joshua.htm

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

God’s Commission to Joshua
1 And it came to pass after the death of Moses, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, saying,
2 “Moses My servant is dead; now then arise, go over the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I give them.
3 Every spot on which you shall tread I will give it to you, as I said to Moses.
4 The wilderness and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, and as far as the extremity of the sea; your coasts shall be from the setting of the sun.
5 Not a man shall stand against you all the days of your life; and as I was with Moses, so will I also be with you, and I will not fail you, or neglect you.
6 Be strong and of good courage, for you shall divide the land to this people, which I swore to give to your fathers.
7 Be strong, therefore, and very courageous, to observe and do as Moses My servant commanded you; and you shall not turn from there to the right hand or to the left, that you may be wise in whatsoever you may do.
8 And the Book of this Law shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may know how to do all the things that are written in it; then shall you prosper, and make your ways prosperous, and then shall you be wise.
9 Behold, I have commanded you; be strong and courageous, be not cowardly nor fearful, for the Lord your God is with you in all places in which you go.”

Preparations for the Invasion
10 And Joshua commanded the scribes of the people, saying,
11 “Go into the midst of the camp of the people, and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions; for yet three days and you shall go over this Jordan, entering in to take possession of the land, which the Lord God of your fathers gives to you.’”
12 And to Reuben, and to Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God has caused you to rest, and has given you this land.’
14 Let your wives and your children and your cattle dwell in the land, which He has given you; and you shall go over well armed before your brothers, everyone of you who is strong; and you shall fight on their side;
15 until the Lord your God shall have given your brothers rest, as also to you, and they also shall have inherited the land, which the Lord your God gives them; then you shall depart each one to his inheritance, which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, eastward.”
16 And they answered Joshua and said, “We will do all things which you commanded us, and we will go to every place that you shall send us.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses, we will obey you; only let the Lord our God be with you, as He was with Moses.
18 And whoever shall disobey you, and whoever shall not obey your words as you shall command him, let him die; but be strong and courageous.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 2

Spies Sent to Jericho
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two young men to spy the land, saying, “Go up and view the land; especially Jericho.” And the two young men went and entered into Jericho. And they entered into the house of a harlot, whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was reported to the king of Jericho, saying, “Men of the sons of Israel have come in here to spy out the land.”
3 And the king of Jericho sent and spoke to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men that entered into your house this night; for they have come to spy out the land.” 4 And the woman took the two men and hid them; and she spoke to the messengers, saying, “The men came in to me,
5 but when the gate was shut in the evening, the men went out; I do not know where they have gone; follow after them, perhaps you may overtake them.”
6 But she had brought them up upon the house, and hid them in the flax stalks that were spread by her on the house.
7 And the men followed after them on the way to the Jordan, and the gate was shut.
8 And it came to pass when the men who pursued after them had gone forth, and before the spies had laid down to sleep, that she came up to them on the top of the house;
9 and she said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, for the fear of you has fallen upon us.
10 For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, when you came out of the land of Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
11 And when we heard it we were amazed in our heart, and there was no longer any spirit in any of us because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above, and on the earth below.
12 And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I have dealt mercifully with you, so shall you also deal mercifully with the house of my father,
13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brothers, and all my house, and all that they have, and you shall rescue my soul from death.”
14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours, even unto death.” And she said, “When the Lord has delivered the city to you, you shall deal mercifully and truly with me.”
15 And she let them down by the window,
16 and she said to them, “Depart into the hill country, lest the pursuers meet you, and you shall be hidden there three days until your pursuers return from after you, and afterwards you shall depart on your way.”
17 And the men said to her, “We are clear of this your oath.
18 Behold, we shall enter into a part of the city, and you shall set a sign; you shall bind this scarlet cord in the window, by which you have let us down, and you shall bring in to yourself, into your house, your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all the family of your father.
19 And it shall come to pass that whoever shall go outside the door of your house, his guilt shall be upon him, and we shall be freed of this your oath; and we will be responsible for all that shall be found with you in your house.
20 But if anyone should injure us, or betray us regarding this, then we shall be freed of this your oath.”
21 And she said to them, “Let it be according to your word.” And she sent them out, and they departed.
22 And they came to the hill country, and remained there three days; and the pursuers searched all the roads, and did not find them.
23 And the two young men returned, and came down out of the mountain; and they went over to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all the things that had happened to them.
24 And they said to Joshua, “The Lord has delivered all the land into our power, and all the inhabitants of that land tremble because of us.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 3

Israel Crosses the Jordan
1 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and departed from Shittim; and they came as far as the Jordan, and lodged there before they crossed over.
2 And it came to pass after three days, that the scribes went through the camp;
3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you shall see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God, and our priests and the Levites bearing it, you shall depart from your places, and you shall go after it.
4 But let there be a distance between you and it; you shall stand as much as two thousand cubits from it. Do not draw near to it, that you may know the way which you are to go; for you have not gone the way before.”
5 And Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord shall do wonders among you.”
6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people.” And the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and went before the people.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day do I begin to exalt you before all the children of Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so will I also be with you.
8 And now charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘As soon as you shall enter on a part of the water of the Jordan, then you shall stand in the Jordan.’”
9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and listen to the word of the Lord our God.
10 Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and will utterly destroy from before our face the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, the Amorite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over the Jordan.
12 Choose for yourselves twelve men of the sons of Israel, one from each tribe.
13 And it shall come to pass, when the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth shall rest in the water of the Jordan, the water of the Jordan below shall fail, and the water coming down from above shall stop.”
14 So the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, and the priests bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord before the people.
15 And when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were dipped in part of the water of the Jordan (now the Jordan overflowed all its banks about the time of wheat harvest),
16 then the waters that came down from above stopped; there stood one solid heap very far off, as far as the region of Zaretan, and the lower part came down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, till it completely failed; and the people stood opposite Jericho.
17 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry land in the midst of the Jordan; and all the children of Israel went through on dry land, until all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 4

The Memorial Stones
1 And when the people had completely passed over the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Take men from among the people, one from each tribe,
3 and command them; and you shall take out of the midst of the Jordan twelve fit stones, and having carried them across together with yourselves, place them in your camp, where you shall encamp for the night.”
4 And Joshua, having called twelve men of distinction among the children of Israel, one of each tribe,
5 said to them, “Advance before me in the presence of the Lord into the midst of the Jordan, and each having taken up a stone from there, let him carry it on his shoulders, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel,
6 that these may be to you continually for an appointed sign, that when your son asks you in the future, saying, ‘What are these stones to us?’
7 then you may explain to your son, saying, ‘The River Jordan was dried up from before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth, when it crossed over’; and these stones shall be for a memorial for you for the children of Israel forever.”
8 And the children of Israel did so, as the Lord commanded Joshua; and they took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, (as the Lord commanded Joshua, when the children of Israel had completely passed over) and carried these stones with them into the camp, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua also set twelve other stones in the Jordan itself, in the place that was under the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and they are there to this day.
10 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood in the Jordan, until Joshua had finished all that the Lord commanded him to report to the people; and the people hurried and passed over.
11 And it came to pass when all the people had passed over, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord passed over, and the stones before them.
12 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses commanded them.
13 Forty thousand armed for battle went over before the Lord to war, to the city of Jericho.
14 In that day the Lord magnified Joshua before all the people of Israel; and they feared him, as they did Moses, as long as he lived.
15 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
16 “Command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the testimony of the Lord, to go up out of the Jordan.”
17 And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”
18 And it came to pass when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the midst of the Jordan, and set their feet upon the land, that the water of the Jordan rushed back to its place, and went as before over all of its banks.
19 And the people went up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month; and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, to the east of Jericho.
20 And Joshua set these twelve stones which he took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal,
21 saying, “When your sons ask you, saying, ‘What are these stones?’
22 Tell your sons, that Israel went over this Jordan on dry land, 23 when the Lord our God had dried up the water of the Jordan from before them, until they had passed over; as the Lord our God did to the Red Sea, which the Lord our God dried up from before us, until we passed over.
24 That all the nations of the earth might know, that the power of the Lord is mighty, and that you might worship the Lord our God in every work.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 5

The New Generation Circumcised
1 And it came to pass when the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan heard, and the kings of Phoenicia by the sea, that the Lord God had dried up the River Jordan from before the children of Israel when they passed over, that their hearts failed, and they were terror stricken, and there was no sense in them because of the children of Israel.
2 And about this time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make for yourself stone knives of sharp stone, and sit down and circumcise the children of Israel the second time.”
3 And Joshua made sharp knives of stone, and circumcised the children of Israel at the place called the Hill of Foreskins.
4 And this is the way in which Joshua purified the children of Israel: as many as were born in the way, and as many as were uncircumcised of them that came out of Egypt,
5 all these Joshua circumcised; for forty-two years Israel wandered in the Wilderness of Mabdaris—
6 Therefore most of the fighting men that came out of the land of Egypt were uncircumcised, who disobeyed the commandments of God; concerning whom also He determined that they should not see the land, which the Lord swore to give to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 And in their place He raised up their sons, whom Joshua circumcised, because they were uncircumcised, having been born by the way.
8 And when they had been circumcised, they rested there in the camp until they were healed.
9 And the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, “On this day have I removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” And he called the name of that place Gilgal.

