Joshua did so.+

6 Now Jerʹi·cho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel, no one going out and no one entering.+

2 And Jehovah went on to say to Joshua: “See, I have given Jerʹi·cho and its king, the valiant mighty men, into your hand.+ 3 And all YOU men of war must march round the city, going round* the city once. That is the way you should do for six days. 4 And seven priests should carry seven rams’ horns, before the Ark, and on the seventh day YOU should march round the city seven times and the priests should blow the horns.+ 5 And it must occur that when they sound with the horn of the ram, when YOU hear the sound of the horn,* all the people should shout a great war cry;+ and the wall of the city must fall down flat,+ and the people must go up, each one straight before him.”

6 Accordingly Joshua the son of Nun called the priests+ and said to them: “Take up the ark of the covenant,+ and seven priests should carry seven rams’ horns before the ark+ of Jehovah.” 7 And he* went on to say to the people: “Pass on and march round the city, and the war-equipped force+ should pass on ahead of the ark of Jehovah.” 8 So it came about just as Joshua said to the people; and seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before Jehovah passed on and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah was following them. 9 And the war-equipped force was going ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard+ was following the Ark with a continual blowing* on the horns.

10 Now Joshua had commanded the people,+ saying: “YOU must neither shout nor let YOUR voices be heard, and no word should come out of YOUR mouths until the day when I say to YOU, ‘Shout!’ Then YOU must shout.”+ 11 And he had the ark of Jehovah go marching round the city, going round once, after which they went to the camp and stayed overnight in the camp.

12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning,+ and the priests went carrying the ark+ of Jehovah, 13 and seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the ark of Jehovah were walking, continually blowing the horns, and the war-equipped force was walking ahead of them, while the rear guard was following the ark of Jehovah with a continual blowing on the horns.+ 14 And they went marching round the city on the second day once, after which they returned to the camp. That was the way they did for six days.+

15 And it came about on the seventh day that they proceeded to get up early, as soon as the dawn ascended, and they went marching round the city in this manner seven times. Just on that day they marched round the city seven times.+ 16 And it came about on the seventh time that the priests blew the horns, and Joshua proceeded to say to the people: “Shout;+ for Jehovah has given YOU the city.+ 17 And the city must become a thing devoted to destruction;*+ it with everything that is in it belongs to Jehovah. Only Raʹhab+ the prostitute may keep on living, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers whom we sent out.+ 18 As for YOU people, only keep away from the thing devoted to destruction,+ for fear YOU may get a desire*+ and YOU do take some of the thing devoted to destruction+ and do constitute the camp of Israel a thing devoted to destruction and bring ostracism upon it.+ 19 But all the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron are something holy to Jehovah.+ Into the treasure of Jehovah it should go.”+

20 Then the people shouted, when they proceeded to blow the horns.+ And it came about that as soon as the people heard the sound of the horn and the people began to shout a great war cry, then the wall began to fall down flat.+ After that the people went up into the city, each one straight before him, and captured the city. 21 And they went devoting all that was in the city, from man to woman, from young man to old man and to bull and sheep and ass, to destruction by the edge of the sword.+

22 And to the two men who had done the spying on the land, Joshua said: “Go into the house of the woman, the prostitute, and bring out of there the woman and all who belong to her, just as YOU have sworn to her.”+ 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Raʹhab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all who belonged to her, yes, all her family relationship they brought out;+ and they proceeded to set them down outside the camp of Israel.

24 And they burned the city with fire and everything that was in it.+ Only the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron they gave to the treasure of Jehovah’s house.+ 25 And Raʹhab the prostitute and the household of her father and all who belonged to her, Joshua preserved alive;+ and she dwells in the midst of Israel down to this day,+ because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out to spy on Jerʹi·cho.+

26 Then Joshua had an oath pronounced at that particular time, saying: “Cursed may the man be before Jehovah who gets up and does build this city, even Jerʹi·cho. At the forfeit of his firstborn let him lay the foundation of it, and at the forfeit of his youngest let him put up its doors.”+

27 So Jehovah proved to be with Joshua,+ and his fame came to be in all the earth.+

7 And the sons of Israel went committing an act of unfaithfulness respecting the thing devoted to destruction in that Aʹchan*+ the son of Carʹmi, the son of Zabʹdi, the son of Zeʹrah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the thing devoted to destruction.+ At this Jehovah’s anger grew hot against the sons of Israel.+

2 Then Joshua sent men out from Jerʹi·cho to Aʹi,+ which is close by Beth-aʹven,+ to the east of Bethʹel,+ and said to them: “Go up and spy on the land.” Accordingly the men went up and spied on Aʹi.+ 3 After that they returned to Joshua and said to him: “Let not all the people go up. Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up and strike Aʹi. Do not weary all the people with going there, for they are few.”

4 So about three thousand men of the people went up there, but they took to flight before the men of Aʹi.+ 5 And the men of Aʹi got to strike down about thirty-six men of them, and they went pursuing+ them from before the gate as far as Shebʹa·rim* and continued striking them down on the descent. Consequently the heart of the people began to melt and became as water.+

6 At this Joshua ripped his mantles and fell upon his face+ to the earth before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the older men* of Israel, and they kept putting dust upon their heads.+ 7 And Joshua went on to say: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people all the way across the Jordan, just to give us into the hand of the Amʹor·ites for them to destroy us? And if only we had taken it upon ourselves and continued dwelling on the other side of the Jordan!+ 8 Excuse me, O Jehovah,* but what can I say after Israel has turned his back before his enemies? 9 And the Caʹnaan·ites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will certainly surround us and cut our name off from the earth;+ and what will you do for your great name?”+

10 In turn Jehovah said to Joshua: “Get up, you! Why is it that you are falling upon your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also overstepped my covenant+ that I laid as a command upon them; and they have also taken some of the thing devoted to destruction+ and have also stolen+ and also kept it secret+ and have also put it among their own articles.+ 12 And the sons of Israel will not be able to rise up against their enemies.+ The back is what they will turn before their enemies, because they have become a thing devoted to destruction. I shall not prove to be with YOU again unless YOU annihilate the thing devoted to destruction out of YOUR midst.+ 13 Get up! Sanctify the people,+ and you must say, ‘Sanctify yourselves tomorrow, for this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said: “A thing devoted to destruction is in your midst, O Israel.+ You will not be able to rise up against your enemies until YOU people have removed the thing devoted to destruction from YOUR midst. 14 And YOU must present yourselves in the morning, tribe by tribe, and it must occur that the tribe that Jehovah will pick+ will come near, family by family, and the family that Jehovah will pick will come near, household by household, and the household that Jehovah will pick will come near, able-bodied man by able-bodied man. 15 And it must occur that the one picked with the thing devoted to destruction will be burned with fire,+ he and all that belongs to him, because he has overstepped the covenant+ of Jehovah and because he has committed a disgraceful folly in Israel.”’”+

16 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and had Israel come near, tribe by tribe of it, and the tribe of Judah got to be picked. 17 Next he had the families of Judah come near and picked the family of the Zeʹrah·ites,+ after which he had the family of the Zeʹrah·ites come near, able-bodied man by able-bodied man,* and Zabʹdi got to be picked. 18 Finally he had his household come near, able-bodied man by able-bodied man, and Aʹchan the son of Carʹmi, the son of Zabʹdi, the son of Zeʹrah, of the tribe of Judah, got to be picked.+ 19 Then Joshua said to Aʹchan: “My son,* render, please, glory to Jehovah the God of Israel+ and make confession to him,+ and tell me,+ please, What have you done? Do not hide+ it from me.”

20 At this Aʹchan answered Joshua and said: “For a fact I—I have sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel,+ and this way and that way I have done. 21 When I got to see+ among the spoil an official garment from Shiʹnar,+ a good-looking one, and two hundred shekels* of silver and one gold bar, fifty shekels being its weight, then I wanted them,+ and I took them;+ and, look! they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent with the money* underneath it.”*+

22 At once Joshua sent messengers, and they went running to the tent, and, look! it was hidden in his tent with the money underneath it. 23 So they took them from the midst of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the sons of Israel and poured them out before Jehovah. 24 Joshua, and all Israel with him, now took Aʹchan+ the son of Zeʹrah and the silver and the official garment and the bar of gold+ and his sons and his daughters and his bull and his ass and his flock and his tent and everything that was his and they brought them up to the low plain of Aʹchor.+ 25 Then Joshua said: “Why have you brought ostracism upon us?+ Jehovah will bring ostracism upon you on this day.” With that all Israel went pelting him with stones,+ after which they burned them with fire.+ Thus they stoned them with stones. 26 And they proceeded to raise up over him a big pile of stones, down to this day.+ At this Jehovah turned away from his hot anger.+ That is why the name of that place has been called Low Plain of Aʹchor,*+ down to this day.

8 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid or be terrified.+ Take with you all the people of war and get up, go up to Aʹi. See, I have given into your hand the king of Aʹi and his people and his city and his land.+ 2 And you must do to Aʹi and to its king just as you did to Jerʹi·cho and its king.+ Only YOU people may plunder its spoil and its domestic animals for yourselves.+ Set an ambush of yours against the city at its rear.”+

3 Accordingly Joshua and all the people+ of war rose to go up to Aʹi, and Joshua proceeded to choose thirty thousand men, valiant mighty ones,+ and to send them off by night. 4 And he went on to command them, saying: “See, YOU are lying in ambush+ against the city to the rear of the city. Do not go very far away from the city, and YOU must all of YOU hold yourselves in readiness. 5 As for me and all the people who are with me, we shall go close to the city. And it must occur that, in case they should come out to meet us just as at the first,+ we must then flee before them. 6 And they must come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us just as at the first.’+ And we must flee before them. 7 Then YOU—YOU will rise up from the ambush, and YOU must take possession of the city; and Jehovah YOUR God will certainly give it into YOUR hands.+ 8 And it must occur that as soon as YOU have seized the city, YOU should set the city on fire.+ According to Jehovah’s word YOU should do. See, I have commanded YOU.”+

9 After that Joshua sent them out and they marched to the place of ambush and took up quarters between Bethʹel and Aʹi to the west of Aʹi, while Joshua kept lodging on that night in the midst of the people.

