Now after the death of Moses the servant of
the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son
of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore
arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the
land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall
tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even
unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun,
shall be your coast.
There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I
will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto
this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I
sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that
thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my
servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to
the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for
then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a
good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD
thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the
people, saying,
Pass through the host, and command the
people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye
shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which
the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.
And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites,
and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,
Remember the word which Moses the servant of
the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you
rest, and hath given you this land.
Your wives, your little ones, and your
cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side
Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the
mighty men of valour, and help them;
Until the LORD have given your brethren
rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land
which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the
land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD's
servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
And they answered Joshua, saying, All that
thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us,
we will go.
According as we hearkened unto Moses in all
things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with
thee, as he was with Moses.
Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy
commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou
commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a
good courage.
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim
two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho.
And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and
lodged there.
And it was told the king of Jericho, saying,
Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel
to search out the country.
And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab,
saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are
entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the
country.
And the woman took the two men, and hid them,
and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they
were:
And it came to pass about the time of
shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out:
whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye
shall overtake them.
But she had brought them up to the roof of
the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid
in order upon the roof.
And the men pursued after them the way to
Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them
were gone out, they shut the gate.
And before they were laid down, she came up
unto them upon the roof;
And she said unto the men, I know that the
LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon
us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of
you.
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the
water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what
ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other
side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
And as soon as we had heard these things,
our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in
any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven
above, and in earth beneath.
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by
the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew
kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
And that ye will save alive my father, and
my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have,
and deliver our lives from death.
And the men answered her, Our life for
yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the
LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly
with thee.
Then she let them down by a cord through the
window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon
the wall.
And she said unto them, Get you to the
mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there
three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go
your way.
And the men said unto her, We will be
blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
Behold, when we come into the land, thou
shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou
didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy
mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto
thee.
And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out
of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon
his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with
thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be
upon him.
And if thou utter this our business, then we
will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
And she said, According unto your words, so
be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the
scarlet line in the window.
And they went, and came unto the mountain,
and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and
the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them
not.
So the two men returned, and descended from
the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun,
and told him all things that befell them:
And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD
hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the
inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.
And Joshua rose early in the morning; and
they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the
children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
And it came to pass after three days, that
the officers went through the host;
And they commanded the people, saying, When
ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the
priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your
place, and go after it.
Yet there shall be a space between you and
it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it,
that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not
passed this way heretofore.
And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify
yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying,
Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people.
And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the
people.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will
I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may
know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
And thou shalt command the priests that bear
the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of
the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel,
Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that
the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive
out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the
Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites,
and the Jebusites.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD
of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
Now therefore take you twelve men out of the
tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the
soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the
LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the
waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down
from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
And it came to pass, when the people removed
from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the
ark of the covenant before the people;
And as they that bare the ark were come unto
Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped
in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all
the time of harvest,)
That the waters which came down from above
stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is
beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the
plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people
passed over right against Jericho.
And the priests that bare the ark of the
covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of
Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all
the people were passed clean over Jordan.
And it came to pass, when all the people were
clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua,
saying,
Take you twelve men out of the people, out of
every tribe a man,
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence
out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests'
feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with
you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this
night.
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he
had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a
man:
And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before
the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you
up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the
number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
That this may be a sign among you, that when
your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean
ye by these stones?
Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of
Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD;
when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and
these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel
for ever.
And the children of Israel did so as Joshua
commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as
the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes
of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the
place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst
of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare
the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this
day.
For the priests which bare the ark stood in
the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD
commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that
Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
And it came to pass, when all the people
were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and
the priests, in the presence of the people.
And the children of Reuben, and the children
of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before
the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
About forty thousand prepared for war passed
over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the
sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all
the days of his life.
And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
Command the priests that bear the ark of the
testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
Joshua therefore commanded the priests,
saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
And it came to pass, when the priests that
bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the
midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up
unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their
place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
And the people came up out of Jordan on the
tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east
border of Jericho.
And those twelve stones, which they took out
of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
And he spake unto the children of Israel,
saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come,
saying, What mean these stones?
Then ye shall let your children know,
saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of
Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your
God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we
were gone over:
That all the people of the earth might know
the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the
LORD your God for ever.
And it came to pass, when all the kings of
the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all
the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the
LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of
Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither
was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of
Israel.
At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make
thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the
second time.