The Passover at Gilgal
10 And the children of Israel kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, to the west of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain.
11 And they ate of the unleavened grain of the earth, and the new grain.
12 In this day the manna failed, after they had eaten of the grain of the land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna: and they took the fruits of the land of the Phoenicians in that year.

Joshua’s Vision
13 And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a Man standing before him, and there was a drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua drew near and said to Him, “Are You for us, or for our enemies?”
14 And He said to him, “I have now come, the Commander of the army of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to Him, “O Lord, what do You command Your servant?”
15 And the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Loose your shoe from off your feet, for the place where you now stand is holy.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 6

The Destruction of Jericho
1 Now Jericho was closely shut up and besieged, and none went out of it, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Behold, I deliver Jericho into your power, and its king, and its mighty men.
3 And set the men of war round about it.
4 And it shall be that when you shall sound with the trumpet, all the people shall shout together.
5 And when they have shouted, the walls of the city shall fall by themselves; and all the people shall enter, each one rushing directly into the city.”
6 And Joshua the son of Nun went in to the priests, and spoke to them, saying, “Let seven priests having seven sacred trumpets proceed thus before the Lord, and let them sound loudly; and let the ark of the covenant of the Lord follow.
7 Command the people to go around, and encompass the city; and let your men of war pass on, armed before the Lord.
8 (This verse omitted in LXX)
9 “And let the men of war proceed before, and the priests bringing up the rear behind the ark of the covenant of the Lord proceed the sounding the trumpets.” 10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, “Do not cry out, nor let anyone hear your voice, until He Himself declares to you the time to cry out, and then you shall cry out.”
11 And the ark of the covenant of God, having gone round immediately, returned into the camp, and lodged there.
12 And on the second day Joshua rose up in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets went on before the Lord; and afterwards the men of war went on, and the remainder of the multitude went after the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
14 And all the rest of the multitude compassed the city six times from within a short distance, and went back again into the camp; this they did for six days.
15 And on the seventh day they rose up early, and compassed the city on that day seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh circuit the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.
17 And the city shall be devoted, it and all things that are in it, to the Lord of hosts: only save Rahab the harlot, and everything in her house.
18 But keep yourselves strictly from the accursed thing, lest you set your mind upon and take of the accursed thing, and you make the camp of the children of Israel an accursed thing, and destroy us.
19 And all the silver, or gold, or brass, or iron, shall be holy to the Lord; it shall be carried into the treasury of the Lord.”
20 And the priests sounded with the trumpets. And when the people heard the trumpets, all the people shouted at once with a loud and strong shout, and all the wall fell round about, and all the people went up into the city.
21 And Joshua devoted it to destruction, and all things that were in the city, man and woman, young man and old, calf and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 And Joshua said to the two young men who had acted as spies, “Go into the house of the woman, and bring her out from there, and all that she has.”
23 And the two young men who had spied out the city entered into the house of the woman, and brought out Rahab the harlot, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and her kindred, and all that she had; and they set her outside the camp of Israel.
24 And the city was burned with fire, with all the things that were in it: only of the silver, gold, brass, and iron, they gave to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.
25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, and all the house of her father, and caused her to dwell in Israel until this day, because she hid the spies which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 And Joshua adjured them on that day before the Lord, saying, “Cursed be the man who shall build that city—he shall lay the foundation of it in his firstborn, and he shall set up the gates of it in his youngest son.” And so did Hozan of Bethel; he laid the foundation in Abiron his firstborn, and set up the gates of it in his youngest surviving son.
27 And the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was in all the land.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 7

The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment
1 But the children of Israel committed a great trespass, and kept back part of the accursed thing; and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zambri, the son of Zabdi, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing; and the Lord was very angry with the children of Israel.
2 And Joshua sent men to Ai, which is by Beth Aven, saying, “Spy out Ai.” And the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and besiege the city, for they are few.”
4 And there went up about three thousand men, and they fled from before the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, and they pursued them from the gate, and destroyed them from the steep hill; and the heart of the people was alarmed and became as water.
6 And Joshua tore his clothes. And Joshua fell to the ground on his face before the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they cast dust on their heads.
7 And Joshua said, “I pray, O Lord, why has Your servant brought this people over the Jordan to deliver them to the Amorite to destroy us? If only we would had remained, and settled ourselves beyond the Jordan!
8 And what shall I say since Israel has turned his back before his enemy?
9 And when the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear it, they shall compass us round about and destroy us from off the land: and what will You do for Your great name?”
10 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up; why have you fallen upon your face?
11 The people have sinned, and transgressed the covenant which I made with them; they have stolen from the accursed thing, and put it into their store.
12 And the children of Israel will not be able to stand before their enemies; they will turn their back before their enemies, for they have become an accursed thing: I will no longer be with you, unless you remove the accursed thing from yourselves.
13 Rise up, sanctify the people, and tell them to sanctify themselves for tomorrow. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: The accursed thing is among you; you shall not be able to stand before your enemies, until you have removed the accursed thing from among you.
14 And you shall all be gathered together by your tribes in the morning, and it shall come to pass that the tribe which the Lord shall show, you shall bring by families; and the family which the Lord shall show, you shall bring by households; and the household which the Lord shall show you shall bring, man by man.
15 And the man who shall be pointed out shall be burned with fire, and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and has done wickedness in Israel.”
16 And Joshua rose up early, and brought the people by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was pointed out.
17 And Judah was brought by its families, and the family of the Zarhites was pointed out.
18 And it was brought man by man, and Achan the son of Zabdi the son of Zerah was pointed out.
19 And Joshua said to Achan, “Give glory this day to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession; and tell me what you have done, and do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel; thus and thus have I done.
21 I saw in the spoil an embroidered mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one golden wedge of fifty shekels, and I desired them and took them; and behold, they are hid in my tent, and the silver is hid under them.”
22 And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent into the camp; and these things were hidden in his tent, and the silver under them.
23 And they brought them out of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and the elders of Israel, and they laid them before the Lord.
24 And Joshua took Achan the son of Zerah, and brought him to the valley of Achor, and his sons, his daughters, his calves, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all his property, and all the people with him; and he brought them to the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you destroyed us? The Lord destroy you this day!” And all Israel stoned him with stones.
26 And they set up over him a great heap of stones; and the Lord ceased from His fierce anger. Therefore he called the place the Valley of Achor to this day.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 8