10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning+ and reviewed the people and went up, he and the older men of Israel, before the people to Aʹi. 11 And all the people of war+ who were with him went up, that they might approach and get in front of the city, and they proceeded to camp to the north of Aʹi, with the valley between them and Aʹi. 12 In the meantime he took about five thousand men and set them as an ambush+ between Bethʹel+ and Aʹi, to the west of the city. 13 So the people set the main camp that was to the north of the city+ and the extreme rear of it that was to the west of the city,+ and Joshua proceeded to go during that night into the middle of the low plain.*

14 And it came about that, as soon as the king of Aʹi saw it, then the men of the city got in a hurry and rose up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people, at the appointed time, before the desert plain. As for him, he did not know that there was an ambush against him to the rear of the city.+ 15 When Joshua and all Israel suffered a blow before them,+ then they took to flight by the way of the wilderness.+ 16 At that all the people who were in the city were called out to chase after them, and they went chasing after Joshua and got to be drawn away from the city.+ 17 And there was not a man remaining in Aʹi and Bethʹel* that did not go out after Israel, so that they left the city wide open and went chasing after Israel.

18 Jehovah now said to Joshua: “Stretch out the javelin* that is in your hand toward Aʹi,+ for into your hand I shall give it.”+ Accordingly Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the ambush rose up quickly from its place, and they began to run at the instant that he stretched out his hand, and they proceeded to enter the city and capture it.+ Then they hurried and set the city on fire.+

20 And the men of Aʹi began to turn back and look, and there the smoke of the city ascended to the heavens, and there proved to be no ability* in them to flee this way or that. And the people that were fleeing to the wilderness turned upon the pursuers. 21 And Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush+ had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, and so they turned around and went striking the men of Aʹi down. 22 And these others came out of the city to meet them, so that they got to be in between Israel, these on this side and those on that, and they went striking them down until there did not remain of them either a survivor or an escapee.+ 23 And the king+ of Aʹi they caught alive and proceeded to bring him near to Joshua.

24 And it came about that while Israel was finishing the killing of all the inhabitants of Aʹi in the field, in the wilderness in which they had pursued them, they kept falling, all of them, by the edge of the sword until they came to their end. After that all Israel returned to Aʹi and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25 And all those who fell on that day, from man to woman, amounted to twelve thousand, all the people* of Aʹi. 26 And Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin+ until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Aʹi to destruction.+ 27 Only the domestic animals and the spoil of that city Israel plundered for themselves, according to Jehovah’s word that he had laid in command upon Joshua.+

28 Then Joshua burned Aʹi and reduced it to an indefinitely lasting mound,+ as a desolation down to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Aʹi+ upon a stake until the evening time;+ and as the sun was about to set Joshua gave the command, and then they took his dead body down+ from the stake* and pitched it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised up a great pile of stones over him, down to this day.

30 It was then that Joshua proceeded to build an altar+ to Jehovah the God of Israel, in Mount Eʹbal,+ 31 just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law+ of Moses: “An altar of whole stones, upon which no iron tool has been wielded”;+ and they went offering up burnt offerings upon it to Jehovah and sacrificing communion sacrifices.+

32 Then he wrote there upon the stones a copy*+ of the law of Moses that he had written before the sons of Israel.+ 33 And all Israel and their older men+ and the officers and their judges were standing on this side and on that side of the Ark in front of the priests,+ the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of Jehovah,+ the alien resident as well as the native,+ one half of them in front of Mount Gerʹi·zim+ and the other half of them in front of Mount Eʹbal,+ (just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded,)+ to bless+ the people of Israel first of all. 34 And after this he read aloud all the words of the law,+ the blessing+ and the malediction,+ according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There proved to be not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read aloud in front of all the congregation* of Israel,+ together with the women+ and the little ones+ and the alien residents+ who walked in their midst.

9 And it came about that as soon as all the kings+ who were on the side of the Jordan in the mountainous region and in the She·pheʹlah* and along the whole coast of the Great Sea+ and* in front of Lebʹa·non,+ the Hitʹtites+ and the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites,+ the Perʹiz·zites,+ the Hiʹvites and the Jebʹu·sites,+ heard of it, 2 they began to assemble themselves all together to make war against Joshua and Israel unanimously.+

3 And the inhabitants of Gibʹe·on+ heard what Joshua had done to Jerʹi·cho+ and Aʹi.+ 4 So they, even of their own accord, acted with shrewdness+ and went and stocked themselves with provisions and took worn-out sacks for their asses, and wine skin-bottles worn out and burst and tied up,+ 5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out garments upon themselves, and all the bread of their provisions proved to be dry and crumby. 6 Then they went to Joshua at the camp at Gilʹgal+ and said to him and the men of Israel: “It is from a distant land that we have come. And now CONCLUDE a covenant+ with us.” 7 At this the men of Israel said to the Hiʹvites:+ “Perhaps it is in our vicinity that you are dwelling. So how could we conclude* a covenant with you?”+ 8 In turn they said to Joshua: “We are your servants.”*+

Then Joshua said to them: “Who are YOU, and where do YOU come from?” 9 At this they said to him: “It is from a very distant land+ that your servants have come in regard to the name+ of Jehovah your God, because we have heard of his fame and of all that he did in Egypt,+ 10 and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amʹor·ites who were on the other side of the Jordan, namely, Siʹhon+ the king of Heshʹbon and Og+ the king of Baʹshan, who was in Ashʹta·roth.+ 11 Hence our older men and all the inhabitants of our land said this to us,+ ‘Take provisions in YOUR hands for the journey and go to meet them, and YOU must say to them: “We are YOUR servants.+ And now conclude a covenant with us.”’+ 12 This bread of ours, it was hot when we took it as our provisions out of our houses on the day of our going out to come here to YOU, and now, look! it is dry and has become crumby.+ 13 And these are the wine skin-bottles that we filled new, and, look! they have burst,+ and these garments and sandals of ours, they have worn out because of the great length of the journey.”

14 Upon that the men took some of their provisions, and at the mouth of Jehovah they did not inquire.+ 15 And Joshua went making peace with them+ and concluding a covenant with them to let them live, and so the chieftains+ of the assembly swore to them.+

16 And it came about that at the end of three days, after they had concluded a covenant with them, they got to hear that they were near to them and it was in their vicinity they were dwelling. 17 Then the sons of Israel pulled out and came to their cities on the third day, and their cities were Gibʹe·on+ and Che·phiʹrah+ and Be·erʹoth+ and Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim.+ 18 And the sons of Israel did not strike them, because the chieftains of the assembly had sworn+ to them by Jehovah the God of Israel.+ And all the assembly began to murmur against the chieftains.+ 19 At this all the chieftains said to all the assembly: “We, for our part, have sworn to them by Jehovah the God of Israel, and now we are not allowed to hurt them.+ 20 This is what we shall do to them while letting them live,* that no indignation may come upon us over the oath that we have sworn to them.”+ 21 So the chieftains said to them: “Let them live and let them become gatherers* of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly,+ just as the chieftains have promised them.”+

22 Joshua now called them and spoke to them, saying: “Why did YOU trick us, saying, ‘We are very far away from YOU,’+ whereas YOU are dwelling in our very midst?+ 23 And now YOU are cursed+ people, and a slave’s position+ and being gatherers* of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God will never be cut off from YOU.”+ 24 Then they answered Joshua and said: “It was because your servants were plainly told that Jehovah your God had commanded Moses his servant to give YOU all the land and to annihilate all the inhabitants of the land from before YOU,+ and we became very much afraid for our souls* because of YOU.+ So we did this thing.+ 25 And now here we are, in your hand. Just as it is good and right in your eyes to do to us, do.”+ 26 And he proceeded to do so to them and to deliver them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.+ 27 Accordingly Joshua constituted+ them* on that day gatherers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly+ and for Jehovah’s altar, down to this day, at the place that he should choose.+

10 And it came about that as soon as A·doʹni-zeʹdek the king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Aʹi+ and then devoted it to destruction,+ that just as he had done to Jerʹi·cho+ and its king,+ so he had done to Aʹi and its king,+ and that the inhabitants of Gibʹe·on had made peace with Israel+ and were continuing in their midst, 2 he* became very much afraid,+ because Gibʹe·on was a great city, like one of the royal cities,* and because it was greater than Aʹi,+ and all its men were mighty ones. 3 Consequently A·doʹni-zeʹdek the king of Jerusalem+ sent to Hoʹham the king of Heʹbron+ and to Piʹram the king of Jarʹmuth+ and to Ja·phiʹa the king of Laʹchish+ and to Deʹbir the king of Egʹlon,+ saying, 4 “Come up to me and help me and let us strike Gibʹe·on, because it has made peace with Joshua and the sons of Israel.”+ 5 At this they gathered together and went on up, five kings of the Amʹor·ites,+ the king of Jerusalem, the king of Heʹbron, the king of Jarʹmuth, the king of Laʹchish, the king of Egʹlon, these and all their camps, and they proceeded to camp against Gibʹe·on and to war against it.

6 Upon that the men of Gibʹe·on sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilʹgal,+ saying: “Do not let your hand relax from your slaves.+ Come up to us quickly and do save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amʹor·ites inhabiting the mountainous region have collected together against us.” 7 So Joshua went on up from Gilʹgal, he and all the people of war with him+ and all the valiant mighty men.+

8 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid of them,+ for into your hand I have given them.+ Not a man of them will stand against you.”+ 9 And Joshua proceeded to come against them by surprise. All night long he had gone up from Gilʹgal. 10 And Jehovah went throwing them into confusion before Israel,+ and they* began to slay them with a great slaughter at Gibʹe·on+ and went pursuing them by way of the ascent of Beth-hoʹron and slaying them as far as A·zeʹkah+ and Mak·keʹdah.+ 11 And it came about that while they were fleeing from before Israel and were on the descent of Beth-hoʹron, Jehovah hurled great stones+ from the heavens upon them as far as A·zeʹkah, so that they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 It was then that Joshua proceeded to speak to Jehovah on the day of Jehovah’s abandoning the Amʹor·ites to the sons of Israel, and he went on to say before the eyes of Israel:

13 Accordingly the sun kept motionless, and the moon did stand still, until the nation could take vengeance on its enemies.+ Is it not written in the book of Jaʹshar?*+ And the sun kept standing still in the middle of the heavens and did not hasten to set for about a whole day.+ 14 And no day has proved to be like that one, either before it or after it, in that Jehovah listened to the voice of a man,+ for Jehovah himself was fighting for Israel.+

15 After that Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilʹgal.+

16 Meantime these five kings fled+ and went hiding themselves in the cave at Mak·keʹdah.+ 17 Then the report was made to Joshua, saying: “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Mak·keʹdah.”+ 18 At that Joshua said: “ROLL great stones up to the mouth of the cave and assign men over it to guard them. 19 As for YOU men, do not stand still. Chase after YOUR enemies, and YOU must strike them in the rear.+ Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for Jehovah YOUR God has given them into YOUR hands.”+

20 And it came about that as soon as Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until these came to their end,+ and those who did survive of them escaped and went entering into the fortified cities,+ 21 all the people then began to return to the camp, to Joshua, at Mak·keʹdah in peace. Not a man moved his tongue eagerly against the sons of Israel.+ 22 Then Joshua said: “OPEN the mouth of the cave and bring out these five kings from the cave to me.” 23 At that they did so and brought out to him from the cave these five kings, the king of Jerusalem,+ the king of Heʹbron,+ the king of Jarʹmuth, the king of Laʹchish,+ the king of Egʹlon.+ 24 And it came about that as soon as they had brought out these kings to Joshua, Joshua proceeded to call all the men of Israel and to say to the commanders of the men of war that had gone with him: “Come forward. Place YOUR feet on the back of the necks of these kings.”+ So they came forward and placed their feet on the back of their necks.+ 25 And Joshua went on to say to them: “Do not be afraid or be terrified.+ Be courageous and strong, for it is like this that Jehovah will do to all YOUR enemies against whom YOU are warring.”+

26 And after that Joshua proceeded to strike them and put them to death and hang them upon five stakes,* and they continued hanging upon the stakes until the evening.+ 27 And it came about that at the time of the setting of the sun Joshua commanded, and they went taking them down off the stakes+ and throwing them into the cave where they had hid themselves. Then they placed big stones at the mouth of the cave—until this very day.