And Joshua made him sharp knives, and
circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the
foreskins.
And this is the cause why Joshua did
circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males,
even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after
they came out of Egypt.
Now all the people that came out were
circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by
the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not
circumcised.
For the children of Israel walked forty years
in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which
came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice
of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them
the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would
give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
And their children, whom he raised up in
their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised,
because they had not circumcised them by the way.
And it came to pass, when they had done
circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the
camp, till they were whole.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have
I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the
name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.
And the children of Israel encamped in
Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at
even in the plains of Jericho.
And they did eat of the old corn of the land
on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched
corn in the selfsame day.
And the manna ceased on the morrow after
they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the
children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of
the land of Canaan that year.
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there
stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and
Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for
our adversaries?
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host
of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the
earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto
his servant?
And the captain of the LORD's host said unto
Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon
thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of
the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have
given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty
men of valour.
And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of
war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six
days.
And seven priests shall bear before the ark
seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass
the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the
trumpets.
And it shall come to pass, that when they
make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound
of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and
the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall
ascend up every man straight before him.
And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests,
and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven
priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the
LORD.
And he said unto the people, Pass on, and
compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark
of the LORD.
And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken
unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets
of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the
trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed
them.
And the armed men went before the priests
that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark,
the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
And Joshua had commanded the people, saying,
Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither
shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you
shout; then shall ye shout.
So the ark of the LORD compassed the city,
going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the
camp.
And Joshua rose early in the morning, and
the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of
rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and
blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the
rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and
blowing with the trumpets.
And the second day they compassed the city
once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that
they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the
city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they
compassed the city seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time,
when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the
people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
And the city shall be accursed, even it, and
all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall
live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid
the messengers that we sent.
And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the
accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of
the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and
trouble it.
But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of
brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into
the treasury of the LORD.
So the people shouted when the priests blew
with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the
sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout,
that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the
city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
And they utterly destroyed all that was in
the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and
ass, with the edge of the sword.
But Joshua had said unto the two men that
had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring
out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto
her.
And the young men that were spies went in,
and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her
brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her
kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
And they burnt the city with fire, and all
that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of
brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the
LORD.
And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and
her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in
Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which
Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
And Joshua adjured them at that time,
saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and
buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in
his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of
it.
So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame
was noised throughout all the country.
But the children of Israel committed a
trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the
son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the
accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the
children of Israel.
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which
is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them,
saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed
Ai.
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto
him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three
thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to
labour thither; for they are but few.
So there went up thither of the people about
three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty
and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto
Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of
the people melted, and became as water.
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the
earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide,
he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore
hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us
into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had
been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth
their backs before their enemies!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of
the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off
our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great
name?
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up;
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Israel hath sinned, and they have also
transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even
taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled
also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not
stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their
enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any
more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify
yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of
Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel:
thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the
accursed thing from among you.
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought
according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the
LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the
family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the
household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.
And it shall be, that he that is taken with
the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he
hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and
because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and
brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was
taken:
And he brought the family of Judah; and he
took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the
Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
And he brought his household man by man; and
Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, was taken.
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I
pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession
unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from
me.
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed
I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus
have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a goodly
Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge
of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took
them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my
tent, and the silver under it.
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto
the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under
it.
And they took them out of the midst of the
tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of
Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took
Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the
wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and
his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and
they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us?
the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him
with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them
with stones.
And they raised over him a great heap of
stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his
anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of
Achor, unto this day.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not,
neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and
arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai,
and his people, and his city, and his land:
And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou
didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the
cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee
an ambush for the city behind it.
So Joshua arose, and all the people of war,
to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty
men of valour, and sent them away by night.
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye
shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not
very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
And I, and all the people that are with me,
will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they
come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before
them,
(For they will come out after us) till we
have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before
us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and
seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into
your hand.
And it shall be, when ye have taken the city,
that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of
the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they
went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west
side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and
numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel,
before the people to Ai.
And all the people, even the people of war
that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the
city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley
between them and Ai.
And he took about five thousand men, and set
them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of
the city.
And when they had set the people, even all
the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait
on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of
the valley.
And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw
it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city
went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time
appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers
in ambush against him behind the city.
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they
were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the
wilderness.
And all the people that were in Ai were
called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after
Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
And there was not a man left in Ai or
Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city
open, and pursued after Israel.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out
the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into
thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his
hand toward the city.