The Fall of Ai
1 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear, nor be dismayed. Take with you all the men of war, and arise, go up to Ai. Behold, I have given into your hands the king of Ai, and his land.
2 And you shall do to Ai as you did to Jericho and its king; and you shall take to yourself the spoil of its livestock; set now for yourself an ambush for the city behind.”
3 And Joshua and all the men of war rose to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men, and he sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, “Go, and lie in ambush behind the city: do not go far from the city, and you shall all be ready.
5 Then I and all the people who are with me shall draw near to the city. And it shall come to pass when the inhabitants of Ai shall come forth to meet us as before, that we will flee from before them.
6 And when they shall come out after us, we will draw them away from the city; and they will say, ‘These men flee from before us, just like before.’
7 And you shall rise up out of the ambush, and go into the city.
8 You shall do according to this word. Behold, I have commanded you.”
9 And Joshua sent them, and they went to lie in ambush; and they lay between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.
10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people. And he went up, he and the elders before the people, to Ai.
11 And all the men of war went up with him, and they went forward and came over against the city eastward.
12 And the ambush was on the west side of the city.
13 (This verse omitted in LXX)
14 And it came to pass when the king of Ai saw it, he hastened and went out to meet them direct to the battle, he and all the people that were with him. And he did not know that there was an ambush formed against him behind the city.
15 And Joshua and Israel saw, and retreated from before them.
16 And they pursued after the children of Israel, and they themselves went to a distance from the city.
17 There was no one left in Ai who did not pursue after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch forth your hand with the spear that is in your hand toward the city, for I have delivered it into your hands; and those lying in wait shall rise up quickly out of their place.”
19 And Joshua stretched out his hand and his spear toward the city, and the ambush rose up quickly out of their place. And they came forth when he stretched out his hand, and they entered into the city, and took it; and they hastened and burned the city with fire.
20 And when the inhabitants of Ai looked behind them, they saw then the smoke going up out of the city, rising up to heaven, and they were no longer able to flee this way or that way.
21 And Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city went up to heaven; and they turned and struck down the men of Ai.
22 And these came forth out of the city to meet them; and they were in the midst of the army, some on this side, and some on that; and they struck them until there was not one of them left who survived and escaped.
23 And they took the king of Ai alive, and brought him to Joshua.
24 And when the children of Israel had ceased slaying all that were in Ai, and in the fields, and in the mountain on the descent, from where they pursued them, even to the end, then Joshua returned to Ai, and attacked it with the edge of the sword.
25 And those that fell in that day, men and women, were twelve thousand: they killed all the inhabitants of Ai.
26 (This verse omitted in LXX)
27 Beside the spoils that were in the city, all things which the children of Israel took as spoil for themselves according to the command of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Joshua.
28 And Joshua burned the city with fire: he made it an uninhabited heap forever, even to this day.
29 And he hanged the king of Ai on the gallows, and he remained on the tree till evening. And when the sun went down, Joshua commanded, and they took down his body from the tree, and cast it into a pit, and they set over him a heap of stones to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal,
31 as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, on which iron had not been lifted up; and he offered there burnt offerings to the Lord, and a peace offering.
32 And Joshua wrote upon the stones a copy of the law, the law of Moses, before the children of Israel.
33 And all Israel, and their elders, and their judges, and their scribes, passed on one side and on the other before the ark; and the priests and the Levites took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the stranger and the native were there, who were half of them near Mount Gerizim, and half near Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded at first, to bless the people.
34 And afterwards Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, according to all the things written in the law of Moses.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded Joshua which Joshua did not read in the ears of all the assembly of the children of Israel, before the men, the women, the children, and the strangers that joined themselves to Israel.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 9

The Treaty with the Gibeonites
1 And when the kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan, who were in the mountain country, and in the plain, and in all the coast of the great sea, and those who were near Lebanon, and the Hittites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites, heard of it,
2 they all came together at the same time to make war against Joshua and Israel.
3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard of all that the Lord did to Jericho and Ai.
4 And they also worked craftily, and they went and made provisions and prepared themselves; and having taken old sacks on their shoulders, and old and torn wineskins,
5 and the upper part of their shoes and their sandals appeared old and clouted on their feet, and their garments laid upon them, and their provisions were dry and moldy and corrupt.
6 And they came to Joshua into the camp of Israel, to Gilgal, and said to Joshua and Israel, “We have come from a far land. Now then, make a covenant with us.”
7 And the children of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell amongst us; how should I make a covenant with you?”
8 And they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”
9 And they said, “Your servants have come from a very far country in the name of the Lord your God: for we have heard His name, and all that He did in Egypt,
10 and all that He did to the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth.
11 And our elders, and all that inhabit our land, when they heard, they spoke to us, saying, ‘Take to yourselves provisions for the way, and go to meet them; and you shall say to them, “We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.”’
12 These are the loaves—we took them hot for our journey on the day in which we came out to come to you. And now they have dried up, and have become moldy.
13 And these are the skins of wine which we filled when they were new, and now they are torn; and our garments and our shoes are worn out because of the very long journey.”
14 And the chiefs took of their provisions, but they did not ask counsel from the Lord.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and they made a covenant with them to preserve them; and the princes of the congregation swore to them.
16 And it came to pass, three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were close neighbors of theirs, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the children of Israel departed and came to their cities; and their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and the cities of Jearim.
18 But the children of Israel did not fight with them, because all the princes swore to them by the Lord God of Israel; and all the congregation murmured at the princes.
19 And the princes said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel, and now we shall not be able to touch them.
20 This we will do: take them alive, and we will preserve them: so there shall not be wrath against us by reason of the oath which we swore to them.
21 They shall live, and shall be woodcutters and water carriers to all the congregation, as the princes said to them.”
22 And Joshua called them together and said to them, “Why have you deceived me, saying, ‘We live very far from you’; whereas you are fellow countrymen of those who dwell among us?
23 And now you are cursed. There shall not fail of you a slave, or a woodcutter, or a water carrier to me and my God.”
24 And they answered Joshua, saying, “It was reported to us what the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses, to give you this land, and to destroy us and all that dwelt on it from before you, and we feared very much for our lives because of you, and therefore we did this thing.
25 And now, behold, we are in your power; do to us as it is pleasing to you, and as it seems good to you.”
26 And they did so to them. And Joshua rescued them in that day out of the hands of the children of Israel, and they did not kill them.
27 And in that day, Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers to the whole congregation, and for the altar of God. Therefore the inhabitants of Gibeon became woodcutters and water carriers for the altar of God to this day, even for the place which the Lord should choose.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 10

The Sun Stands Still
1 And when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai, and had destroyed it, as he did to Jericho and its king, even so they did to Ai and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had gone over to Joshua and Israel;
2 then they were greatly terrified by them, for the king knew that Gibeon was a great city, as one of the chief cities, and all its men were mighty.
3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 “Come up here to me, and help me, and let us take Gibeon; for the Gibeonites have gone over to Joshua and to the children of Israel.”
5 And the five kings of the Jebusites went up, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, they and all their people; and encamped around Gibeon, and besieged it.
6 And the inhabitants of Gibeon sent to Joshua into the camp to Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hands from your servants: come up quickly to us, and help us, and rescue us; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered together against us.”
7 And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, everyone mighty in strength.
8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands; there shall not be one of them left from before you.”
9 And when Joshua came suddenly upon them, he had advanced all the night out of Gilgal.
10 And the Lord struck them with terror before the children of Israel; and the Lord destroyed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon; and they pursued them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon, and they struck them as far as Azekah and to Makkedah.
11 And when they fled from the face of the children of Israel at the descent of Beth Horon, then the Lord cast upon them hailstones from heaven to Azekah; and there were more that died by the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel slew with the sword in the battle.
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord, in the day in which the Lord delivered the Amorite into the power of Israel, when He destroyed them in Gibeon, and they were destroyed from before the children of Israel. And Joshua said, “Let the sun stand still against Gibeon, and the moon against the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun and the moon stood still, until God executed vengeance on their enemies. And the sun stood still in the sky; it did not proceed to set till the end of one day.
14 And there was not such a day either before or after, so that God should hearken to a man, because the Lord fought on the side of Israel.
15 (This verse omitted in LXX)

Five Kings Defeated
16 And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave that is in Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hid in the cave that is in Makkedah.”
18 And Joshua said, “Roll stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men to watch over them.
19 But do not stand there yourselves, but pursue after your enemies, and attack the rear of them, and do not allow them to enter into their cities; for the Lord our God has delivered them into our hands.”
20 And it came to pass when Joshua and all Israel ceased destroying them utterly with a very great slaughter, that those who escaped took refuge in the strong cities.
21 And all the people returned safe to Joshua to Makkedah; and none of the children of Israel murmured with his tongue.
22 And Joshua said, “Open the cave, and bring out these five kings out of the cave.”
23 And they brought out the five kings out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, and the king of Hebron, and the king of Jarmuth, and the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 And when they brought them out to Joshua, then Joshua called together all Israel, and the chiefs of the army that went with him, saying to them, “Come forward and set your feet on their necks.” So they came and set their feet on their necks.
25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not fear them, neither be cowardly; but be courageous and strong, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
26 And Joshua killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they hung upon the trees until the evening.
27 And it came to pass toward the setting of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave into which they had fled for refuge, and rolled stones to the cave, which remain to this day.
28 And they took Makkedah on that day, and killed the inhabitants with the edge of the sword, and they utterly destroyed every living thing that was in it. And there was none left in it that was preserved and had escaped; and they did to the king of Makkedah, as they did to the king of Jericho.
29 And Joshua and all Israel with him departed out of Makkedah to Libnah, and besieged Libnah.
30 And the Lord delivered it into the hands of Israel. And they took it, and its king, and killed the inhabitants with the edge of the sword, and everything breathing in it; and there was not left in it any that survived and escaped; and they did to its king, as they did to the king of Jericho.
31 And Joshua and all Israel with him departed from Libnah to Lachish, and he encamped about it, and besieged it.
32 And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel; and they took it on the second day, and they put the inhabitants to death with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed it, as they had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam the king of Gezer went up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people with the edge of the sword, until there was not left to him one that was preserved and escaped.
34 And Joshua and all Israel with him departed from Lachish to Eglon, and he besieged it and took it.
35 And the Lord delivered it into the hand of Israel; and he took it on that day, and killed the inhabitants with the edge of the sword, and killed everything breathing in it, as they did to Lachish.
36 And Joshua and all Israel with him departed to Hebron, and encamped about it.
37 And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the living creatures that were in it; there was no one preserved. They destroyed it and all things in it, as they did to Eglon.
38 And Joshua and all Israel returned to Debir; and they encamped about it;
39 and they took it, and its king, and its villages. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and they destroyed it, and everything breathing in it; and they did not leave in it anyone that was preserved: as they did to Hebron and her king, so they did to Debir and her king.
40 And Joshua conquered all the land of the hill country, and the Negev and the plain country, and Ashedoth, and her kings. They did not leave of them one that was saved: and they utterly destroyed everything that had the breath of life, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded,
41 from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, all Goshen, as far as Gibeon.
42 And Joshua struck, once for all, all their kings, and their land, because the Lord God of Israel fought on the side of Israel.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 11