28 And Joshua captured Mak·keʹdah+ on that day and went striking it with the edge of the sword. As for its king, he devoted him and every soul* that was in it to destruction.+ He let no survivor remain. So he did to the king of Mak·keʹdah+ just as he had done to the king of Jerʹi·cho.

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Mak·keʹdah to Libʹnah and warred against Libʹnah.+ 30 Accordingly Jehovah gave it also and its king into Israel’s hand, and they went striking it and every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword. They did not let a survivor remain in it. So they did to its king just as they had done to the king of Jerʹi·cho.+

31 Next Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libʹnah to Laʹchish+ and went camping against it and warring upon it. 32 Accordingly Jehovah gave Laʹchish into Israel’s hand so that they captured it on the second day, and they went striking it and every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword,+ according to all that they had done to Libʹnah.

33 It was then that Hoʹram the king of Geʹzer+ went up to help Laʹchish. So Joshua struck him and his people until he had let not a survivor of his remain.+

34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Laʹchish to Egʹlon+ and went camping against it and warring against it. 35 And they got to capture it on that day and began to smite it with the edge of the sword, and they devoted every soul that was in it to destruction on that day, according to all that they had done to Laʹchish.+

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Egʹlon to Heʹbron+ and began to war against it. 37 And they got to capture it and went striking it and its king and all its towns and every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword. He did not let a survivor remain, according to all that he had done to Egʹlon. So he devoted it and every soul that was in it to destruction.+

38 Finally Joshua and all Israel with him came back to Deʹbir+ and began to war against it. 39 And he got to capture it and its king and all its towns, and they went striking them with the edge of the sword and devoting every soul that was in it to destruction.+ He did not let a survivor remain.+ Just as he had done to Heʹbron, so he did to Deʹbir and its king, and just as he had done to Libʹnah and its king.+

40 And Joshua proceeded to strike all the land of the mountainous region+ and the Negʹeb+ and the She·pheʹlah*+ and the slopes+ and all their kings. He did not let a survivor remain, and everything that breathed*+ he devoted to destruction,+ just as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded.+ 41 And Joshua went striking them from Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a+ to Gaʹza+ and all the land of Goʹshen+ and up to Gibʹe·on.+ 42 And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time,+ because it was Jehovah the God of Israel who was fighting for Israel.+ 43 After that Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilʹgal.+

11 And it came about that as soon as Jaʹbin the king of Haʹzor heard of it, he went sending to Joʹbab the king of Maʹdon+ and to the king of Shimʹron and the king of Achʹshaph,+ 2 and to the kings that were to the north in the mountainous region and in the desert plains south of Chinʹne·reth+ and in the She·pheʹlah+ and on the mountain ridges of Dor+ to the west, 3 the Caʹnaan·ites+ to the east and the west, and the Amʹor·ites+ and the Hitʹtites+ and the Perʹiz·zites+ and the Jebʹu·sites+ in the mountainous region and the Hiʹvites+ at the base of Herʹmon+ in the land of Mizʹpah.+ 4 So they went out, they and all their camps with them, a people as numerous as the grains of sand that are on the seashore for multitude,+ and very many horses+ and war chariots. 5 Then all these kings met together by appointment and came and encamped together at the waters of Merʹom to fight against Israel.+

6 At this Jehovah said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid because of them,+ for tomorrow about this time I am abandoning all of them slain to Israel. Their horses you will hamstring,+ and their chariots you will burn in the fire.”+ 7 And Joshua and all the people of war with him proceeded to come against them along the waters of Merʹom by surprise and to fall upon them. 8 Then Jehovah gave them into Israel’s hand,+ and they went striking them and pursuing them as far as populous Siʹdon+ and Misʹre·photh-maʹim+ and the valley plain of Mizʹpeh+ to the east; and they kept striking them until they had not let a survivor of theirs remain.+ 9 After that Joshua did to them just as Jehovah had said to him: their horses he hamstrung,+ and their chariots he burned in the fire.+

10 More than that, Joshua turned about at that time+ and captured Haʹzor;+ and its king he struck down with the sword,+ because Haʹzor was before that the head of all these kingdoms. 11 And they* went striking every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword, devoting [them] to destruction.*+ No breathing thing at all was left over,+ and he burned Haʹzor in the fire. 12 And all the cities of these kings and all their kings Joshua captured and went striking them with the edge of the sword.+ He devoted them to destruction,+ just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded.+ 13 It was only all the cities standing on their own mounds that Israel did not burn, except that Joshua did burn Haʹzor by itself. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the domestic animals the sons of Israel plundered for themselves.+ It was only all humankind that they struck with the edge of the sword until they had annihilated them.+ They did not let anyone that breathed remain.+ 15 Just as Jehovah had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua,+ and so Joshua did. He did not remove a word from all that Jehovah had commanded Moses.+

16 And Joshua proceeded to take all this land, the mountainous region and all the Negʹeb+ and all the land of Goʹshen+ and the She·pheʹlah+ and the Arʹa·bah+ and the mountainous region of Israel and its She·pheʹlah,+ 17 from Mount Haʹlak,+ which goes up to Seʹir,+ and as far as Baʹal-gad+ in the valley plain of Lebʹa·non at the base of Mount Herʹmon,+ and he captured all their kings and went striking them and putting them to death.+ 18 Many days it was that Joshua waged war with all these kings. 19 There proved to be no city that made peace with the sons of Israel but the Hiʹvites+ inhabiting Gibʹe·on.+ All the others they took by war.+ 20 For it proved to be Jehovah’s course to let their hearts become stubborn+ so as to declare war against Israel, in order that he might devote them to destruction, that they might come to have no favorable consideration,+ but in order that he might annihilate them, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.+

21 Furthermore, at that particular time Joshua went and cut off the Anʹa·kim+ from the mountainous region, from Heʹbron, from Deʹbir, from Aʹnab+ and from all the mountainous region of Judah and from all the mountainous region of Israel.+ Along with their cities Joshua devoted them to destruction.+ 22 No Anʹa·kim were left in the land of the sons of Israel. It was only in Gaʹza,+ in Gath+ and in Ashʹdod+ that they remained.+ 23 So Joshua took all the land, according to all that Jehovah had promised Moses,+ and Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel by their shares, according to their tribes.+ And the land had no disturbance from war.+

12 Now these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated and whose land they then took possession of on the side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun,+ from the torrent valley of Arʹnon+ up to Mount Herʹmon+ and all the Arʹa·bah+ toward the sunrise:* 2 Siʹhon+ the king of the Amʹor·ites, who dwelt in Heshʹbon,+ ruling from A·roʹer,+ which was on the bank of the torrent valley of Arʹnon,+ and the middle of the torrent valley, and half of Gilʹe·ad as far as Jabʹbok+ the torrent valley, the boundary of the sons of Amʹmon, 3 and the Arʹa·bah+ as far as the sea of Chinʹne·reth+ toward the east and as far as the sea of the Arʹa·bah, the Salt Sea,+ to the east in the direction of Beth-jeshʹi·moth,+ and toward the south under the slopes of Pisʹgah.+

4 And the territory of Og+ the king of Baʹshan, of what was left over of the Rephʹa·im,+ who dwelt in Ashʹta·roth+ and Edʹre·i,+ 5 and who ruled in Mount Herʹmon+ and in Salʹe·cah and in all Baʹshan,+ as far as the boundary of the Geshʹur·ites+ and the Ma·acʹa·thites,+ and half of Gilʹe·ad, to the territory of Siʹhon+ the king of Heshʹbon.+

6 It was Moses the servant of Jehovah and the sons of Israel who defeated them,+ after which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it as a holding to the Reuʹben·ites+ and the Gadʹites+ and half of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.+

7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel defeated on the side of the Jordan toward the west, from Baʹal-gad+ in the valley plain of Lebʹa·non+ and as far as Mount Haʹlak,+ which goes up to Seʹir,+ after which Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a holding by their shares,+ 8 in the mountainous region and in the She·pheʹlah and in the Arʹa·bah and on the slopes and in the wilderness and in the Negʹeb+—the Hitʹtites, the Amʹor·ites+ and the Caʹnaan·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites and the Jebʹu·sites:+

13 Now Joshua was old, being advanced in years.*+ So Jehovah said to him: “You yourself have grown old and have advanced in years, and to a very great extent the land yet remains to be taken in possession.+ 2 This is the land yet remaining:+ all the regions of the Phi·lisʹtines+ and all the Geshʹur·ites+ 3 (from the branch of the Nile* that is in front of Egypt and up to the border of Ekʹron to the north,+ it used to be reckoned as belonging to the Caʹnaan·ites);+ five axis lords*+ of the Phi·lisʹtines, the Gaʹzites*+ and the Ashʹdod·ites,+ the Ashʹke·lon·ites,+ the Gitʹtites*+ and the Ekʹron·ites;+ and the Avʹvim.+ 4 To the south all the land of the Caʹnaan·ites; and Me·arʹah,* which belongs to the Si·doʹni·ans,+ as far as Aʹphek, as far as the border of the Amʹor·ites; 5 and the land of the Geʹbal·ites*+ and all of Lebʹa·non toward the rising of the sun, from Baʹal-gad+ at the base of Mount Herʹmon as far as to the entering in of Haʹmath;*+ 6 all the inhabitants of the mountainous region, from Lebʹa·non+ to Misʹre·photh-maʹim,+ all the Si·doʹni·ans;+ I myself shall dispossess them from before the sons of Israel.+ Only make it fall to Israel as an inheritance, just as I have commanded you.+ 7 And now apportion this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.”+

8 With the other half tribe the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites took their inheritance that Moses gave them on the side of the Jordan toward the east, just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had given them,+ 9 from A·roʹer,+ which is on the bank of the torrent valley of Arʹnon,+ and the city that is in the middle of the torrent valley, and all the tableland of Medʹe·ba+ as far as Diʹbon;+ 10 and all the cities of Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites, who reigned in Heshʹbon, up to the border of the sons of Amʹmon;+ 11 and Gilʹe·ad and the territory of the Geshʹur·ites+ and the Ma·acʹa·thites and all of Mount Herʹmon+ and all Baʹshan+ as far as Salʹe·cah;+ 12 all the royal realm of Og+ in Baʹshan, who reigned in Ashʹta·roth and in Edʹre·i+—he it was who remained of what was left of the Rephʹa·im+—and Moses went striking them and dispossessing them.+ 13 And the sons of Israel did not dispossess+ the Geshʹur·ites and the Ma·acʹa·thites, but Geshʹur+ and Maʹa·cath keep dwelling in the midst of Israel down to this day.