And the ambush arose quickly out of their
place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and
they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the
city on fire.
And when the men of Ai looked behind them,
they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven,
and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people
that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the
ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended,
then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.
And the other issued out of the city against
them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and
some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of
them remain or escape.
And the king of Ai they took alive, and
brought him to Joshua.
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an
end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the
wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen
on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the
Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the
sword.
And so it was, that all that fell that day,
both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of
Ai.
For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith
he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the
inhabitants of Ai.
Only the cattle and the spoil of that city
Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of
the LORD which he commanded Joshua.
And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for
ever, even a desolation unto this day.
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until
eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that
they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the
entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of
stones, that remaineth unto this day.
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God
of Israel in mount Ebal,
As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded
the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of
Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any
iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and
sacrificed peace offerings.
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of
the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of
Israel.
And all Israel, and their elders, and
officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that
side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the
covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born
among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of
them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had
commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
And afterward he read all the words of the
law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written
in the book of the law.
There was not a word of all that Moses
commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of
Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that
were conversant among them.
And it came to pass, when all the kings which
were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in
all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite,
and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the
Jebusite, heard thereof;
That they gathered themselves together, to
fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what
Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
They did work wilily, and went and made as if
they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and
wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
And old shoes and clouted upon their feet,
and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision
was dry and mouldy.
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at
Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come
from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites,
Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with
you?
And they said unto Joshua, We are thy
servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence
come ye?
And they said unto him, From a very far
country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy
God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in
Egypt,
And all that he did to the two kings of the
Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to
Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants
of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the
journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your
servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
This our bread we took hot for our provision
out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now,
behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
And these bottles of wine, which we filled,
were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our
shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
And the men took of their victuals, and
asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
And Joshua made peace with them, and made a
league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the
congregation sware unto them.
And it came to pass at the end of three days
after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they
were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
And the children of Israel journeyed, and
came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were
Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
And the children of Israel smote them not,
because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the
LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the
princes.
But all the princes said unto all the
congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel:
now therefore we may not touch them.
This we will do to them; we will even let
them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we
sware unto them.
And the princes said unto them, Let them
live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all
the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
And Joshua called for them, and he spake
unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are
very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall
none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and
drawers of water for the house of my God.
And they answered Joshua, and said, Because
it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God
commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to
destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore
we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this
thing.
And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it
seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
And so did he unto them, and delivered them
out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them
not.
And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood
and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the
LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of
Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly
destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had
done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made
peace with Israel, and were among them;
That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was
a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was
greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Wherefore Adonizedec king of Jerusalem, sent
unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto
Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
Come up unto me, and help me, that we may
smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the
children of Israel.
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites,
the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the
king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together,
and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon,
and made war against it.
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to
the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants;
come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings
of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together
against us.
So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all
the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them
not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a
man of them stand before thee.
Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly,
and went up from Gilgal all night.
And the LORD discomfited them before
Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased
them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to
Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
And it came to pass, as they fled from
before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the
LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and
they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom
the children of Israel slew with the sword.
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day
when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of
Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still
upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon
stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still
in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole
day.
And there was no day like that before it or
after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the
LORD fought for Israel.
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with
him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
But these five kings fled, and hid
themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
And it was told Joshua, saying, The five
kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the
mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
And stay ye not, but pursue after your
enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter
into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into
your hand.
And it came to pass, when Joshua and the
children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very
great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which
remained of them entered into fenced cities.
And all the people returned to the camp to
Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of
the children of Israel.
Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the
cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
And they did so, and brought forth those
five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the
king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the
king of Eglon.
And it came to pass, when they brought out
those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of
Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went
with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.
And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be
dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do
to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew
them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the
trees until the evening.
And it came to pass at the time of the
going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them
down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had
been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain
until this very day.
And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and
smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he
utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he
let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto
the king of Jericho.
Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all
Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
And the LORD delivered it also, and the
king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the
edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none
remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king
of Jericho.
And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all
Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought
against it:
And the LORD delivered Lachish into the
hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with
the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein,
according to all that he had done to Libnah.
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help
Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him
none remaining.
And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon,
and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought
against it:
And they took it on that day, and smote it
with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he
utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to
Lachish.