The Northern Conquest
1 And when Jabin the king of Hazor heard these things, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
2 and to the kings who were by the great Sidon, to the hill country and to Arabah opposite Chinneroth, and to the plain, and to Dor,
3 and to the Canaanites on the coast eastward, and to the Amorites on the coast, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the mountains, and the Hivites, and those dwelling below Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 And they and their kings with them went forth, as the sand of the sea in multitude, and horses, and very many chariots.
5 And all the kings assembled in person, and came to the same place, and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Be not afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will put them to flight before Israel: you shall hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.”
7 And Joshua and all the men of war came upon them at the water of Merom suddenly; and they attacked them in the hill country.
8 And the Lord delivered them into the power of Israel; and they struck them and pursued them to Great Sidon, and to Misrephoth, and to the plains of Mizpah eastward; and they destroyed them till there was not one of them left that survived.
9 And Joshua did to them as the Lord commanded him: he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.
10 And Joshua returned at that time, and took Hazor and its king; now Hazor in former times was the chief of these kingdoms.
11 And they killed with the sword all that breathed in it, and utterly destroyed them all, and there was no living thing left in it; and they burned Hazor with fire.
12 And Joshua took all the cities of the kingdoms, and their kings, and killed them with the edge of the sword; and utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.
13 But all the walled cities Israel did not burn; but Israel burned Hazor only.
14 And the children of Israel took all its spoils to themselves; and they killed all the men with the edge of the sword, and they destroyed them; they left not one of them breathing.
15 As the Lord commanded His servant Moses, even so Moses commanded Joshua; and so Joshua did, he transgressed no precept of all that Moses commanded him.

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests
16 And Joshua took all the hill country, and all the land of the Negev, and all the land of Goshen, and the plain country, and that toward the west, and the mountain of Israel and the low country by the mountain;
17 from the mountain of Halak, and that which goes up to Seir, and as far as Baal Gad, and the plains of Lebanon, below Mount Hermon. And he took all their kings, and killed them.
18 And for many days Joshua waged war with these kings.
19 And there was no city which Israel did not take; they took them all in war.
20 For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts to go forth to war against Israel, that they might be utterly destroyed, that mercy should not be granted to them, but that they should be utterly destroyed, as the Lord said to Moses.
21 And Joshua came at that time, and utterly destroyed the Anakim out of the hill country, from Hebron and from Debir, and from Anab, and from all the race of Israel, and from all the mountain of Judah with their cities; and Joshua utterly destroyed them.
22 There was not anyone left of the Anakim by the children of Israel, only there was left of them in Gaza, and in Gath, and in Ashdod.
23 And Joshua took all the land, as the Lord commanded Moses; and Joshua gave them for an inheritance to Israel by division according to their tribes; and the land ceased from war.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 12

The Kings Conquered by Moses
1 And these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel killed, and inherited their land beyond the Jordan from the east, from the valley of Arnon, to Mount Hermon, and all the land of the Arabah on the east.
2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, ruling from Arnon, which is in the valley, on the side of the valley, and half of Gilead as far as Jabbok, the borders of the children of Ammon.
3 And the Arabah as far as the Sea of Chinneroth to the east, and as far as the Sea of the Arabah; the Salt Sea eastward by the way to Beth Jeshimoth, from Taman below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 And Og king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, was left of the giants
5 ruling from Mount Hermon and from Salcah, and over all the land of Bashan to the borders of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and the half of Gilead of the borders of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel struck them; and Moses gave them by way of inheritance to Reuben and Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

The Kings Conquered by Joshua
7 And these are the kings of the Amorites, whom Joshua and the children of Israel killed beyond the Jordan by the sea of Balagad in the plain of Lebanon, and as far as the mountain of Halak, as men go up to Seir. And Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel to inherit according to their portion.
8 In the mountain, and in the plain, and in the Arabah, and in Ashedoth, and in the wilderness, and the Negev—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
9 the king of Jericho, one; and the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;
10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;
11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
16 the king of Elath, one;
17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;
18 the king of Aphek; the king of Lasharon;
19 the king of Madon, one;
20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
21 the king of Kadesh, one; the king of Taanach, one;
22 the king of Maredoth, one; the king of Jokneam of Carmel, one;
23 the king of Adullam of Dor, one; the king of Gilgal of Galilee, one;
24 the king of Tirzah, one—all these were twenty-nine kings.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 13

The Parts of Canaan Still Unconquered
1 And Joshua was old and very advanced in years; and the Lord said to Joshua, “You are advanced in years, and there is much land left to inherit.
2 And this is the land that is left: the borders of the Philistines, the Geshurites, and the Canaanites,
3 from the wilderness before Egypt, as far as the borders of Ekron on the left of the Canaanites; the land is reckoned to the five principalities of the Philistines, to the inhabitants of Gaza, and of Ashdod, and of Ashkelon, and of Gath, and of Ekron, and to the Hivite;
4 from Taman even to all the land of Canaan before Gaza, and the Sidonians as far as Aphek, as far as the borders of the Amorites.
5 And all the land of Gebalites of the Philistines, and all Lebanon eastward from Gilgal, under Mount Hermon as far as the entering in of Hamath;
6 everyone that inhabits the hill country from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth. All the Sidonians, I will destroy them from before Israel; but give them by inheritance to Israel, as I commanded you.
7 And now divide this land by lot to the nine tribes, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Dividing the Land
8 “From the Jordan to the Great Sea westward you shall divide it to them. The Great Sea shall be the boundary.” But to the two tribes and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to Reuben and to Gad, Moses gave an inheritance beyond the Jordan: Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them eastward,
9 from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Brook of Arnon, and the city in the midst of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba as far as Dibon.
10 All the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned from Heshbon to the coasts of the children of Ammon;
11 and the region of Gilead, and the borders of the Geshirites and the Maachathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all the land of Bashan to Salcah.
12 All the kingdom of Og in the region of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei—he was left of the giants; and Moses struck him, and destroyed him.
13 But the children of Israel did not destroy the Geshurite and the Maachathite and the Canaanite; and the king of the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwelt among the children of Israel to this day.
14 Only no inheritance was given to the tribe of Levi: the Lord God of Israel, He is their inheritance, as the Lord said to them; and this is the division which Moses made to the children of Israel in Araboth Moab, on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho.

The Land of Reuben
15 And Moses gave the land to the tribe of Reuben according to their families.
16 And their borders were from Aroer, which is opposite the Brook of Arnon, and theirs is the city that is in the valley of Arnon; and all Misor,
17 to Heshbon, and all the cities in Misor, Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
18 Bashan, Kedamoth, Mephaath,
19 Kirjathaim, Sibmah, Zereth, Shahar in Mount Enab,
20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth—
21 and all the cities of Misor, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, whom Moses struck, even him and the princes of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, prince of the spoils of Sihon, dwelling in the country.
22 And Balaam the son of Beor the prophet they killed in the battle.
23 And the borders of Reuben were the banks of the Jordan. This is the inheritance of the children of Reuben according to their families, the cities and their villages.