14 It was only to the tribe of the Levites that he did not give an inheritance.+ The offerings made by fire+ of Jehovah the God of Israel are their inheritance,+ just as he has promised them.+

15 Then Moses made a gift to the tribe of the sons of Reuʹben by their families, 16 and the territory came to be theirs from A·roʹer,+ which is on the bank of the torrent valley of Arʹnon, and the city that is in the middle of the torrent valley, and all the tableland by Medʹe·ba;+ 17 Heshʹbon+ and all its towns+ that are on the tableland, Diʹbon+ and Baʹmoth-baʹal+ and Beth-baʹal-meʹon,+ 18 and Jaʹhaz+ and Kedʹe·moth+ and Mephʹa·ath,+ 19 and Kir·i·a·thaʹim+ and Sibʹmah+ and Zeʹreth-shaʹhar in the mountain of the low plain, 20 and Beth-peʹor and the slopes of Pisʹgah+ and Beth-jeshʹi·moth,+ 21 and all the cities of the tableland+ and all the royal realm of Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites, who reigned in Heshʹbon,+ and whom Moses struck,+ together with the chieftains of Midʹi·an, Eʹvi and Reʹkem and Zur and Hur and Reʹba,+ the dukes of Siʹhon, who were dwelling in the land. 22 And Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor,+ the diviner,+ was one whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword along with their slain ones. 23 And the boundary of the sons of Reuʹben came to be the Jordan; and this as a territory was the inheritance of the sons of Reuʹben+ by their families, with the cities and their settlements.

24 Furthermore, Moses made a gift to the tribe of Gad, the sons of Gad by their families,+ 25 and their territory came to be Jaʹzer+ and all the cities of Gilʹe·ad+ and half of the land of the sons of Amʹmon+ as far as A·roʹer,+ which is in front of Rabʹbah;+ 26 and from Heshʹbon+ to Raʹmath-mizʹpeh and Betʹo·nim and from Ma·ha·naʹim+ to the border of Deʹbir;+ 27 and in the low plain Beth-haʹram+ and Beth-nimʹrah+ and Sucʹcoth+ and Zaʹphon, the rest of the royal realm of Siʹhon the king of Heshʹbon,+ the Jordan being the border as far as the extremity of the sea of Chinʹne·reth*+ on the side of Jordan toward the east. 28 This was the inheritance of the sons of Gad+ by their families, with the cities and their settlements.

29 Further, Moses made a gift to the half tribe* of Ma·nasʹseh, and it came to be that of the half tribe* of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh by their families.+ 30 And their territory came to be from Ma·ha·naʹim+ all of Baʹshan, all the royal realm of Og the king of Baʹshan,+ and all the tent villages of Jaʹir+ that are in Baʹshan, sixty towns. 31 And half of Gilʹe·ad, and Ashʹta·roth+ and Edʹre·i,+ the cities of the royal realm of Og in Baʹshan, went to the sons of Maʹchir+ the son of Ma·nasʹseh, to half of the sons of Maʹchir by their families.

32 These were what Moses caused [them] to inherit, on the desert plains of Moʹab on the side of the Jordan, at Jerʹi·cho, toward the east.+

33 And to the tribe of the Levites Moses did not give an inheritance.+ Jehovah the God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he has promised them.+

14 Now this is what the sons of Israel took as a hereditary possession in the land of Caʹnaan,+ which El·e·aʹzar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel caused them to inherit.+ 2 Their inheritance was by lot,+ just as Jehovah had commanded by means of Moses for the nine tribes and the half tribe.+ 3 For Moses had given the inheritance of the two other tribes and the other half tribe on the other side of the Jordan;+ and to the Levites he did not give an inheritance in their midst.+ 4 For the sons of Joseph had become two tribes,+ Ma·nasʹseh+ and Eʹphra·im;+ and they had not given a share in the land to the Levites, except cities+ to dwell in and their pasture grounds for their livestock and their property.+ 5 Just as Jehovah had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did; and they proceeded to apportion the land.

6 Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilʹgal,+ and Caʹleb+ the son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite+ said to him: “You yourself well know the word that Jehovah spoke+ to Moses the man of the [true] God*+ with regard to me and with regard to you at Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a.+ 7 Forty years old I was when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me out of Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a to spy out the land,+ and I came bringing him back word just as it was in my heart.+ 8 And my brothers who went up with me caused the heart of the people to melt;+ but as for me, I followed Jehovah my God fully.+ 9 Consequently Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land upon which your foot has trod+ will become yours and your sons’ as an inheritance to time indefinite, because you have followed Jehovah my God fully.’+ 10 And now here Jehovah has preserved me alive,+ just as he promised,+ these forty-five years since Jehovah made this promise to Moses when Israel walked in the wilderness,+ and now here I am today eighty-five years old. 11 Yet I am today as strong as on the day of Moses’ sending me out.+ As my power was then, so my power is now for the war, both to go out and to come in.+ 12 And now do give me this mountainous region that Jehovah promised on that day,+ for you yourself heard on that day that there were Anʹa·kim+ there and great fortified cities.+ Likely Jehovah will be with me,+ and I shall certainly dispossess them, just as Jehovah promised.”+

13 At that Joshua blessed him and gave Heʹbron to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh as an inheritance.+ 14 That is why Heʹbron has come to belong to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite as an inheritance down to this day, for the reason that he followed Jehovah the God of Israel fully.+ 15 The name of Heʹbron before that was Kirʹi·ath-arʹba+ ([said Arʹba+ was] the great man among the Anʹa·kim).* And the land had no disturbance from war.+

15 And the lot+ of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their families came to be to the boundary of Eʹdom,+ the wilderness of Zin,+ to the Negʹeb+ at its southern end. 2 And their southern boundary came to be from the extremity of the Salt Sea,+ from the bay that faces southward. 3 And it went out southward to the ascent* of A·krabʹbim+ and passed over to Zin+ and went up from the south to Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a+ and passed over to Hezʹron and went up to Adʹdar and went around to Karʹka. 4 And it passed on to Azʹmon+ and went out to the torrent valley of Egypt;+ and the boundary’s termination proved to be at the sea. This came to be their* southern boundary.

5 And the eastern boundary was the Salt Sea up to the end* of the Jordan, and the boundary at the northern corner was at the bay of the sea, at the end of the Jordan.+ 6 And the boundary went up to Beth-hogʹlah+ and passed over at the north of Beth-arʹa·bah,+ and the boundary went up to the stone of Boʹhan+ the son of Reuʹben. 7 And the boundary went up to Deʹbir at the low plain of Aʹchor+ and turning northward to Gilʹgal,+ which is in front of the ascent of A·dumʹmim, which is south of the torrent valley; and the boundary passed over to the waters of En-sheʹmesh,+ and its termination proved to be En-roʹgel.+ 8 And the boundary went up to the valley of the son of Hinʹnom+ to the slope of the Jebʹu·site+ at the south, that is to say, Jerusalem;+ and the boundary went up to the top of the mountain that faces the valley of Hinʹnom* to the west, which is at the extremity of the low plain of Rephʹa·im+ to the north. 9 And the boundary was marked out from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Neph·toʹah,+ and went out to the cities of Mount Eʹphron; and the boundary was marked out to Baʹal·ah,+ that is to say, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim.+ 10 And the boundary went around from Baʹal·ah westward to Mount Seʹir and passed over to the slope of Mount Jeʹa·rim at the north, that is to say, Chesʹa·lon; and it went down to Beth-sheʹmesh+ and passed over to Timʹnah.+ 11 And the boundary went out to the slope of Ekʹron+ to the north, and the boundary was marked out to Shikʹke·ron and passed over to Mount Baʹal·ah and went out to Jabʹne·el; and the boundary’s termination proved to be at the sea.

12 And the western boundary was at the Great Sea+ and its shoreland. This was the boundary all around, of the sons of Judah by their families.

13 And to Caʹleb+ the son of Je·phunʹneh he gave a share in the midst of the sons of Judah at the order of Jehovah to Joshua, namely, Kirʹi·ath-arʹba ([said Arʹba being] the father of Aʹnak), that is to say, Heʹbron.+ 14 So Caʹleb drove away from there the three sons of Aʹnak,+ namely, Sheʹshai+ and A·hiʹman and Talʹmai,+ those born of Aʹnak.*+ 15 Then he went up from there to the inhabitants of Deʹbir.+ (Now the name of Deʹbir before that was Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher.)+ 16 And Caʹleb proceeded to say: “Whoever strikes Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher and does capture it, I shall certainly give him Achʹsah+ my daughter as a wife.” 17 At that Othʹni·el+ the son of Keʹnaz,+ Caʹleb’s brother, captured it. Accordingly he gave him Achʹsah+ his daughter as a wife. 18 And it came about that when she was going home, she kept inciting him to ask a field from her father. Then she clapped her hands while upon the ass.* At this Caʹleb said to her: “What do you want?”+ 19 So she said: “Do give me a blessing, for it is a piece of land to the south you have given me, and you must give me Gulʹloth-maʹim.”* Accordingly he gave her Upper Gulʹloth and Lower Gulʹloth.*+

20 This was the inheritance+ of the tribe of the sons of Judah+ by their families.

21 And the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the boundary of Eʹdom+ in the south came to be Kabʹze·el+ and Eʹder and Jaʹgur, 22 and Kiʹnah and Di·moʹnah and A·daʹdah, 23 and Keʹdesh and Haʹzor and Ithʹnan, 24 Ziph and Teʹlem+ and Be·aʹloth, 25 and Haʹzor-ha·datʹtah and Keʹri·oth-hezʹron, that is to say, Haʹzor, 26 Aʹmam and Sheʹma and Mo·laʹdah,+ 27 and Haʹzar-gadʹdah and Heshʹmon and Beth-pelʹet,+ 28 and Haʹzar-shuʹal+ and Beʹer-sheʹba+ and Biz·i·o·thiʹah, 29 Baʹal·ah+ and Iʹim and Eʹzem,+ 30 and El·toʹlad and Cheʹsil and Horʹmah,+ 31 and Zikʹlag+ and Mad·manʹnah and San·sanʹnah, 32 and Le·baʹoth and Shilʹhim and Aʹin+ and Rimʹmon;+ all the cities being twenty-nine, together with their settlements.