And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all
Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
And they took it, and smote it with the
edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities
thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none
remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but
destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with
him, to Debir; and fought against it:
And he took it, and the king thereof, and
all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the
sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he
left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir,
and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her
king.
So Joshua smote all the country of the
hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and
all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all
that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea
even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto
Gibeon.
And all these kings and their land did
Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for
Israel.
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with
him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
And it came to pass, when Jabin king of
Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon,
and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
And to the kings that were on the north of
the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the
valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,
And to the Canaanite on the east and on the
west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and
the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in
the land of Mizpeh.
And they went out, they and all their hosts
with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore
in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
And when all these kings were met together,
they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight
against Israel.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid
because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them
up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn
their chariots with fire.
So Joshua came, and all the people of war
with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they
fell upon them.
And the LORD delivered them into the hand of
Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto
Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they
smote them, until they left them none remaining.
And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade
him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with
fire.
And Joshua at that time turned back, and
took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor
beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.
And they smote all the souls that were
therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there
was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.
And all the cities of those kings, and all
the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of
the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of
the LORD commanded.
But as for the cities that stood still in
their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that
did Joshua burn.
And all the spoil of these cities, and the
cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but
every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had
destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so
did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone
of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
So Joshua took all that land, the hills,
and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the
valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley
of the same;
Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to
Seir, even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under mount
Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew
them.
Joshua made war a long time with all those
kings.
There was not a city that made peace with
the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon:
all other they took in battle.
For it was of the LORD to harden their
hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he
might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but
that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
And at that time came Joshua, and cut off
the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab,
and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of
Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
There was none of the Anakims left in the
land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in
Ashdod, there remained.
So Joshua took the whole land, according to
all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an
inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their
tribes. And the land rested from war.
Now these are the kings of the land, which
the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other
side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto
mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:
Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in
Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river
Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even
unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of
Ammon;
And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth
on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on
the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under
Ashdothpisgah:
And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which
was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at
Edrei,
And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah,
and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the
Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of
Heshbon.
Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and
the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD
gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and
the half tribe of Manasseh.
And these are the kings of the country which
Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the
west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount
Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of
Israel for a possession according to their divisions;
In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in
the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the
south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai,
which is beside Bethel, one;
The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of
Hebron, one;
The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of
Lachish, one;
The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer,
one;
The king of Debir, one; the king of Geder,
one;
The king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad,
one;
The king of Libnah, one; the king of
Adullam, one;
The king of Makkedah, one; the king of
Bethel, one;
The king of Tappuah, one; the king of
Hepher, one;
The king of Aphek, one; the king of
Lasharon, one;
The king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor,
one;
The king of Shimronmeron, one; the king of
Achshaph, one;
The king of Taanach, one; the king of
Megiddo, one;
The king of Kedesh, one; the king of
Jokneam of Carmel, one;
The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one;
the king of the nations of Gilgal, one;
The king of Tirzah, one: all the kings
thirty and one.
Now Joshua was old and stricken in years;
and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and
there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
This is the land that yet remaineth: all the
borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto
the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite:
five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites,
the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the
Avites:
From the south, all the land of the
Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to
the borders of the Amorites:
And the land of the Giblites, and all
Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto
the entering into Hamath.
All the inhabitants of the hill country from
Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I
drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it
by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded
thee.
Now therefore divide this land for an
inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of
Manasseh,
With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites
have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond
Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave
them;
From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the
river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and
all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon;
And all the cities of Sihon king of the
Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, unto the border of the children
of Ammon;
And Gilead, and the border of the
Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan
unto Salcah;
All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which
reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of
the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.
Nevertheless the children of Israel
expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the
Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until
this day.
Only unto the tribes of Levi he gave none
inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire
are their inheritance, as he said unto them.
And Moses gave unto the tribe of the
children of Reuben inheritance according to their families.
And their coast was from Aroer, that is on
the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of
the river, and all the plain by Medeba;
Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the
plain; Dibon, and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon,
And Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and
Mephaath,
And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and
Zarethshahar in the mount of the valley,
And Bethpeor, and Ashdothpisgah, and
Bethjeshimoth,
And all the cities of the plain, and all
the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in
Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and
Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon,
dwelling in the country.
Balaam also the son of Beor, the
soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among
them that were slain by them.
And the border of the children of Reuben
was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the
children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the
villages thereof.
And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe
of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their
families.
And their coast was Jazer, and all the
cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto
Aroer that is before Rabbah;
And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and
Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir;
And in the valley, Betharam, and
Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of
Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of
the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.