The Land of Gad
24 And Moses gave an inheritance to the sons of Gad according to their families.
25 And their borders were Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon to the Arabah, which is before Arad.
26 And from Heshbon to Ramath by Mizpah, and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the borders of Debir,
27 and in the valley of Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon; and the Jordan shall be the boundary as far as part of the Sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward.
28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad according to their families and according to their cities; according to their families they will turn their backs before their enemies, because their cities and their villages were according to their families.

Half the Tribe of Manasseh
29 And Moses gave to half the tribe of Manasseh according to their families.
30 And their borders were from Mahanaim, and all the kingdom of Bashan, and all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in the region of Bashan, sixty cities;
31 half of Gilead, and in Ashtaroth, and in Edrei, royal cities of Og in the land of Bashan, Moses gave to the sons of Machir the sons of Manasseh, even to the half-tribe sons of Machir the sons of Manasseh, according to their families.
32 These are they whom Moses caused to inherit beyond the Jordan in Araboth Moab, beyond the Jordan by Jericho, eastward.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 14

1 And these are those of the children of Israel that received their inheritance in the land of Canaan, to whom Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of the children of Israel, gave inheritance.
2 They inherited according to their lots, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Joshua to the nine tribes and the half tribe, on the other side of the Jordan.
3 But to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
4 For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; and there was no inheritance in the land given to the Levites, only cities to dwell in, and their suburbs separated for the livestock, and their cattle.
5 As the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel; and they divided the land.

Caleb Inherits Hebron
6 And the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word that the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and you in Kadesh Barnea.
7 For I was forty years old when Moses the servant of God sent me out of Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land; and I returned him an answer according to his mind.
8 My brothers who went up with me turned away the heart of the people, but I applied myself to follow the Lord my God.
9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has trodden, it shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have applied yourself to follow the Lord our God.’
10 And now the Lord has kept me alive as He said: this is the forty-fifth year since the Lord spoke that word to Moses; and Israel journeyed in the wilderness; and now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.
11 I am still strong this day, as when the Lord sent me: just so strong am I now to go out and to come in for war.
12 And now I ask of you this mountain, as the Lord said in that day; for you heard this word on that day. And now the Anakim are there, cities great and strong. If then the Lord should be with me, I will utterly destroy them, as the Lord said to me.”
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh the son of Keniz for an inheritance.
14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the commandment of the Lord God of Israel.
15 And the name of Hebron before formerly was Kirjath Arba, it is the metropolis of the Anakim. And the land rested from war.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 15

The Land of Judah
1 And the borders of the tribe of Judah according to their families were from the borders of Edom from the Wilderness of Zin, as far as Kadesh to the south.
2 And their borders were from the south as far as a part of the Salt Sea from the high country that extends southward.
3 And they proceed before the Ascent of Akrabbim, and go out around Zin, and go up from the south to Kadesh Barnea; and go out to Hezron, and proceed up to Adar, and go out by the way that is west of Karkaa.
4 And from there they go out to Azmon, and issue at the valley of Egypt; and the termination of its boundaries shall be at the sea. These are their boundaries southward.
5 And their boundaries eastward are all the Salt Sea as far as the Jordan; and their borders from the north, and from the border of the sea, and from part of the Jordan—
6 the borders go up to Beth Hoglah, and they go along from the north to Beth Arabah, and the borders go on up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
7 And the borders continue on to the fourth part of the Valley of Achor, and go down to Gilgal, which is before the Ascent of Adummim, which is southward in the valley, and terminate at the water of the Fountain of the Sun. And their going forth shall be the Fountain of Rogel.
8 And the borders go up to the Valley of Hinnom, behind Jebus southward; this is Jerusalem: and the borders terminate at the top of the mountain, which is before the Valley of Hinnom toward the sea, which is by the side of the land of Rephaim northward.
9 And the border going forth from the top of the mountain terminates at the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and terminates at Mount Ephron; and the border will lead to Baalah; this is the city of Jearim.
10 And the border will go round from Baalah to the sea, and will go on to the mount of Assar behind the city of Jearim northwards; this is Chesalon: and it will come down to the City of Sun, and will go on to the south.
11 And the border terminates behind Ekron northward, and the borders will terminate at Succhoth, and the borders will go on to the south, and will terminate at Libnah, and the issue of the borders will be at the sea; and their borders shall be toward the sea, the Great Sea shall be the boundary.
12 These are the borders of the children of Judah round about according to their families.

Caleb Occupies Hebron and Debir
13 And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the children of Judah by the command of God; and Joshua gave him the city of Arba the metropolis of Anak; this is Hebron.
14 And Caleb the son of Jephunneh destroyed from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Talmai, and Ahiman.
15 And Caleb went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir; and the name of Debir before was the City of Letters.
16 And Caleb said, “Whosoever shall take and destroy the City of Letters, and master it, to him will I give my daughter Achsah for a wife.”
17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz the brother of Caleb took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.
18 And it came to pass as she went out that she counseled him, saying, “I will ask of my father a field.” And she cried from off her donkey. And Caleb said to her, “What is it?”
19 And she said to him, “Give me a blessing, for you have set me in the land of the Negev. Give me Botthanis.” So he gave her Gonaethla the upper, and Gonaethla the lower.

The Cities of Judah
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah.
21 And their cities were cities belonging to the tribe of the children of Judah on the borders of Edom by the wilderness, and Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kadesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 and Balmaenan, and their villages,
25 and the cities of Hezron, which is Hazor,
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Seri, Beth Pelet,
28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba; and their villages, and their hamlets,
29 Balah Bacoc, Asom,
30 Eltolad, Bethel, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain; twenty-nine cities, and their villages.
33 In the plain country: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashtah,
34 Zanoah, Tano, Iluthoth, Maeani,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Membra, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Sharaim, Gederah, and its villages; fourteen cities, and their villages;
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal,
38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39 Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Machos,
41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, Makkedah: sixteen cities, and their villages;
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Jiphtah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Akiezi, Achzib, Mereshah, and Elom: ten cities, and their villages;
45 Ekron and her villages, and their hamlets:
46 from Ekron: Gemna, and all the cities that are near Ashdod, and their villages.
47 Ashdod, and her villages, and her hamlets: Gaza, and its villages and its hamlets as far as the river of Egypt, and the Great Sea is the boundary.
48 And in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Sochah,
49 Danna and the City of Letters, this is Debir;
50 Anab, Eshtemoth, Anim,
51 Goshen, Holon, and Hanna, and Giloh: eleven cities, and their villages;
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshean,
53 Janum, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, the city Arba, this is Hebron, and Zior: nine cities and their villages;
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Gibeah, Timnah; nine cities, and their villages;
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, Eltekon; six cities, and their villages; Theco, and Ephratha, this is Bethlehem, and Pagor, Etan, Culon, Tatam, Thobes, Carem, Galem, Thether, and Manocho: eleven cities, and their villages;
60 Kirjath Baal, this is the city of Jearim, and Sotheba: two cities, and their villages:
61 in the wilderness: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah;
62 Aeochioza, Naphlazon, the cities of Sadon, and En Gedi; seven cities, and their villages.
63 And the Jebusite dwelt in Jerusalem, and the children of Judah could not destroy them; and the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem to this day.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 16

The Land of Ephraim
1 And the borders of the children of Joseph were from the Jordan by Jericho towards the east; and they will go up from Jericho to the hill country, to the wilderness, to Bethel Luz.
2 And they will go out to Bethel, and will proceed to the borders of Ataroth.
3 And they will go across to the sea to the borders of Aptalim, as far as the borders of Beth Horon the lower, and the going forth of them shall be to the sea.
4 And the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, took their inheritance.
5 And the borders of the children of Ephraim were according to their families, and the borders of their inheritance were eastward to Ataroth, and Eroc as far as Beth Horon the upper, and Gaza.
6 And the borders will proceed to the sea to Michmethath north of Therma; they will go round eastward to Thenasa, and Selles, and will pass on eastward to Janohah,
7 and to Macho, and Ataroth, and these are their villages; and they will come to Jericho, and will issue at the Jordan.
8 And the borders will proceed from Tappuah, to the sea, and to Kanah; and their termination will be at the sea; this is the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim according to their families.
9 And the cities separated to the sons of Ephraim were in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages.
10 And Ephraim did not destroy the Canaanite who dwelt in Gezer; and the Canaanite dwelt in Ephraim to this day, until Pharaoh the king of Egypt went up and took it, and burned it with fire. And the Canaanites, and Perizzites, and the inhabitants in Gaza they destroyed, and Pharaoh gave them for a dowry to his daughter.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 17