33 In the She·pheʹlah+ there were Eshʹta·ol+ and Zoʹrah+ and Ashʹnah, 34 and Za·noʹah+ and En-ganʹnim, Tapʹpu·ah and Eʹnam, 35 Jarʹmuth+ and A·dulʹlam,+ Soʹcoh+ and A·zeʹkah,+ 36 and Shaʹa·raʹim+ and Ad·i·thaʹim and Ge·deʹrah and Ged·e·ro·thaʹim; fourteen cities and their settlements.

37 Zeʹnan and Ha·dashʹah and Migʹdal-gad, 38 and Diʹle·an and Mizʹpeh and Jokʹthe·el, 39 Laʹchish+ and Bozʹkath+ and Egʹlon,+ 40 and Cabʹbon and Lahʹmam and Chitʹlish, 41 and Ge·deʹroth, Beth-daʹgon and Naʹa·mah and Mak·keʹdah;+ sixteen cities and their settlements.

42 Libʹnah+ and Eʹther+ and Aʹshan, 43 and Iphʹtah and Ashʹnah and Neʹzib, 44 and Keiʹlah+ and Achʹzib+ and Ma·reʹshah;+ nine cities and their settlements.

45 Ekʹron+ and its dependent towns* and its settlements. 46 From Ekʹron westward all that is alongside Ashʹdod and their settlements.

47 Ashʹdod,+ its dependent towns and its settlements; Gaʹza,+ its dependent towns and its settlements, down to the torrent valley of Egypt, and the Great Sea* and the adjacent region.+

48 And in the mountainous region Shaʹmir and Jatʹtir+ and Soʹcoh, 49 and Danʹnah and Kirʹi·ath-sanʹnah, that is to say, Deʹbir, 50 and Aʹnab and Eshʹte·moh+ and Aʹnim, 51 and Goʹshen+ and Hoʹlon and Giʹloh;+ eleven cities and their settlements.

52 Arab and Duʹmah and Eʹshan, 53 and Jaʹnim and Beth-tapʹpu·ah and A·pheʹkah, 54 and Humʹtah and Kirʹi·ath-arʹba, that is to say, Heʹbron,+ and Ziʹor; nine cities and their settlements.

55 Maʹon,+ Carʹmel and Ziph+ and Jutʹtah, 56 and Jezʹre·el and Jokʹde·am and Za·noʹah, 57 Kaʹin, Gibʹe·ah and Timʹnah;+ ten cities and their settlements.

58 Halʹhul, Beth-zur and Geʹdor, 59 and Maʹa·rath and Beth-aʹnoth and Elʹte·kon; six cities and their settlements.

60 Kirʹi·ath-baʹal,+ that is to say, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim,+ and Rabʹbah; two cities and their settlements.

61 In the wilderness Beth-arʹa·bah,+ Midʹdin and Se·caʹcah, 62 and Nibʹshan and the City of Salt and En-geʹdi;+ six cities and their settlements.

63 As for the Jebʹu·sites+ who were dwelling in Jerusalem,+ the sons of Judah were not able to drive them away;+ and the Jebʹu·sites continue dwelling with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem down to this day.

16 And the lot+ came out for the sons of Joseph+ from the Jordan+ at Jerʹi·cho to the waters of Jerʹi·cho eastward, the wilderness going up from Jerʹi·cho into the mountainous region of Bethʹel.+ 2 And it went out from Bethʹel belonging to Luz+ and passed over to the boundary of the Arʹchites+ at Atʹa·roth, 3 and it went down westward to the boundary of the Japhʹle·tites as far as the boundary of Lower Beth-hoʹron+ and Geʹzer,+ and its termination proved to be at the sea.+

4 And the sons of Joseph,+ Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im,+ proceeded to take possession of land.+ 5 And the boundary of the sons of Eʹphra·im by their families came to be, yes, the boundary of their inheritance toward the east came to be Atʹa·roth-adʹdar,+ as far as Upper Beth-hoʹron;+ 6 and the boundary went out to the sea. Mich·meʹthath+ was on the north, and the boundary went around eastward to Taʹa·nath-shiʹloh, and passed over eastward to Ja·noʹah. 7 And it went down from Ja·noʹah to Atʹa·roth and Naʹa·rah and reached to Jerʹi·cho+ and went out to the Jordan. 8 From Tapʹpu·ah+ the boundary moved on westward to the torrent valley of Kaʹnah,+ and its termination proved to be at the sea.+ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Eʹphra·im by their families. 9 And the sons of Eʹphra·im had enclave* cities+ in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh, all the cities and their settlements.

10 And they did not drive away the Caʹnaan·ites+ who were dwelling in Geʹzer,+ and the Caʹnaan·ites continue dwelling in among Eʹphra·im down to this day+ and came to be subject to slavish forced labor.+

17 And the lot+ came to be for the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh,+ because he was Joseph’s firstborn,+ for Maʹchir+ the firstborn of Ma·nasʹseh, the father of Gilʹe·ad,+ because he was one who proved to be a man of war;+ and Gilʹe·ad+ and Baʹshan came to belong to him. 2 And there came to be [a lot]* for the sons of Ma·nasʹseh who were left over according to their families, for the sons of Abi-eʹzer+ and the sons of Heʹlek+ and the sons of Asʹri·el and the sons of Sheʹchem+ and the sons of Heʹpher and the sons of She·miʹda.+ These were the sons of Ma·nasʹseh the son of Joseph, the males according to their families. 3 As for Ze·loʹphe·had+ the son of Heʹpher, the son of Gilʹe·ad, the son of Maʹchir, the son of Ma·nasʹseh, he proved to have, not sons, but daughters, and these were the names of his daughters: Mahʹlah and Noah, Hogʹlah, Milʹcah and Tirʹzah.+ 4 So they presented themselves before El·e·aʹzar+ the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the chieftains, saying: “Jehovah it was who commanded Moses to give us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.”+ Accordingly he gave them, at the order of Jehovah, an inheritance in the midst of the brothers of their father.+

5 And there were ten allotments falling to Ma·nasʹseh apart from the land of Gilʹe·ad and Baʹshan, which were on the other side of the Jordan;+ 6 for the daughters of Ma·nasʹseh came into an inheritance in the midst of his sons; and the land of Gilʹe·ad became the property of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh who were left over.

7 And the boundary of Ma·nasʹseh came to be from Ashʹer to Mich·meʹthath,+ which is in front of Sheʹchem,+ and the boundary moved to the right to the inhabitants of En-Tapʹpu·ah. 8 The land of Tapʹpu·ah+ became Ma·nasʹseh’s, but Tapʹpu·ah at the boundary of Ma·nasʹseh belonged to the sons of Eʹphra·im. 9 And the boundary went down to the torrent valley of Kaʹnah, southward to the torrent valley of these cities+ of Eʹphra·im in the midst of the cities of Ma·nasʹseh, and the boundary of Ma·nasʹseh was on the north of the torrent valley, and its termination came to be at the sea.+ 10 To the south it was Eʹphra·im’s and to the north, Ma·nasʹseh’s, and the sea came to be his* boundary;+ and on the north they reach to Ashʹer and on the east, to Isʹsa·char.

11 And there came to belong to Ma·nasʹseh+ in Isʹsa·char and in Ashʹer Beth-sheʹan+ and its dependent towns and Ibʹle·am+ and its dependent towns and the inhabitants of Dor+ and its dependent towns and the inhabitants of En-dor+ and its dependent towns and the inhabitants of Taʹa·nach+ and its dependent towns and the inhabitants of Me·gidʹdo+ and its dependent towns, three of the heights.

12 And the sons of Ma·nasʹseh did not prove able to take possession of these cities,+ but the Caʹnaan·ites persisted in dwelling in this land.+ 13 And it turned out that when the sons of Israel had grown strong,+ they went putting the Caʹnaan·ites at forced labor,+ and they did not dispossess them entirely.+

14 And the sons of Joseph proceeded to speak with Joshua, saying: “Why is it that you have given me as an inheritance one lot+ and one allotment, whereas I am a numerous people for the reason that Jehovah has blessed me until now?”+ 15 At this Joshua said to them: “If you are a numerous people, go your way up to the forest, and you must cut it down for yourself there in the land of the Perʹiz·zites+ and the Rephʹa·im,+ because the mountainous region+ of Eʹphra·im has become too narrow for you.” 16 Then the sons of Joseph said: “The mountainous region is not enough for us, and there are war chariots+ with iron scythes among all the Caʹnaan·ites dwelling in the land of the low plain, both those who are in Beth-sheʹan+ and its dependent towns and those who are in the low plain of Jezʹre·el.”+ 17 So Joshua said this to the house of Joseph, to Eʹphra·im and Ma·nasʹseh: “A numerous people you are, and great power is yours.+ You ought not to get one lot,+ 18 but the mountainous region should become yours.+ Because it is a forest, you must cut it down, and it must become the termination point for you. For you should drive away the Caʹnaan·ites, although they have war chariots with iron scythes* and they are strong.”+

18 Then all the assembly of the sons of Israel were congregated at Shiʹloh,+ and they proceeded to locate the tent of meeting there,+ as the land was now subdued before them.+ 2 But there were still left among the sons of Israel those whose inheritance they had not apportioned out, namely, seven tribes. 3 So Joshua said to the sons of Israel: “How long are YOU going to be delinquent about going in to take possession of the land+ that Jehovah the God of YOUR forefathers has given YOU?+ 4 Furnish for yourselves three men of each tribe and let me send them out, that they may get up and walk about in the land and map it out in accord with their inheritance, and let them come to me.+ 5 And they must apportion it among themselves into seven shares.+ Judah will keep standing on his territory to the south,+ and the house of Joseph will keep standing on their territory to the north.+ 6 As for YOU people, YOU will map out the land into seven shares, and YOU must bring them here to me, and I must cast lots+ here for YOU before Jehovah our God. 7 For the Levites have no share in among YOU,+ because the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance;+ and Gad and Reuʹben+ and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh+ have taken their inheritance on the side of the Jordan toward the east, which Moses the servant of Jehovah has given them.”+

