Jonathan Joshua

The Commission of Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now arise and cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you, as I spoke with Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No one will stand against you all the days of your life. As my Memra was Moses’ help, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or cast you off. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you will give this people the land I swore to their fathers to give them as their inheritance. 7 Only be very strong and courageous, and take care to do all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may succeed wherever you go. 8 This book of the law must not depart from your mouth. Study it day and night, so that you take care to do all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosper, and then you will act rightly. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Memra of the Lord your God is your help wherever you go.”

Preparations for Crossing the Jordan

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and command the people: ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for in three days you will cross this Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

12 To the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said: 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and has given you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones and your livestock will stay in the land Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you, all the mighty warriors, will cross over armed ahead of your brothers and help them, 15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest as he has given you, and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Then you will return to the land of your inheritance and possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan, toward the sunrise.”

16 They answered Joshua: “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Memra of the Lord your God be your help, as it was Moses’ help. 18 Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Rahab and the Spies

1 Joshua son of Nun sent two men from Shittim to spy in secret, saying, “Go, look over the land and Jericho.” They went and entered the house of a woman who kept an inn, whose name was Rahab, and they lay down there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Some men of the children of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you, who entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “It is true, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 When the gate was about to be shut at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Chase after them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under the bundles of flax she had laid out on the roof. 7 The men chased after them along the road to the Jordan as far as the fords, and the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out after them.

8 Before the men lay down, she went up to them on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the fear of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are shattered before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you destroyed. 11 When we heard it, our hearts melted, and no courage remained in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God is the God whose Shekinah is in the heavens above and who rules over the earth below. 12 Now swear to me by the Memra of the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you too will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true sign 13 that you will spare my father and my mother, my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our lives from death.” 14 The men said to her, “Our lives are pledged to die in place of yours, if you do not reveal this business of ours. And when the Lord gives us the land, we will deal with you kindly and faithfully.”

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, and she lived in the wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers do not come upon you. Hide there three days until the pursuers return, and after that go on your way.”

17 The men said to her, “We will be free of this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 When we come into the land, you are to tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather your father, your mother, your brothers and all your father’s household to you in the house. 19 Anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, the guilt for his death will be on his own head, and we will be free. But anyone who is with you in the house, the guilt for his death will be on our head if anyone lays a hand on him. 20 And if you reveal this business of ours, we will be free of your oath that you made us swear.”

21 She said, “Let it be as you say.” She sent them off and they went, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 They went into the hill country and stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the road and did not find them. 23 Then the two men came back. They came down from the hill country, crossed over, came to Joshua son of Nun, and told him all that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has handed the whole land over to us, and all the inhabitants of the land are shattered before us.”

Crossing the Jordan

1 Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and spent the night there before they crossed.

2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, with the priests, the Levites, carrying it, you are to set out from your places and follow it. 4 But keep a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way you are to go, for you have never passed this way before.”

5 Joshua said to the people, “Make yourselves ready, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel, so that they may know that as my Memra was Moses’ help, so my Memra will be your help. 8 Command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters of the Jordan, stand still in the Jordan.’”

9 Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you will know that the living God has been pleased to make his Shekinah dwell among you, and that he will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites and the Jebusites. 11 The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters flowing down from above will stand up in a single heap.”

The Waters Stand Still

14 When the people set out from their towns to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of the people, 15 and when those carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark dipped into the edge of the water, while the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the harvest, 16 the waters flowing down from above stood still. They rose up in a single heap a great distance away, at Adam, the city beside Zarethan, and the waters flowing down to the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, were cut off completely. And the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until the whole people had finished crossing the Jordan.

Stones of Remembrance

1 When the whole people had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: 2 “Choose twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and command them: ‘Take up from here, from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones. Carry them over with you and set them down at the lodging place where you will spend the night.’”

4 Joshua called the twelve men he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from each tribe. 5 Joshua said to them, “Cross over ahead of the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6 so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 you will tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will be a memorial for the children of Israel forever.”

8 The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the Lord had told Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, carried them over with them to the lodging place, and set them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant had stood, and they are there to this day.

The Crossing Completed

10 The priests carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and crossed. 11 When all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed ahead of the people. 12 The sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed ahead of the children of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About forty thousand men armed for war crossed over ahead of the people of the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day the Lord made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they feared him as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.

15 The Lord said to Joshua: 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were drawn out and rested on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran over all its banks as before.

The Stones at Gilgal

19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 Joshua set up at Gilgal those twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 21 He said to the children of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 you will let your children know: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know the might of the Lord, that it is strong, and so that you may fear the Lord your God always.”

Circumcision at Gilgal

1 When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel until they had crossed, their hearts melted, and there was no more courage in them because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make yourself sharp knives and circumcise the children of Israel again, a second time.” 3 So Joshua made himself sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill, and he called it the Hill of the Foreskins.

4 This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 All the people who came out had been circumcised, but none of the people born in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt had been circumcised. 6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until the whole people, the men of war who came out of Egypt, had perished, because they did not obey the Memra of the Lord. The Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land producing milk and honey. 7 It was their sons, who grew up after them, that Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, since no one had circumcised them on the way.

8 When the whole people had finished being circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they were healed. 9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of the Egyptians from you.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

The Passover at Gilgal

10 The children of Israel camped at Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the Passover they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and roasted grain, on that very day. 12 The manna ceased on the next day, when they ate of the produce of the land. The children of Israel had manna no longer, and that year they ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

The Angel at Jericho

13 When Joshua was at Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Have you come to help us or to help our enemies?” 14 He said, “No, for I am an angel sent from before the Lord. I have come now.” Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down, and said to him, “What does my master say to his servant?” 15 The angel sent from before the Lord said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The Fall of Jericho

1 Jericho was shut with doors of iron and fortified with bars of bronze against the children of Israel. No one went out of it to make war, and no one went into it to ask after peace.