The Other Half-Tribe of Manasseh
1 And the borders of the tribe of the children of Manasseh, (for he was the firstborn of Joseph,) assigned to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh the father of Gilead, for he was a warrior, were in the land of Gilead and of Bashan.
2 And there was land assigned to the other sons of Manasseh according to their families: to the sons of Jezi, and to the sons of Kelez, and to the sons of Jeziel, and to the sons of Shechem, and to the sons of Symarim, and to the sons of Opher: these are the males according to their families.
3 And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons but daughters: and these are the names of the daughters of Zelophehad: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 And they stood before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua, and before the rulers, saying, “God commanded by the hand of Moses to give us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.” So there was given to them by the command of the Lord an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
5 And their lot fell to them from Manasseh, and to the plain of Labec of the land of Gilead, which is beyond the Jordan.
6 For the daughters of the sons of Manasseh inherited a portion in the midst of their brothers, and the land of Gilead was assigned to the remainder of the sons of Manasseh.
7 And the borders of the sons of Manasseh were Delanath, which is before the sons of Anath, and it proceeds to the borders to Jamin and Jassib to the fountain of En Tappuah.
8 It shall belong to Manasseh, and Tappuah on the borders of Manasseh shall belong to the sons of Ephraim.
9 And the borders shall go down to the valley of Carana southward by the valley of Jariel, (there is a terebinth tree belonging to Ephraim between that and the city of Manasseh) and the borders of Manasseh are northward to the brook; and the sea shall be its termination.
10 Southward the land belongs to Ephraim, and northward to Manasseh; and the sea shall be their cost; and northward they shall border upon Aseb, and eastward upon Issachar.
11 And Manasseh shall have in the portion of Issachar and Beth Shean and their villages, and the inhabitants of Dor, and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo, and its villages, and the third part of Mapheta, and its villages.
12 And the sons of Manasseh were not able to destroy these cities; and the Canaanite began to dwell in that land.
13 And it came to pass that when the children of Israel were strong, they made the Canaanites subject to them, but they did not utterly destroy them.

The Sons of Joseph Protest
14 And the sons of Joseph answered Joshua, saying, “Why have you caused us to inherit one inheritance, and only one lot, seeing we are a great people, and God has blessed us?”
15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a great people, go up to the forest, and clear the land for yourself, if Mount Ephraim is too small for you.”
16 And they said, “Mount Ephraim does not please us, and the Canaanite dwelling in it in Beth Shean, and in its villages, and in the valley of Jezreel, has choice cavalry and iron.”
17 And Joshua said to the sons of Joseph, “If you are a great people, and have great strength, you shall not have only one inheritance.
18 For you shall have the wood, for there is a wood, and you shall clear it, and the land shall be yours; even when you shall have utterly destroyed the Canaanite, for he has chosen cavalry; yet you are stronger than he.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 18

The Remainder of the Land Divided
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel were assembled at Shiloh, and there they pitched the tabernacle of witness. And the land was subdued by them.
2 And the sons of Israel remained, even those who had not received their inheritance, seven tribes.
3 And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you be slack to inherit the land, which the Lord our God has given you?
4 Appoint of yourselves three men of each tribe, and let them rise up and go through the land, and let them describe it before me, as it will be proper to divide it.”
5 And they came to him. And he divided to them seven portions, saying, “Judah shall stand to them a border southward, and the sons of Joseph shall stand to them northward.
6 And divide the land into seven parts, and bring its description here to me, and I will give you a lot before the Lord our God.
7 For the sons of Levi have no part among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is his portion; and Gad, and Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave to them.”
8 And the men rose up and went; and Joshua commanded the men who went to explore the land, saying, “Go and explore the land, and come to me, and I will bring you forth a lot here before the Lord in Shiloh.”
9 And they went, and explored the land. And they viewed it, and described it according to the cities, seven parts in a book, and brought the book to Joshua.
10 And Joshua cast the lot for them in Shiloh before the Lord.

The Land of Benjamin
11 And the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came forth first according to their families. And the borders of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
12 And their borders were northward: the borders shall go up from the Jordan behind Jericho northward, and shall go up to the mountain westward, and the issue of it shall be the Wilderness of Beth Aven.
13 And the borders will go forth from there to Luz, behind Luz, from the south of it; this is Bethel. And the borders shall go down to Ataroth Adar, to the hill country, which is southward of Beth Horon.
14 And the borders shall pass through and proceed to the part that looks toward the sea, on the south, from the mountain in front of Beth Horon southward, and its termination shall be at Kirjath Baal, which is Kirjath Jearim, a city of the children of Judah; this is the part toward the west.
15 And the south side on the part of Kirjath Baal; and the borders shall go across to Gasin, to the fountain of the water of Nephtoah.
16 And the borders shall extend down on one side, this is in front of the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is on the side of Rephaim northward, and it shall come down to Gehenna behind Jebus southward: it shall come down to En Rogel.
17 And the borders shall go across to En Shemesh,
18 and shall proceed to Galiloth, which is in front by the going up of Ethamin; and they shall come down to the stone of Beon of the sons of Reuben, and shall pass over behind Beth Arabah northward, and shall go down to the borders behind the sea northward.
19 And the termination of the borders shall be at the creek of the Salt Sea northward to the side of the Jordan southward: these are their southern borders.
20 And the Jordan shall be their boundary on the east: this is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, these are their borders round about according to their families.
21 And the cities of the children of Benjamin according to their families were: Jericho, Beth Haglah, Emek,
22 Beth Arabah, Sara, Besana,
23 Avim, Parah, Ephratha,
24 Carapha, Cephira, Moni, Gabaa, twelve cities and their villages;
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 Mizpah, Miron, Mozah;
27 Phira, Caphan, Nacan, Selecan, Taralah,
28 Jebus (this is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Jearim; thirteen cities, and their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 19

The Land of Simeon
1 And the second lot came out for the children of Simeon; and their inheritance was in the midst of the lots of the children of Judah.
2 And their lot was Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,
3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Jason,
4 Erthula, Bula, and Hormah,
5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6 Beth Lebaoth, and their fields, thirteen cities, and their villages.
7 Rimmon, Thalcha, Ether, Ashan; four cities and their villages,
8 round about their cities as far as Balec as men go to Bameth southward: this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.
9 The inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon was a part of the lot of Judah, for the portion of the children of Judah was greater than theirs; and the children of Simeon inherited in the midst of their lot.

The Land of Zebulun
10 And the third lot came out to Zebulun according to their families; the bounds of their inheritance shall be—Esedekgola shall be their border,
11 the sea and Maralah, and it shall reach to Beth Arabah in the valley, which is opposite Jokneam.
12 And the border returned from Sarid in an opposite direction eastward, to the borders of Chisloth Tabor, and shall pass on to Daberath, and shall proceed upward to Japhia.
13 And from there it shall come round in the opposite direction eastward to Gath Hepher to Eth Kazin, and shall go on to Rimmon.
14 And the borders shall come round northward to Hannathon, and their going out shall be at Jiphthah El.
15 Included were Kattath, Nahallal, Shimron, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
16 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun according to their families, these cities and their villages.

The Land of Issachar
17 And the fourth lot came out to Issachar.
18 And their borders were Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
19 Haphraim, Shion, Anaharath,
20 Anachereth, Dabiron, Kishion, Abez,
21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, Emarek, and Beth Pazzez.
22 And the boundaries shall border upon Tabor, and upon Shahazimah westward, and Beth Shemesh; and the extremity of his bounds shall be the Jordan.
23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

The Land of Asher
24 And the fifth lot came out to Asher according to their families.
25 And their borders were Helkath, Aleph, Baethok, Achshaph, 26 Alammelech, Amad, Mishal, and the lot will border on Carmel westward, along the Brook Shihor Libnah.
27 And it will return westward from Beth Dagon, and will join Zebulun and Ekgai, and Jiphthah El northwards, and the borders will come to Beth Emk and Neiel, and will go on to Cabul,
28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, to Great Sidon.
29 And the borders shall turn back to Ramah, and to the fountain of Masphassat, and the Tyrians; and the borders shall return to Jasiph, and their going forth shall be the sea, and Apoleb, and Achzib.
30 Also Archob, Aphek, and Rehob.
31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, the cities and their villages.