8 So the men got up that they might go, and Joshua proceeded to command+ those who were going to map out the land, saying: “Go and walk about in the land and map it out and return to me, and here is where I shall draw lots+ for YOU before Jehovah in Shiʹloh.”+ 9 With that the men went and passed through the land and mapped+ it out by cities in seven shares, in a book. After that they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiʹloh, 10 and Joshua went drawing lots for them in Shiʹloh before Jehovah.+ Thus Joshua there apportioned the land to the sons of Israel in their shares.+

11 Then the lot+ came up of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin+ by their families, and the territory of their lot went out between the sons of Judah+ and the sons of Joseph.+ 12 And their boundary came to be at the northern corner from the Jordan, and the boundary went up to the slope of Jerʹi·cho+ on the north and went up on the mountain westward, and its termination proved to be at the wilderness of Beth-aʹven.+ 13 And the boundary passed over from there to Luz,+ at the southern slope of Luz, that is to say, Bethʹel;+ and the boundary went down to Atʹa·roth-adʹdar+ upon the mountain that is on the south of Lower Beth-hoʹron.+ 14 And the boundary was marked out and went around at the western side to the south from the mountain that faces Beth-hoʹron to the south; and its termination proved to be at Kirʹi·ath-baʹal, that is to say, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim,+ a city of the sons of Judah. This is the western side.

15 And the side to the south was from the extremity of Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, and the boundary went out westward and went out to the spring of the waters of Neph·toʹah.+ 16 And the boundary went down to the extremity of the mountain that faces the valley of the son of Hinʹnom,+ which is in the low plain of Rephʹa·im+ to the north, and it went down to the valley of Hinʹnom,* to the slope of the Jebʹu·site+ on the south, and went down to En-roʹgel.+ 17 And it was marked out northward and went out to En-sheʹmesh and went out to Gel·iʹloth, which is in front of the ascent of A·dumʹmim;+ and it went down to the stone+ of Boʹhan+ the son of Reuʹben. 18 And it passed over to the northern slope in front of the Arʹa·bah and went down to the Arʹa·bah. 19 And the boundary passed over to the northern slope of Beth-hogʹlah,+ and the termination of it (the border) proved to be at the northern bay of the Salt Sea+ at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary. 20 And the Jordan served as its boundary on the eastern side. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin by their families, by its boundaries all around.

21 And the cities of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin by their families proved to be Jerʹi·cho+ and Beth-hogʹlah and Eʹmek-keʹziz, 22 and Beth-arʹa·bah+ and Zem·a·raʹim and Bethʹel,+ 23 and Avʹvim and Paʹrah and Ophʹrah,+ 24 and Cheʹphar-amʹmo·ni and Ophʹni and Geʹba;+ twelve cities and their settlements.

25 Gibʹe·on+ and Raʹmah and Be·erʹoth, 26 and Mizʹpeh+ and Che·phiʹrah+ and Moʹzah, 27 and Reʹkem and Irʹpe·el and Tarʹa·lah, 28 and Zeʹlah,+ Ha-eʹleph and Je·buʹsi,* that is to say, Jerusalem,+ Gibʹe·ah+ and Kirʹi·ath; fourteen cities and their settlements.

This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin by their families.+

19 Then the second lot+ came out for Simʹe·on, for the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on+ by their families. And their inheritance came to be in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.+ 2 And they came to have in their inheritance Beʹer-sheʹba+ with Sheʹba,* and Mo·laʹdah,+ 3 and Haʹzar-shuʹal+ and Baʹlah and Eʹzem,+ 4 and El·toʹlad+ and Beʹthul and Horʹmah, 5 and Zikʹlag+ and Beth-marʹca·both and Haʹzar-suʹsah,+ 6 and Beth-le·baʹoth+ and Sha·ruʹhen; thirteen cities and their settlements. 7 Aʹin,+ Rimʹmon+ and Eʹther and Aʹshan;+ four cities and their settlements, 8 and all the settlements that were all around these cities as far as Baʹal·ath-beʹer,+ Raʹmah+ of the south.* This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on by their families. 9 The inheritance of the sons of Simʹe·on was out of the allotment of the sons of Judah, because the share of the sons of Judah proved to be too large for them.+ So the sons of Simʹe·on got a possession in the midst of their inheritance.+

10 Next the third lot+ came up for the sons of Zebʹu·lun+ by their families, and the boundary of their inheritance came to be as far as Saʹrid. 11 And their boundary went up westward also to Marʹe·al and reached to Dabʹbe·sheth and reached to the torrent valley that is in front of Jokʹne·am.+ 12 And it went back from Saʹrid eastward toward the rising of the sun to the border of Chisʹloth-taʹbor and went out to Dabʹe·rath+ and went up to Ja·phiʹa. 13 And from there it passed over eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-heʹpher,+ to Eth-kaʹzin, and went out to Rimʹmon and was marked out to Neʹah.* 14 And the boundary went around it on the north to Hanʹna·thon, and its terminations proved to be at the valley of Iphʹtah-el, 15 and Katʹtath and Na·halʹal and Shimʹron+ and Iʹda·lah and Bethʹle·hem;+ twelve cities and their settlements. 16 This was the inheritance+ of the sons of Zebʹu·lun by their families.+ These were the cities and their settlements.

17 It was for Isʹsa·char+ that the fourth lot came out, for the sons of Isʹsa·char by their families. 18 And their boundary came to be to Jezʹre·el+ and Che·sulʹloth and Shuʹnem,+ 19 and Haphʹa·raʹim and Shiʹon and An·a·haʹrath, 20 and Rabʹbith and Kishʹi·on and Eʹbez, 21 and Reʹmeth and En-ganʹnim+ and En-hadʹdah and Beth-pazʹzez. 22 And the boundary reached to Taʹbor+ and Sha·ha·zuʹmah and Beth-sheʹmesh, and the terminations of their border proved to be at the Jordan; sixteen cities and their settlements. 23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Isʹsa·char by their families,+ the cities and their settlements.

24 Then the fifth lot+ came out for the tribe of the sons of Ashʹer+ by their families. 25 And their boundary came to be Helʹkath+ and Haʹli and Beʹten and Achʹshaph,+ 26 and Al·lamʹme·lech and Aʹmad and Miʹshal.+ And it reached westward to Carʹmel+ and to Shiʹhor-libʹnath, 27 and it went back toward the rising of the sun to Beth-daʹgon and reached to Zebʹu·lun+ and the valley of Iphʹtah-el to the north, to Beth-eʹmek and Ne·iʹel, and it went out to Caʹbul on the left, 28 and to Eʹbron and Reʹhob and Hamʹmon and Kaʹnah as far as populous Siʹdon.+ 29 And the boundary went back to Raʹmah and as far as the fortified city of Tyre.+ And the boundary went back to Hoʹsah, and its terminations came to be at the sea in the region of Achʹzib,*+ 30 and Umʹmah and Aʹphek+ and Reʹhob;+ twenty-two cities and their settlements. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ashʹer by their families.+ These were the cities and their settlements.

32 It was for the sons of Naphʹta·li+ that the sixth lot+ came out, for the sons of Naphʹta·li by their families. 33 And their boundary came to be from Heʹleph, from the big tree in Za·a·nanʹnim,+ and Adʹa·mi-neʹkeb and Jabʹne·el as far as Lakʹkum; and its terminations came to be at the Jordan. 34 And the boundary went back westward to Azʹnoth-taʹbor and went out from there to Hukʹkok and reached to Zebʹu·lun+ on the south, and to Ashʹer+ it reached on the west and to Judah+ at the Jordan* toward the rising of the sun. 35 And the fortified cities were Zidʹdim, Zer and Hamʹmath,+ Rakʹkath and Chinʹne·reth,+ 36 and Adʹa·mah and Raʹmah and Haʹzor,+ 37 and Keʹdesh+ and Edʹre·i and En-haʹzor, 38 and Yiʹron and Migʹdal-el, Hoʹrem and Beth-aʹnath and Beth-sheʹmesh;+ nineteen cities and their settlements. 39 This was the inheritance+ of the tribe of the sons of Naphʹta·li by their families,+ the cities and their settlements.

40 It was for the tribe of the sons of Dan+ by their families that the seventh lot+ came out. 41 And the border of their inheritance came to be Zoʹrah+ and Eshʹta·ol and Ir-sheʹmesh, 42 and Sha·al·abʹbin+ and Aiʹja·lon+ and Ithʹlah, 43 and Eʹlon and Timʹnah+ and Ekʹron,+ 44 and Elʹte·keh and Gibʹbe·thon+ and Baʹal·ath,+ 45 and Jeʹhud* and Benʹe-beʹrak and Gath-rimʹmon,+ 46 and Me-jarʹkon and Rakʹkon, with the border in front of Jopʹpa.+ 47 And the territory of the sons of Dan was too cramped+ for them.* And the sons of Dan proceeded to go up and war against Leʹshem+ and to capture it and strike it with the edge of the sword. Then they took possession of it and went dwelling in it, and they began to call Leʹshem Dan, according to the name of Dan their forefather.+ 48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan by their families. These were the cities and their settlements.

49 Thus they finished dividing the land for a possession by its territories. Then the sons of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun in their midst. 50 At the order of Jehovah they gave him the city for which he asked,+ namely, Timʹnath-seʹrah,+ in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im; and he began to build up the city and dwell in it.

51 These were the inheritances that El·e·aʹzar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed+ as a possession by lot in Shiʹloh+ before Jehovah, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.+ So they left off from apportioning the land.

20 Then Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Give for yourselves the cities of refuge+ of which I spoke to YOU by means of Moses, 3 for the manslayer+ who fatally strikes a soul unintentionally without knowing it to flee there; and they must serve YOU as a refuge from the avenger* of blood.+ 4 And he must flee+ to one of these cities and stand at the entrance of the gate+ of the city and speak his words in the hearing of the older men+ of that city; and they must receive him into the city to themselves and give him a place and he must dwell with them. 5 And in case the avenger of blood chases after him, then they should not surrender the manslayer into his hand;+ for it was without knowing it that he struck his fellowman fatally, and he was not hating him formerly.+ 6 And he must dwell in that city until his standing before the assembly for judgment,+ until the death of the high priest*+ who happens to be in those days. It is then that the manslayer may return,+ and he must enter into his city and into his house, into the city from which he had fled.’”