This is the inheritance of the children of
Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.
And Moses gave inheritance unto the half
tribe of Manasseh: and this was the possession of the half tribe of
the children of Manasseh by their families.
And their coast was from Mahanaim, all
Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of
Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:
And half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei,
cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the
children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the
children of Machir by their families.
These are the countries which Moses did
distribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side
Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.
But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not
any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as
he said unto them.
And these are the countries which the
children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar
the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers
of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for
inheritance to them.
By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD
commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the
half tribe.
For Moses had given the inheritance of two
tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the
Levites he gave none inheritance among them.
For the children of Joseph were two tribes,
Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites
in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their
cattle and for their substance.
As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children
of Israel did, and they divided the land.
Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua
in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto
him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man
of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
Forty years old was I when Moses the servant
of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I
brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
Nevertheless my brethren that went up with
me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the
LORD my God.
And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely
the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance,
and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the
LORD my God.
And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me
alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD
spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered
in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five
years old.
As yet I am as strong this day as I was in
the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my
strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
Now therefore give me this mountain,
whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day
how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and
fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to
drive them out, as the LORD said.
And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb
the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Hebron therefore became the inheritance of
Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that
he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
And the name of Hebron before was
Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the
land had rest from war.
This then was the lot of the tribe of the
children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the
wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south
coast.
And their south border was from the shore of
the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:
And it went out to the south side to
Maalehacrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the
south side unto Kadeshbarnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went
up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:
From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went
out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were
at the sea: this shall be your south coast.
And the east border was the salt sea, even
unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was
from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:
And the border went up to Bethhogla, and
passed along by the north of Betharabah; and the border went up to
the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:
And the border went up toward Debir from the
valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is
before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the
river: and the border passed toward the waters of Enshemesh, and
the goings out thereof were at Enrogel:
And the border went up by the valley of the
son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is
Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that
lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of
the valley of the giants northward:
And the border was drawn from the top of the
hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to
the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah,
which is Kirjathjearim:
And the border compassed from Baalah
westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount
Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to
Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah:
And the border went out unto the side of
Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed
along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings
out of the border were at the sea.
And the west border was to the great sea,
and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah
round about according to their families.
And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave
a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of
the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which
city is Hebron.
And Caleb drove thence the three sons of
Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
And he went up thence to the inhabitants of
Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.
And Caleb said, He that smiteth
Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter
to wife.
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother
of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to
wife.
And it came to pass, as she came unto him,
that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted
off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?
Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou
hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he
gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
children of Judah according to their families.
And the uttermost cities of the tribe of
the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were
Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,
And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah,
And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan,
Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,
And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and
Hezron, which is Hazor,
Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
And Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and
Bethpalet,
And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and
Bizjothjah,
Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,
And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and
Sansannah,
And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and
Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their
villages:
And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and
Ashnah,
And Zanoah, and Engannim, Tappuah, and
Enam,
Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and
Azekah,
And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and
Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:
Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdalgad,
And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,
Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,
And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,
And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah, and
Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:
Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,
And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,
And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine
cities with their villages:
Ekron, with her towns and her
villages:
From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay
near Ashdod, with their villages:
Ashdod with her towns and her villages,
Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and
the great sea, and the border thereof:
And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir,
and Socoh,
And Dannah, and Kirjathsannah, which is
Debir,
And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim,
And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven
cities with their villages:
Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,
And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and
Aphekah,
And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is
Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:
Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,
And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,
Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with
their villages:
Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,
And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon;
six cities with their villages:
Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and
Rabbah; two cities with their villages:
In the wilderness, Betharabah, Middin, and
Secacah,
And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and
Engedi; six cities with their villages.
As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the
Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this
day.
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell
from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to
the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount
Bethel,
And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and
passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,
And goeth down westward to the coast of
Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer; and
the goings out thereof are at the sea.
So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and
Ephraim, took their inheritance.
And the border of the children of Ephraim
according to their families was thus: even the border of their
inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the
upper;
And the border went out toward the sea to
Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward
unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth,
and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
The border went out from Tappuah westward
unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by
their families.
And the separate cities for the children of
Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all
the cities with their villages.
And they drave not out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto
this day, and serve under tribute.
There was also a lot for the tribe of
Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir
the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a
man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
There was also a lot for the rest of the
children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of
Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of
Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of
Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male
children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.