The Land of Naphtali
32 And the sixth lot came out to Nephthali.
33 And their borders were Moolam, Mola, Besemiin, Arme, Naboc, and Jephthamai, as far as Dodam; and their goings out were the Jordan.
34 And the coasts will return westward by Athabor, and will go out from there to Jacanah, and will border on Zebulun southward, and Asher will join it westward, and the Jordan eastward.
35 And the walled cities of the Tyrians are: Tyre, Omathadaketh, Kenereth,
36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37 Kadesh, Edrei, En Hazor,
38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, and Beth Shemesh.
39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Nephthali.

The Land of Dan
40 And the seventh lot came out to Dan.
41 And their borders were Sarath, Asa, the cities of Sammaus,
42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Silatha,
43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45 Jehud, Bene Berak, and Gath Rimmon.
46 And westward of Hieracon the border was near to Joppa.
47 And the sons of Dan went and fought against Lachish, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And they dwelt in it, and called the name of it Leshem. And the Amorite continued to dwell in Edom and in Salamin; and the hand of Ephraim prevailed against them, and they became tributaries to them.
48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their families, these are their cities and their villages. And the children of Dan did not drive out the Amorite who afflicted them in the mountain; and the Amorite would not allow them to come down into the valley, but they forcibly took from them the border of their portion.

Joshua’s Inheritance
49 And they proceeded to take possession of the land according to their borders, and the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them,
50 by the command of God, and they gave him the city which he asked for, Timnah Serah, which is in the mount of Ephraim. And he built the city, and dwelt in it.
51 These are the divisions which Eleazar the priest divided by lot, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of families among the tribes of Israel, according to the lots, in Shiloh before the Lord by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and they went to take possession of the land.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 20

The Cities of Refuge
1 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses.
3 Even a refuge to the manslayer who has killed a man unintentionally; and the cities shall be to you a refuge, and the manslayer shall not be put to death by the avenger of blood, until he has stood before the congregation for judgment.’”
4 (This verse omitted in LXX)
5 (This verse omitted in LXX)
6 (This verse omitted in LXX)
7 And Joshua separated Kadesh in Galilee in the mountains of Nephthali, and Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and the city of Arba; this is Hebron, in the mountains of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan he appointed Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the country of Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities selected for the sons of Israel, and for the stranger abiding among them, that everyone who kills a man unintentionally should flee to there, that he should not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he should stand before the congregation for judgment.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 21

The Cities of the Levites
1 And the heads of the families of the sons of Levi drew near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of families of the tribes of Israel.
2 And they spoke to them in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord gave commandment by Moses to give us cities to dwell in, and the country round about for our livestock.”
3 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites in their inheritance by the command of the Lord the cities and the country round.
4 And the lot came out for the children of Caath; and the sons of Aaron, the priests the Levites, had by lot thirteen cities out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin.
5 And to the sons of Caath that were left were given ten cities by lot, out of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 And the sons of Gershon had thirteen cities, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Nephthali, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 And the sons of Merari according to their families had by lot twelve cities, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.
8 And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their suburbs, as the Lord commanded Moses, by lot.
9 And the tribe of the children of Judah, and the tribe of the children of Simeon, and part of the tribe of the children of Benjamin gave these cities, and they were assigned
10 to the sons of Aaron of the family of Caath of the sons of Levi, for the lot fell to these.
11 And they gave to them Kirjath Arba the metropolis of the sons of Anak; this is Hebron in the mountains of Judah, and the suburbs surrounding it.
12 But the lands of the city, and its villages Joshua gave to the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh for a possession.
13 And to the sons of Aaron he gave the city of Hebron for a refuge for the manslayer, and the suburbs belonging to it; and Limnah and the suburbs belonging to it;
14 and Elom and its suburbs; and Tema and its suburbs;
15 and Gella and its suburbs; and Dabir and its suburbs;
16 and Asa and its suburbs; and Tany and its suburbs; and Beth Shemesh and its suburbs: nine cities from these two tribes.
17 And from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its suburbs; and Geba and its suburbs;
18 and Anathoth and its suburbs; and Gamala and its suburbs; four cities.
19 All the cities of the sons of Aaron the priests were thirteen.
20 And to the families, even the sons of Caath the Levites, that were left of the sons of Caath, there was given their priests' city,
21 out of the tribe of Ephraim; and they gave them the manslayer's city of refuge, Shechem and its suburbs, Gaza and its appendages, and its suburbs;
22 and Beth Horon and its suburbs, four cities;
23 and the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its suburbs; and Gibbethon and its suburbs:
24 and Aijalon and its suburbs; and Garh Rimmon and its suburbs, four cities.
25 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Tanach and its suburbs; and Jebatha and its suburbs; two cities.
26 In all were given ten cities, and the suburbs of each belonging to them, to the families of the sons of Caath that remained.
27 And Joshua gave to the sons of Gershon the Levites out of the other half-tribe of Manasseh cities set apart for the manslayers, Golan in the country of Bashan, and its suburbs; and Bosora and its suburbs; two cities.
28 And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its suburbs; and Daberath and its suburbs;
29 and Jarmuth and its suburbs; and the Well of Letters and its suburbs; four cities.
30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Basella and its suburbs; and Dabbon and its suburbs;
31 and Helkath and its suburbs; and Rehob and its suburbs; four cities.
32 And of the tribe of Nephthali, the city set apart for the manslayer, Kadesh in Galilee, and its suburbs; and Nemmath and its suburbs; and Themmon and its suburbs; three cities.
33 All the cities of Gershon according to their families were thirteen cities.
34 And to the family of the sons of Merari the Levites that remained, he gave out of the tribe of Zebulun, Maan and its suburbs; and Kartah and its suburbs,
35 and Sella and its suburbs, three cities.
36 And beyond the Jordan over against Jericho, out of the tribe of Reuben, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Bezer in the wilderness; Miso and its suburbs; 37 and Jazer and its suburbs; and Decmon and its suburbs; and Mapha and its suburbs, four cities.
38 And out of the tribe of Gad the city of refuge for the manslayer, both Ramoth in Gilead, and its suburbs; Camin and its suburbs;
39 and Heshbon and its suburbs; and Jazer and its suburbs: the cities were four in all.
40 All these cities were given to the sons of Merari according to the families of them that were left out of the tribe of Levi; and their limits were the twelve cities.
41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities, and their suburbs round about these cities:
42 a city and the suburbs round about the city to all these cities: and Joshua ceased dividing the land by their borders. And the children of Israel gave a portion to Joshua because of the commandment of the Lord: they gave him the city which he asked. They gave him Thamnasachar in Mount Ephraim; and Joshua built the city, and dwelt in it. And Joshua took the knives of stone in which he circumcised the children of Israel that were born in the desert by the way, and put them in Thamnasachar.

The Promise Fulfilled
43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land which He swore to give to their fathers: and they inherited it, and dwelt in it.
44 And the Lord gave them rest round about, as He swore to their fathers; not one of all their enemies maintained his ground against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands.
45 There failed not one of the good things which the Lord spoke to the children of Israel; all came to pass.

JOSHUA CHAPTER 22

Eastern Tribes Return to Their Land
1 Then Joshua called together the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
2 and said to them, “You have heard all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that he commanded you.
3 You have not deserted your brothers these many days. Until this day you have kept the commandment of the Lord your God.
4 And now the Lord our God has given our brothers rest, as He told them. Now then, return and depart to your homes, and to the land of your possession, which Moses gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 But take great heed to do the commands and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do; to love the Lord our God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commands, and to cleave to Him, and serve Him with all your mind, and with all your soul.”
6 And Joshua blessed them, and dismissed them; and they went to their homes.
7 And to one half the tribe of Manasseh Moses gave a portion in the land of Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave a portion with his brothers on the other side of the Jordan westward: and when Joshua sent them away to their homes, then he blessed them.
8 And they departed with much wealth to their houses, and they divided the spoil of their enemies with their brothers; very much livestock, and silver, and gold, and iron, and much clothing.
9 So the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, departed from the children of Israel in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, to go away into Gilead, into the land of their possession, which they inherited by the command of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.