7 Accordingly they gave a sacred status to Keʹdesh*+ in Galʹi·lee* in the mountainous region of Naphʹta·li, and Sheʹchem+ in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, and Kirʹi·ath-arʹba,+ that is to say, Heʹbron, in the mountainous region of Judah. 8 And in the region of the Jordan, at Jerʹi·cho, toward the east they gave Beʹzer+ in the wilderness on the tableland out of the tribe of Reuʹben,+ and Raʹmoth+ in Gilʹe·ad out of the tribe of Gad, and Goʹlan+ in Baʹshan out of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.

9 These became the cities appointed for all the sons of Israel and for the alien resident who resides as an alien in their midst, for anyone to flee there who fatally strikes a soul unintentionally,+ that he may not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until his standing before the assembly.+

21 The heads of the fathers of the Levites now approached El·e·aʹzar+ the priest and Joshua+ the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 2 and they proceeded to speak to them in Shiʹloh+ in the land of Caʹnaan, saying: “Jehovah by means of Moses commanded cities to be given us in which to dwell, together with their pasture grounds for our domestic animals.”+ 3 So the sons of Israel gave the Levites,+ at the order of Jehovah, these cities and their pasture grounds out of their inheritance.+

4 Then the lot came out for the families of the Koʹhath·ites,+ and thirteen cities came to belong to the sons of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, by lot, out of the tribe of Judah+ and out of the tribe of the Simʹe·on·ites+ and out of the tribe of Benjamin.+

5 And for the sons of Koʹhath+ that were left over there were by lot ten cities out of the families of the tribe* of Eʹphra·im+ and out of the tribe of Dan+ and out of the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.+

6 And for the sons of Gerʹshon+ there were by lot thirteen cities out of the families of the tribe of Isʹsa·char+ and out of the tribe of Ashʹer+ and out of the tribe of Naphʹta·li+ and out of the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in Baʹshan.+

7 For the sons of Me·rarʹi+ by their families there were twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuʹben+ and out of the tribe of Gad+ and out of the tribe of Zebʹu·lun.+

8 Thus the sons of Israel gave the Levites these cities and their pasture grounds+ by lot,+ just as Jehovah had commanded by means of Moses.+

9 So out of the tribe of the sons of Judah and out of the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on they gave these cities that were called by name,+ 10 and they came to belong to the sons of Aaron out of the families of the Koʹhath·ites of the sons of Leʹvi, because the first lot became theirs.+ 11 Thus they gave them Kirʹi·ath-arʹba+ ([said Arʹba being] the father of Aʹnak),+ that is to say, Heʹbron,+ in the mountainous region of Judah,+ and its pasture ground all around it; 12 and the field of the city and its settlements they gave to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh as his possession.+

13 And to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave the city of refuge+ for the manslayer,+ namely, Heʹbron,+ and its pasture ground, also Libʹnah+ and its pasture ground, 14 and Jatʹtir+ and its pasture ground, and Esh·te·moʹa+ and its pasture ground, 15 and Hoʹlon*+ and its pasture ground, and Deʹbir+ and its pasture ground, 16 and Aʹin*+ and its pasture ground, and Jutʹtah+ and its pasture ground, Beth-sheʹmesh+ and its pasture ground; nine cities out of these two tribes.

17 And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibʹe·on+ and its pasture ground, Geʹba+ and its pasture ground, 18 Anʹa·thoth+ and its pasture ground, and Alʹmon*+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

19 All the cities of the sons of Aaron,+ the priests, were thirteen cities and their pasture grounds.+

20 And for the families of the sons of Koʹhath, the Levites who were left over of the sons of Koʹhath, there came to be by their lot cities out of the tribe of Eʹphra·im.+ 21 Accordingly they gave them the city of refuge+ for the manslayer,+ namely, Sheʹchem,+ and its pasture ground+ in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, and Geʹzer+ and its pasture ground, 22 and Kibʹza·im*+ and its pasture ground, and Beth-hoʹron+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

23 And from the tribe of Dan, Elʹte·ke and its pasture ground, Gibʹbe·thon+ and its pasture ground, 24 Aiʹja·lon+ and its pasture ground, Gath-rimʹmon+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

25 And from the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, Taʹa·nach+ and its pasture ground, and Gath-rimʹmon and its pasture ground; two cities.

26 All the cities together with their pasture grounds that the families of the sons of Koʹhath who were left over had were ten.

27 And for the sons of Gerʹshon,+ of the families of the Levites, there was out of the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh+ the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Goʹlan,+ in Baʹshan, and its pasture ground, and Be·eshʹte·rah*+ and its pasture ground; two cities.

28 And out of the tribe of Isʹsa·char,+ Kishʹi·on+ and its pasture ground, Dabʹe·rath+ and its pasture ground, 29 Jarʹmuth*+ and its pasture ground, En-ganʹnim+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

30 And out of the tribe of Ashʹer,+ Miʹshal+ and its pasture ground, Abʹdon+ and its pasture ground, 31 Helʹkath+ and its pasture ground, and Reʹhob+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

32 And out of the tribe of Naphʹta·li,+ the city of refuge+ for the manslayer,+ namely, Keʹdesh+ in Galʹi·lee,* and its pasture ground, and Hamʹmoth-dor+ and its pasture ground, and Karʹtan* and its pasture ground; three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gerʹshon·ites by their families were thirteen cities and their pasture grounds.

34 And the families of the sons of Me·rarʹi,+ the Levites who were left over, had out of the tribe of Zebʹu·lun+ Jokʹne·am+ and its pasture ground, Karʹtah and its pasture ground, 35 Dimʹnah*+ and its pasture ground, Na·halʹal+ and its pasture ground; four cities.

36 And out of the tribe of Reuʹben,+ Beʹzer+ and its pasture ground, and Jaʹhaz+ and its pasture ground, 37 Kedʹe·moth+ and its pasture ground, and Mephʹa·ath+ and its pasture ground; four cities.*

38 And out of the tribe of Gad,+ the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Raʹmoth in Gilʹe·ad,+ and its pasture ground, and Ma·ha·naʹim+ and its pasture ground, 39 Heshʹbon+ and its pasture ground, Jaʹzer+ and its pasture ground; all the cities being four.

40 All the cities that came to belong to the sons of Me·rarʹi+ by their families, who were left over from the families of the Levites, were, as their lot, twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities+ together with their pasture grounds.+ 42 These cities came to be each a city together with its pasture ground all around it—thus as to all these cities.+

43 So Jehovah gave Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their forefathers,+ and they proceeded to take possession+ of it and to dwell in it. 44 Furthermore, Jehovah gave them rest+ all around, according to everything that he had sworn+ to their forefathers, and not one of all their enemies stood before them.+ All their enemies Jehovah gave into their hand.+ 45 Not a promise failed out of all the good promise that Jehovah had made to the house of Israel; it all came true.+

22 At that time Joshua proceeded to call the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh+ 2 and to say to them: “For YOUR part, YOU have kept all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded YOU,+ and YOU were obedient to my voice in all that I have commanded YOU.+ 3 YOU have not left YOUR brothers these many days+ down to this day, and YOU have kept the obligation of the commandment of Jehovah YOUR God.+ 4 And now Jehovah YOUR God has given YOUR brothers rest, just as he promised them.+ So now turn and go YOUR way to YOUR tents in the land of YOUR possession, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave YOU on the other side of the Jordan.+ 5 Only be very careful to carry out the commandment+ and the law that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded YOU by loving Jehovah YOUR God+ and by walking in all his ways+ and by keeping his commandments+ and by cleaving to him+ and by serving+ him with all YOUR heart+ and with all YOUR soul.”+

6 With that Joshua blessed+ them and sent them away that they might go to their tents.* 7 And to the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh Moses had made a gift in Baʹshan,+ and to the other half of it Joshua made a gift with their brothers on the side of the Jordan to the west.+ So, too, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he proceeded to bless them. 8 And he went on to say to them: “Return to YOUR tents with many riches and with very much livestock, with silver and gold and copper and iron and garments in very great quantity.+ Take YOUR share of the spoil+ of YOUR enemies together with YOUR brothers.”

9 After that the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh returned and went away from the other sons of Israel, from Shiʹloh, which is in the land of Caʹnaan, so as to go to the land of Gilʹe·ad,+ to the land of their possession in which they had been settled at the order of Jehovah by means of Moses.+ 10 When they came to the regions of the Jordan that were in the land of Caʹnaan, then the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar+ great in conspicuousness. 11 Later on the other sons of Israel heard+ it said: “Look! The sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Caʹnaan in the regions of the Jordan on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel got to hear of it, the whole assembly of the sons of Israel+ were then congregated at Shiʹloh+ to go up for military action against them.+

13 Then the sons of Israel sent+ to the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in the land of Gilʹe·ad Phinʹe·has+ the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest, 14 and ten chieftains with him, one chieftain of each paternal house of all the tribes of Israel, and they were each a head of the house of their fathers of the thousands of Israel.+ 15 In time they came to the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in the land of Gilʹe·ad and began to speak with them,+ saying:

16 “This is what all the assembly of Jehovah+ have said, ‘What is this act of unfaithfulness+ that YOU have perpetrated against the God of Israel in turning+ back today from following Jehovah by YOUR building for yourselves an altar,+ that YOU may rebel today against Jehovah? 17 Was the error of Peʹor+ too small for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves down to this day, although the plague came to be upon the assembly of Jehovah?+ 18 And YOU—YOU would turn back today from following Jehovah; and it must occur that should YOU, for YOUR part, rebel today against Jehovah, then tomorrow it will be against the entire assembly of Israel that he will be indignant.+ 19 Now if it is indeed that the land of YOUR possession is unclean,+ make YOUR way across to the land of Jehovah’s possession+ where the tabernacle of Jehovah has resided,+ and get settled in our midst; and against Jehovah do not YOU rebel and do not make us the ones to rebel by YOUR building for yourselves an altar in addition to the altar of Jehovah our God.+ 20 Was it not Aʹchan+ the son of Zeʹrah that perpetrated an act of unfaithfulness in the thing devoted to destruction, and was it not against all the assembly of Israel that there came indignation?+ And he was not the only man to expire in his error.’”+