But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son
of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but
daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and
Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
And they came near before Eleazar the
priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes,
saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among
our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he
gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.
And there fell ten portions to Manasseh,
beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side
Jordan;
Because the daughters of Manasseh had an
inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the
land of Gilead.
And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to
Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on
the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.
Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but
Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of
Ephraim;
And the coast descended unto the river
Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among
the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north
side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:
Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward
it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together
in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.
And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher
Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the
inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and
her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the
inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
Yet the children of Manasseh could not
drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would
dwell in that land.
Yet it came to pass, when the children of
Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute,
but did not utterly drive them out.
And the children of Joseph spake unto
Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion
to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath
blessed me hitherto?
And Joshua answered them, If thou be a
great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down
for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants,
if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.
And the children of Joseph said, The hill
is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land
of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean
and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.
And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph,
even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people,
and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:
But the mountain shall be thine; for it is
a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall
be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have
iron chariots, and though they be strong.
And the whole congregation of the children
of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle
of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before
them.
And there remained among the children of
Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their
inheritance.
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel,
How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God
of your fathers hath given you?
Give out from among you three men for each
tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through
the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and
they shall come again to me.
And they shall divide it into seven parts:
Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of
Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.
Ye shall therefore describe the land into
seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may
cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
But the Levites have no part among you; for
the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and
Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their
inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of
the LORD gave them.
And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua
charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk
through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may
here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.
And the men went and passed through the
land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and
came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.
And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh
before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the
children of Israel according to their divisions.
And the lot of the tribe of the children of
Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of
their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children
of Joseph.
And their border on the north side was from
Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north
side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings
out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.
And the border went over from thence toward
Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border
descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south
side of the nether Bethhoron.
And the border was drawn thence, and
compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth
before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at
Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of
Judah: this was the west quarter.
And the south quarter was from the end of
Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to
the well of waters of Nephtoah:
And the border came down to the end of the
mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and
which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to
the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and
descended to Enrogel,
And was drawn from the north, and went
forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over
against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of
Bohan the son of Reuben,
And passed along toward the side over
against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:
And the border passed along to the side of
Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the
north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the
south coast.
And Jordan was the border of it on the east
side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the
coasts thereof round about, according to their families.
Now the cities of the tribe of the children
of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and
Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,
And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and
Bethel,
And Avim, and Pharah, and Ophrah,
And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba;
twelve cities with their villages:
Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is
Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their
villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin
according to their families.
And the second lot came forth to Simeon,
even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their
families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the
children of Judah.
And they had in their inheritance Beersheba,
and Sheba, and Moladah,
And Hazarshual, and Balah, and Azem,
And Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah,
And Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and
Hazarsusah,
And Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen
cities and their villages:
Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Ashan; four
cities and their villages:
And all the villages that were round about
these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramath of the south. This is the
inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to
their families.
Out of the portion of the children of Judah
was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the
children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of
Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.
And the third lot came up for the children
of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their
inheritance was unto Sarid:
And their border went up toward the sea,
and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river
that is before Jokneam;
And turned from Sarid eastward toward the
sunrising unto the border of Chislothtabor, and then goeth out to
Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia,
And from thence passeth on along on the
east to Gittahhepher, to Ittahkazin, and goeth out to Remmonmethoar
to Neah;
And the border compasseth it on the north
side to Hannathon: and the outgoings thereof are in the valley of
Jiphthahel:
And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and
Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.
This is the inheritance of the children of
Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their
villages.
And the fourth lot came out to Issachar,
for the children of Issachar according to their families.
And their border was toward Jezreel, and
Chesulloth, and Shunem,
And Haphraim, and Shihon, and
Anaharath,
And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez,
And Remeth, and Engannim, and Enhaddah, and
Bethpazzez;
And the coast reacheth to Tabor, and
Shahazimah, and Bethshemesh; and the outgoings of their border were
at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and
their villages.
And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of
the children of Asher according to their families.
And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and
Beten, and Achshaph,
And Alammelech, and Amad, and Misheal; and
reacheth to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath;
And turneth toward the sunrising to
Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel
toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to
Cabul on the left hand,
And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and
Kanah, even unto great Zidon;
And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to
the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the
outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib:
Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty
and two cities with their villages.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
children of Asher according to their families, these cities with
their villages.
The sixth lot came out to the children of
Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their
families.
And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon
to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the
outgoings thereof were at Jordan:
And then the coast turneth westward to
Aznothtabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to
Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side,
and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising.