An Altar by the Jordan
10 And they came to Gilead of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan. And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an alter by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.
11 And the children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an alter at the borders of the land of Canaan at Gilead of the Jordan, on the opposite side to the children of Israel.”
12 And all the children of Israel gathered together to Shiloh, so as to go up and fight against them.
13 And the children of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and to the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead, both Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest,
14 and ten of the chiefs with him; there was one chief of every household out of all the tribes of Israel (the heads of families are the captains of thousands in Israel).
15 And they came to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead; and they spoke to them, saying,
16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: What is this transgression that you have transgressed before the God of Israel, to turn away today from the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, so that you should be apostates from the Lord?
17 Is the sin of Peor too little for you, whereas we have not been cleansed from it until this day, though there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord?
18 And you have revolted this day from the Lord; and it shall come to pass if you revolt this day from the Lord, that tomorrow there shall be wrath upon all Israel.
19 And now if the land of your possession is too little, cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the tabernacle of the Lord dwells, and receive an inheritance among us; and do not become apostates from God, neither do you apostatize from the Lord, because of your having built an altar apart from the altar of the Lord our God.
20 Behold, did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass, taking of the accursed thing, and there was wrath on the whole congregation of Israel? And he himself died alone in his own sin.”
21 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the captains of the thousands of Israel, saying,
22 “God, even God is the Lord, and even God Himself knows, and Israel shall know; if we have transgressed before the Lord by apostasy, let Him not deliver us this day.
23 And if we have built to ourselves an altar, so as to apostatize from the Lord our God, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of burnt offerings, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of peace offering, the Lord shall require it.
24 But we have done this for the sake of precaution concerning this thing, saying, ‘Lest hereafter your sons should say to our sons, “What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?”
25 Whereas the Lord has set boundaries between us and you, even the Jordan, and you have no portion in the Lord: so your sons shall alienate our sons, that they should not worship the Lord.
26 And we gave orders to do thus, to build this altar, not for burnt offerings, nor for meat offerings;
27 but that this may be a witness between you and us, and between our generations after us, that we may do service to the Lord before Him, with our burnt offerings and our meat offerings and our peace offerings: so your sons shall not say to our sons, hereafter, “You have no portion in the Lord.”
28 And we said, “If ever it should come to pass that they should speak so to us, or to our posterity hereafter; then shall they say, ‘Behold the likeness of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for the sake of burnt offerings, nor for the sake of meat offerings, but it is a witness between you and us, and between our sons.”
29 Far be it from us therefore that we should turn away from the Lord this day, so as to apostatize from the Lord, that we should build an altar for burnt offerings, and for peace offerings, besides the altar of the Lord which is before His tabernacle.’”
30 And Phinehas the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation of Israel who were with him heard the words which the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke, and it pleased them.
31 And Phinehas the priest said to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not trespassed grievously against the Lord, and because you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”
32 So Phinehas the priest and the princes departed from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh out of Gilead into the land of Canaan to the children of Israel; and reported the words to them.
33 And it pleased the children of Israel; and they spoke to the children of Israel, and blessed the God of the children of Israel, and told them to go up no more to war against the others to destroy the land of the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. So they dwelt upon it.
34 And Joshua gave a name to the altar of the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh; and said, “It is a testimony in the midst of them, that the Lord is their God.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 23

Joshua’s Farewell Address
1 And it came to pass after many days after the Lord had given Israel rest from all his enemies round about, that Joshua was old and advanced in years.
2 And Joshua called together all the children of Israel, and their elders, and their chiefs, and their judges, and their officers, and said to them, “I am old and advanced in years.
3 And you have seen all that the Lord our God has done to all these nations before us; for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.
4 See, that I have given to you these nations that are left to you by lots to your tribes, all the nations beginning at the Jordan; and some I have destroyed; and the boundaries shall be at the Great Sea westward.
5 And the Lord our God, He shall destroy them before us, until they utterly perish; and He shall send against them the wild beasts, until He has utterly destroyed them and their kings from before you; and you shall inherit their land, as the Lord our God said to you.
6 Therefore strive diligently to observe and do all things written in the Book of the Law of Moses, that you do not turn to the right hand or to the left;
7 that you do not mix with these nations that are left; and the names of their gods shall not be named among you, neither shall you serve them, neither shall you bow down to them.
8 But you shall cleave to the Lord our God, as you have done until this day.
9 And the Lord shall destroy them before you, even great and strong nations; and no one has stood before us until this day. 10 One of you has chased a thousand, for the Lord our God, He fought for you, as He said to us.
11 And take great heed to love the Lord our God.
12 For if you shall turn aside and attach yourselves to these nations that are left with you, and make marriages with them, and become mingled with them and they with you,
13 know that the Lord will no more destroy these nations from before you; and they will be to you snares and stumbling blocks, and nails in your heels, and darts in your eyes, until you are destroyed from off this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.
14 “But I hasten to go the way of death, as all that are upon the earth also do. And you know in your heart and in your soul, that not one word has fallen to the ground of all the words which the Lord our God has spoken respecting all that concerns us; there has not one of them failed.
15 And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon us which the Lord God promised you, so shall He bring upon you all the evil things, until He has destroyed you from off this good land, which the Lord has given you,
16 when you transgress the covenant of the Lord our God, which He has commanded us, and go and serve other gods, and bow down to them.”

JOSHUA CHAPTER 24

The Tribes Renew the Covenant
1 And Joshua gathered all the tribe of Israel to Shiloh, and called their elders, and their officers, and their judges, and set them before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers at first sojourned beyond the river, even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.
3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and I guided him through all the land, and I multiplied his descendants;
4 and I gave to him Isaac, and to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau Mount Seir for him to inherit. And Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, and became there a great and populous and mighty nation, and the Egyptians afflicted them.
5 And I struck Egypt with the wonders that I wrought among them.’
6 And afterwards God brought out our fathers from Egypt, and you entered into the Red Sea; and the Egyptians pursued after our fathers with chariots and horses into the Red Sea.
7 And we cried aloud to the Lord, and He put a cloud and darkness between us an the Egyptians, and He brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt; and you were in the wilderness many days.
8 And He brought us into the land of the Amorites that dwelt beyond the Jordan, and the Lord delivered them into our hands; and you inherited their land, and utterly destroyed them from before you.
9 And Balak, king of Moab, son of Siphor, rose up, and made war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam to curse us.
10 But the Lord your God would not destroy you; and He greatly blessed us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them to us.
11 And you crossed over the Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against us, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, the Jebusite, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Lord delivered them into our hands.
12 And He sent forth the hornet before you; and He drove them out from before you, even twelve kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.
13 And He gave you a land on which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you were settled in them; and you eat of vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.
14 “And now fear the Lord, and serve Him in righteousness and justice; and remove the strange gods, which our fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.
15 But if it does not seem good to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, among whom you dwell upon their land. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, for He is holy.”
16 And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.
17 The Lord our God, He is God; He brought up us and our fathers from Egypt, and kept us in all the way in which we walked, and among all the nations through whom we passed.
18 And the Lord cast out the Amorite, and all the nations that inhabited the land from before us: indeed, we will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”
19 And Joshua said to the people, “Indeed you will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and He being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.
20 Whenever you shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then He shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because He has done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
22 And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord, to serve Him.
23 And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, and we will listen to His voice.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and gave them a law and an ordinance in Shiloh before the tabernacle of the God of Israel.
26 And he wrote these words in the Book of the Laws of God. And Joshua took a great stone, and set it up under the oak before the Lord.
27 And Joshua said to the people, “Behold, this stone shall be among you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for He has spoken to you this day; and this stone shall be among you for a witness in the last days, whenever you shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.”
28 And Joshua dismissed the people, and they went every man to his place.

The Death of Joshua
29 And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun the servant of the Lord died, at the age of a hundred and ten years.
30 And they buried him by the borders of his inheritance in Timnath Serah in the mount of Ephraim, northward of the mount of Gilead. There they put with him into the tomb in which they buried him, the knives of stone with which he circumcised the children of Israel in Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as the Lord appointed them; and there they are to this day.
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lived as long as Joshua, and all that knew all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
32 And the children of Israel brought up the bones of Joseph out of Egypt, and buried them in Shechem, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought of the Amorites who dwelt in Shechem for a hundred ewe lambs; and he gave it to Joseph for a portion.
33 And it came to pass afterwards that Eleazar the high priest the son of Aaron died, and was buried in Gibeah of Phinehas his son, which he gave him in Mount Ephraim. In that day the children of Israel took the ark of God, and carried it about among them. And Phinehas exercised the priest's office in the place of Eleazar his father till he died, and he was buried in his own place Gibeah. But the children of Israel departed everyone to their place, and to their own city: and the children of Israel worshipped Astarte, and Astaroth, and the gods of the nations round about them; and the Lord delivered them into the hands of Eglom king of Moab, and he ruled over them eighteen years.