21 At this the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh answered+ and spoke with the heads of the thousands of Israel:+ 22 “Divine One,+ God,+ Jehovah, Divine One, God, Jehovah,*+ he is knowing,+ and Israel, he too will know.+ If it is in rebellion*+ and if it is in unfaithfulness against Jehovah,+ do not save us this day. 23 If* it was to build for ourselves an altar so as to turn back from following Jehovah, and if it was to offer up burnt offerings and grain offerings on it,+ and if it was to render up communion sacrifices on it, Jehovah himself will search out;+ 24 or if it was not rather out of anxious care for something else that we did this, saying, ‘In a future day YOUR sons will say to our sons: “What do YOU have to do with Jehovah* the God of Israel? 25 And there is a boundary that Jehovah has put between us and YOU, the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad, namely, the Jordan. YOU have no share in Jehovah.”+ And YOUR sons will certainly make our sons desist from fearing Jehovah.’+

26 “Hence we said, ‘Let us take action in our behalf, please, by building the altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, 27 but that it may be a witness between us+ and YOU and our generations after us that we shall render the service* of Jehovah before him with our burnt offerings and our sacrifices and our communion sacrifices,+ that YOUR sons may not say in a future day to our sons: “YOU have no share in Jehovah.”’ 28 So we said, ‘And it must occur that in case they should say that to us and to our generations in a future day, we must also say: “See the representation of Jehovah’s altar that our fathers made, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and YOU.”’ 29 It is unthinkable, on our part, to rebel of our own accord against Jehovah and to turn back today from following Jehovah+ by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering and sacrifice besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle!”+

30 Now when Phinʹe·has+ the priest and the chieftains of the assembly+ and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words that the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Ma·nasʹseh spoke, it came to be good in their eyes. 31 So Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest said to the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Ma·nasʹseh: “Today we do know that Jehovah is in our midst,+ because YOU have not perpetrated against Jehovah this act of unfaithfulness. Now YOU have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.”+

32 With that Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest and the chieftains returned+ from the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad in the land of Gilʹe·ad to the land of Caʹnaan to the other sons of Israel and brought back word to them.+ 33 And the word came to be good in the eyes of the sons of Israel; and the sons of Israel proceeded to bless God,+ and they did not talk of going up for army service against them to ruin the land in which the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad were dwelling.

34 And the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad began to name the altar,* because “it is a witness between us that Jehovah is the [true] God.”+

23 And it came about many days after Jehovah had given Israel rest+ from all their enemies all around, when Joshua was old and advanced in days,+ 2 that Joshua proceeded to call all Israel,+ its older men and its heads and its judges and its officers,+ and to say to them: “As for me, I have grown old, I have advanced in days. 3 And as for YOU, YOU have seen all that Jehovah YOUR God did to all these nations on YOUR account,+ because Jehovah YOUR God was the one who was fighting for YOU.+ 4 See, I assigned to YOU by lot*+ these nations that remain as an inheritance for YOUR tribes, and all the nations that I cut off,+ from the Jordan* to the Great Sea at the setting of the sun.+ 5 And Jehovah YOUR God was the one who kept pushing them away from before YOU,+ and he dispossessed them on YOUR account, and YOU took possession of their land, just as Jehovah YOUR God had promised YOU.+

6 “And YOU must be very courageous+ to keep and to do all that is written in the book+ of the law of Moses by never turning away from it to the right or to the left,+ 7 by never going in among these nations,+ these that remain with YOU. And YOU must not mention the names of their gods+ nor swear by them,+ neither must YOU serve them nor bow down to them.+ 8 But it is to Jehovah YOUR God that YOU should cleave,+ just as YOU have done down to this day. 9 And Jehovah will drive away great and mighty nations from before YOU.+ (As for YOU, not a man has stood before YOU down to this day.)+ 10 Just one man of YOU will chase a thousand,+ because Jehovah YOUR God is the one who is fighting for YOU,+ just as he has promised YOU.+ 11 And YOU must be on constant guard+ for YOUR souls* by loving Jehovah YOUR God.+

12 “But if YOU should turn back at all+ and YOU do cleave to what is left of these nations,+ these that remain with YOU, and YOU do form marriage alliances+ with them and go in among them, and they among YOU, 13 YOU should positively know that Jehovah YOUR God will not continue to dispossess these nations on YOUR account;+ and they must become to YOU as a trap and as a snare and as a scourge on YOUR flanks+ and as thorns in YOUR eyes until YOU have perished off this good ground that Jehovah YOUR God has given YOU.+

14 “Now, look! I am going today in the way of all the earth,+ and YOU well know with all YOUR hearts and with all YOUR souls that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah YOUR God has spoken to YOU has failed. They have all come true for YOU. Not one word of them has failed.+ 15 And it must occur that, just as all the good word that Jehovah YOUR God has spoken to YOU has come upon YOU,+ so Jehovah will bring upon YOU all the evil word until he has annihilated YOU from off this good ground that Jehovah YOUR God has given YOU,+ 16 because of YOUR overstepping the covenant of Jehovah YOUR God that he commanded YOU, and because YOU have gone and served other gods and bowed down to them.+ And Jehovah’s anger will certainly blaze against YOU,+ and YOU will certainly perish in a hurry from off the good land that he has given YOU.”+

24 And Joshua proceeded to assemble all the tribes of Israel together at Sheʹchem*+ and to call the older men of Israel+ and its heads and its judges and its officers, and they went taking their stand before the [true] God.+ 2 And Joshua went on to say to all the people: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘It was on the other side of the River*+ that YOUR forefathers+ dwelt a long time ago, Teʹrah the father of Abraham and the father of Naʹhor,+ and they used to serve* other gods.*

3 “‘In time I took YOUR forefather Abraham+ from the other side of the River+ and had him walk through all the land of Caʹnaan and made his seed* many.+ So I gave him Isaac.+ 4 Then to Isaac I gave Jacob and Eʹsau.+ Later to Eʹsau I gave Mount Seʹir to take possession of it;+ and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.+ 5 Later on I sent Moses and Aaron,+ and I went plaguing Egypt with what* I did in its midst;+ and afterward I brought YOU out.+ 6 When I was bringing YOUR fathers out of Egypt+ and YOU came to the sea, then the Egyptians went chasing+ after YOUR fathers with war chariots and cavalrymen to the Red Sea. 7 And they began to cry out to Jehovah.+ So he placed a darkness between YOU and the Egyptians+ and brought the sea upon them and covered them,+ and YOUR eyes got to see what I did in Egypt;+ and YOU took up dwelling in the wilderness many days.+

8 “‘Eventually I brought YOU to the land of the Amʹor·ites who were dwelling on the other side of the Jordan, and they went fighting against YOU.+ At that I gave them into YOUR hand that YOU might take possession of their land, and I annihilated them from before YOU.+ 9 Then Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor,+ the king of Moʹab, got up and went fighting against Israel.+ So he sent and summoned Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor to call down evil upon YOU.+ 10 And I did not want to listen to Baʹlaam.+ Consequently he blessed YOU repeatedly.+ Thus I delivered YOU out of his hand.+

11 “‘Then YOU went crossing the Jordan+ and came to Jerʹi·cho.+ And the landowners* of Jerʹi·cho, the Amʹor·ites and the Perʹiz·zites and the Caʹnaan·ites and the Hitʹtites and the Girʹga·shites, the Hiʹvites and the Jebʹu·sites began fighting against YOU; but I gave them into YOUR hand.+ 12 So I sent the feeling of dejection* ahead of YOU, and it gradually drove them out before YOU+—two kings of the Amʹor·ites—not with your sword and not with your bow.+ 13 Thus I gave YOU a land for which YOU had not toiled and cities that YOU had not built,+ and YOU took up dwelling in them. Vineyards and olive groves that YOU did not plant are what YOU are eating.’+

14 “And now fear Jehovah+ and serve him in faultlessness and in truth,+ and remove the gods that YOUR forefathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt,+ and serve Jehovah. 15 Now if it is bad in YOUR eyes to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom YOU will serve,+ whether the gods that YOUR forefathers who were on the other side of the River* served+ or the gods of the Amʹor·ites in whose land YOU are dwelling.+ But as for me and my household, we shall serve Jehovah.”+

16 At this the people answered and said: “It is unthinkable, on our part, to leave Jehovah so as to serve other gods. 17 For it is Jehovah our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,+ out of the house of slaves,+ and who performed these great signs before our eyes+ and who kept guarding us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed.+ 18 And Jehovah proceeded to drive out all the peoples,+ even the Amʹor·ites, dwelling in the land from before us. As for us, too, we shall serve Jehovah, because he is our God.”+

19 Then Joshua said to the people: “YOU are not able to serve Jehovah, for he is a holy God;*+ he is a God* exacting exclusive devotion.+ He will not pardon YOUR revolting and YOUR sins.+ 20 In case YOU should leave Jehovah+ and YOU do serve foreign gods,*+ he also will certainly turn back and do YOU injury and exterminate YOU after he has done YOU good.”+

21 In turn the people said to Joshua: “No, but Jehovah we shall serve!”+ 22 At this Joshua said to the people: “YOU are witnesses against yourselves+ that YOU of YOUR own accord have chosen Jehovah for yourselves, to serve him.”+ To this they said: “We are witnesses.”

23 “And now remove the foreign gods that are among YOU,+ and incline YOUR hearts to Jehovah the God of Israel.” 24 In turn the people said to Joshua: “Jehovah our God we shall serve, and to his voice we shall listen!”+

25 And Joshua proceeded to conclude a covenant with the people on that day and to constitute for them a regulation and judicial decision+ in Sheʹchem.* 26 Then Joshua wrote these words in the book of God’s law+ and took a great stone+ and set it up there under the massive tree+ that is by the sanctuary of Jehovah.

27 And Joshua went on to say to all the people: “Look! This stone is what will serve as a witness against us,+ because it has itself heard all the sayings of Jehovah that he has spoken with us, and it must serve as a witness against YOU, that YOU may not deny YOUR God.” 28 With that Joshua sent the people away, each one to his inheritance.+

29 And it came about that after these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, gradually died at the age of a hundred and ten years.+ 30 So they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timʹnath-seʹrah,+ which is in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, north of Mount Gaʹash. 31 And Israel continued to serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the older men who extended their days after Joshua+ and who had known all the work of Jehovah that he did for Israel.+

32 And Joseph’s bones,+ which the sons of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Sheʹchem in the tract of the field that Jacob had acquired from the sons of Haʹmor,+ Sheʹchem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money;*+ and it* came to belong to the sons of Joseph as an inheritance.+

33 Also, El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron died.+ So they buried him in the Hill of Phinʹe·has* his son,+ which he had given him in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im.