And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and
Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,
And Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor,
And Kedesh, and Edrei, and Enhazor,
And Iron, and Migdalel, Horem, and
Bethanath, and Bethshemesh; nineteen cities with their
villages.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and
their villages.
And the seventh lot came out for the tribe
of the children of Dan according to their families.
And the coast of their inheritance was
Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Irshemesh,
And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and
Jethlah,
And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron,
And Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and
Baalath,
And Jehud, and Beneberak, and
Gathrimmon,
And Mejarkon, and Rakkon, with the border
before Japho.
And the coast of the children of Dan went
out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to
fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of
the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem,
Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
children of Dan according to their families, these cities with
their villages.
When they had made an end of dividing the
land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave
an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:
According to the word of the LORD they gave
him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in mount Ephraim:
and he built the city, and dwelt therein.
These are the inheritances, which Eleazar
the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers
of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance
by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.
Speak to the children of Israel, saying,
Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by
the hand of Moses:
That the slayer that killeth any person
unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your
refuge from the avenger of blood.
And when he that doth flee unto one of those
cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and
shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city,
they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place,
that he may dwell among them.
And if the avenger of blood pursue after
him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand;
because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not
beforetime.
And he shall dwell in that city, until he
stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of
the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer
return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto
the city from whence he fled.
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in
mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba,
which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
And on the other side Jordan by Jericho
eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out
of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of
Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
These were the cities appointed for all the
children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among
them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee
thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he
stood before the congregation.
Then came near the heads of the fathers of
the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of
Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the
children of Israel;
And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the
land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to
give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our
cattle.
And the children of Israel gave unto the
Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD,
these cities and their suburbs.
And the lot came out for the families of the
Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the
Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe
of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.
And the rest of the children of Kohath had
by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the
tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten
cities.
And the children of Gershon had by lot out
of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of
Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe
of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
The children of Merari by their families had
out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of
the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
And the children of Israel gave by lot unto
the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded
by the hand of Moses.
And they gave out of the tribe of the
children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon,
these cities which are here mentioned by name.
Which the children of Aaron, being of the
families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had:
for theirs was the first lot.
And they gave them the city of Arba the
father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah,
with the suburbs thereof round about it.
But the fields of the city, and the
villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his
possession.
Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the
priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the
slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,
And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa
with her suburbs,
And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with
her suburbs,
And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with
her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs; nine cities out of
those two tribes.
And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon
with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,
Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with
her suburbs; four cities.
All the cities of the children of Aaron,
the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
And the families of the children of Kohath,
the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had
the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.
For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs
in mount Ephraim, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Gezer
with her suburbs,
And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Bethhoron
with her suburbs; four cities.
And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with
her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs,
Aijalon with her suburbs, Gathrimmon with
her suburbs; four cities.
And out of the half tribe of Manasseh,
Tanach with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs; two
cities.
All the cities were ten with their suburbs
for the families of the children of Kohath that remained.
And unto the children of Gershon, of the
families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh
they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge
for the slayer; and Beeshterah with her suburbs; two cities.
And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon
with her suburbs, Dabareh with her suburbs,
Jarmuth with her suburbs, Engannim with her
suburbs; four cities.
And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with
her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,
Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with
her suburbs; four cities.
And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in
Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer;
and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three
cities.
All the cities of the Gershonites according
to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.
And unto the families of the children of
Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun,
Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs,
Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her
suburbs; four cities.
And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with
her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,
Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath
with her suburbs; four cities.
And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in
Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and
Mahanaim with her suburbs,
Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her
suburbs; four cities in all.
So all the cities for the children of
Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of
the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities.
All the cities of the Levites within the
possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities
with their suburbs.
These cities were every one with their
suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.
And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land
which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it,
and dwelt therein.
And the LORD gave them rest round about,
according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood
not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all
their enemies into their hand.
There failed not ought of any good thing
which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to
pass.
Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the
Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
And said unto them, Ye have kept all that
Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my
voice in all that I commanded you:
Ye have not left your brethren these many
days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of
the LORD your God.
And now the LORD your God hath given rest
unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye,
and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession,
which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side
Jordan.
But take diligent heed to do the commandment
and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to
love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep
his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all
your heart and with all your soul.
So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away:
and they went unto their tents.
Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh
Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half
thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan
westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents,
then he blessed them,
And he spake unto them, saying, Return with
much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with
silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very
much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your
brethren.
And the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from
the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of
Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their
possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of
the LORD by the hand of Moses.
And when they came unto the borders of
Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and
the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an
altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
And the children of Israel heard say,
Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half
tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of
Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of
Israel.
And when the children of Israel heard of
it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered
themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.
And the children of Israel sent unto the
children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half
tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of
Eleazar the priest,
And with him ten princes, of each chief
house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one
was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of
Israel.
And they came unto the children of Reuben,
and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto
the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
Thus saith the whole congregation of the
LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God
of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that
ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against
the LORD?
Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us,
from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a
plague in the congregation of the LORD,
But that ye must turn away this day from
following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against
the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole
congregation of Israel.
Notwithstanding, if the land of your
possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the
possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's tabernacle dwelleth, and
take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel
against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD
our God.
Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a
trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the
congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his
iniquity.
Then the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said
unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods,
he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if
in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)
That we have built us an altar to turn from
following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat
offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD
himself require it;
And if we have not rather done it for fear
of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak
unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of
Israel?
For the LORD hath made Jordan a border
between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye
have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children
cease from fearing the LORD.
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to
build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
But that it may be a witness between us,
and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service
of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our
sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may
not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the
LORD.
Therefore said we, that it shall be, when
they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come,
that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD,
which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for
sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
God forbid that we should rebel against the
LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar
for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside
the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.
And when Phinehas the priest, and the
princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel
which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben
and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it
pleased them.
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest
said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and
to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is
among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the
LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand
of the LORD.
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the
children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of
Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word
again.
And the thing pleased the children of
Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend
to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the
children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
And the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us
that the LORD is God.
And it came to pass a long time after that
the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round
about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.
And Joshua called for all Israel, and for
their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for
their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in
age:
And ye have seen all that the LORD your God
hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your
God is he that hath fought for you.
Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these
nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from
Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the
great sea westward.
And the LORD your God, he shall expel them
from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye
shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto
you.
Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and
to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye
turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
That ye come not among these nations, these
that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their
gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow
yourselves unto them:
But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye
have done unto this day.
For the LORD hath driven out from before you
great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to
stand before you unto this day.
One man of you shall chase a thousand: for
the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath
promised you.
Take good heed therefore unto yourselves,
that ye love the LORD your God.
Else if ye do in any wise go back, and
cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain
among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them,
and they to you:
Know for a certainty that the LORD your God
will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but
they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your
sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good
land which the LORD your God hath given you.
And, behold, this day I am going the way of
all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your
souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which
the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto
you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as
all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised
you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he
have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God
hath given you.
When ye have transgressed the covenant of
the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served
other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of
the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from
off the good land which he hath given unto you.
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel
to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their
heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they
presented themselves before God.
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus
saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side
of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and
the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the
other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of
Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I
gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his
children went down into Egypt.
I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued
Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I
brought you out.
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and
ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers
with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
And when they cried unto the LORD, he put
darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon
them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in
Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
And I brought you into the land of the
Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought
with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess
their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab,
arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son
of Beor to curse you:
But I would not hearken unto Balaam;
therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his
hand.
And you went over Jordan, and came unto
Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites,
and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the
Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them
into your hand.
And I sent the hornet before you, which
drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites;
but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
And I have given you a land for which ye
did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in
them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye
eat.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him
in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers
served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye
the LORD.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the
LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods
which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me
and my house, we will serve the LORD.
And the people answered and said, God
forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
For the LORD our God, he it is that brought
us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and
preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the
people through whom we passed:
And the LORD drave out from before us all
the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore
will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot
serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will
not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange
gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after
that he hath done you good.
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but
we will serve the LORD.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are
witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to
serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Now therefore put away, said he, the
strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the
LORD God of Israel.
And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD
our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
So Joshua made a covenant with the people
that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of
the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under
an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
And Joshua said unto all the people,
Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard
all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be
therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
So Joshua let the people depart, every man
unto his inheritance.
And it came to pass after these things,
that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an
hundred and ten years old.
And they buried him in the border of his
inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the
north side of the hill of Gaash.
And Israel served the LORD all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and
which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for
Israel.
And the bones of Joseph, which the children
of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a
parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father
of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the
inheritance of the children of Joseph.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they
buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was
given him in mount Ephraim.