2 The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have handed Jericho over to you, with its king and its mighty warriors. 3 You are to march around the city, all the men who wage war, circling the city once. Do this for six days. 4 Seven priests will carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns ahead of the ark. On the seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow the trumpets. 5 When they sound a long blast on the ram’s horn and you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people are to give a great shout. The wall of the city will fall and be swallowed up where it stands, and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”

6 Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 7 He said to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went forward and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed men went ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the tribe of the house of Dan went behind the ark, while the priests went on blowing the trumpets.

10 Joshua commanded the people: “Do not shout or let your voice be heard, and do not let a word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you will shout.” 11 So the ark of the Lord went around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on, blowing the trumpets as they went. The armed men went ahead of them, and the tribe of the house of Dan went behind the ark of the Lord, while the priests went on blowing the trumpets. 14 They marched around the city once on the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the break of dawn, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day did they circle the city seven times.

16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it will be devoted before the Lord. Only Rahab the innkeeper will live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers we sent. 18 But keep yourselves away from what is devoted, so that you do not devote it and then take from it, making the camp of Israel something devoted to destruction and bringing trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron are holy before the Lord. They will be brought into the treasury of the house of the Lord’s sanctuary.”

20 The people shouted, and they blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall of the city fell and was swallowed up where it stood. The people went up into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. 21 They destroyed everything in the city, man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

Rahab and Her Family Spared

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the innkeeper’s house and bring out the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord’s sanctuary. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the innkeeper, her father’s household and all who belonged to her, and she has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out the land.

The Oath Concerning Jericho

26 At that time Joshua swore an oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 The Memra of the Lord was Joshua’s help, and his fame spread through all the land.

The Sin of Achan

1 But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in the matter of the devoted things. Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord blazed against the Israelites.

Defeat at Ai

2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 They came back to Joshua and said to him, “Not all the people need to go up. Let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not wear out all the people by sending them there, for its people are few.” 4 So about three thousand men of the people went up there, but they turned and fled before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them. They chased them from the gate until they broke them, and struck them down on the descent. The hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Joshua’s Prayer

6 Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they threw dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, “Accept my prayer, Lord God! Why did you bring this people across the Jordan at all, only to hand us over to the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to settle and stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 I beg you, my Lord, what can I say now that Israel has turned its back and fled from its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and everyone who lives in the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and wipe our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying face down? 11 Israel has sinned. They have broken my covenant that I commanded them. They have taken some of the devoted things. They have stolen, they have lied, and they have put them among their own belongings. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs and flee from their enemies, because they have become devoted to destruction themselves. My Memra will no longer be your help unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up, consecrate the people, and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove the devoted things from among you.’

14 “In the morning you will come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe that is taken by lot before the Lord will come forward clan by clan. The clan that is taken by lot before the Lord will come forward household by household. And the household that is taken by lot before the Lord will come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is taken with the devoted things will be burned with fire, he and everything he has, because he has broken the covenant of the Lord and done what is shameful in Israel.”

Achan Taken by Lot

16 Joshua got up early in the morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of the house of Judah was taken. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and he took the clan of the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 He had his household come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory now before the Lord, the God of Israel, and make your confession before him. Tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” 20 Achan answered Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned before the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 Among the captured goods I saw a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred selas of silver, and a tongue of gold weighing fifty selas. I wanted them, and I took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. There it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things out of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the Israelites, and laid them out before the Lord.

24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe and the tongue of gold, his sons and his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys and his sheep, his tent and everything he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 They raised over him a great heap of stones that is there to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. That is why that place is called the Valley of Achor to this day.

The Capture of Ai

1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and get up and go up to Ai. See, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You will do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off its goods and its livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city, behind it.”

3 So Joshua and all the fighting men got ready to go up to Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, mighty warriors, and sent them out by night.

4 He commanded them, “Listen. You are to lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, and all of you be ready. 5 I and all the people with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee before them. 6 They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as they did the first time.’ And we will flee before them. 7 Then you will rise from the ambush and take possession of the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8 When you have seized the city, set the city on fire. Do as the Lord has said. See, I have commanded you.”

9 Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people. 10 Joshua got up early in the morning and mustered the people, and he and the elders of Israel went up ahead of the people to Ai. 11 All the fighting men who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city. They camped north of Ai, with the valley between them and Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai. 13 The people stationed the whole camp north of the city and its ambush west of the city, and that night Joshua went into the middle of the valley.

14 When the king of Ai saw this, the men of the city hurried and got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people, at the appointed time, toward the plain. He did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten before them and fled toward the wilderness. 16 All the people who were in Ai were called together to chase them. They chased Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and chased Israel.

18 The Lord said to Joshua, “Raise the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand it over to you.” And Joshua raised the spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19 As soon as he raised his hand, the men in ambush rose quickly from their place and ran. They entered the city, captured it, and quickly set the city on fire.

20 The men of Ai turned back and looked, and there was the smoke of the city rising to the sky. They had no strength to flee this way or that, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned on their pursuers. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city was rising, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 22 The others came out of the city to meet them, so that they were caught in the middle of Israel, some on this side and some on that. Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive was left. 23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open country, in the wilderness where they had chased them, and all of them had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were finished off, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25 All who fell that day, men and women, numbered twelve thousand, all the people of Ai. 26 Joshua did not draw back his hand that held up the spear until he had destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Israel carried off only the livestock and the goods of that city for themselves, according to the word of the Lord that he had commanded Joshua.

28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day. 29 He hanged the king of Ai on a gallows until evening. At sunset Joshua gave the order, and they took his body down from the gallows and threw it at the entrance of the city gate. They raised over it a great heap of stones that is there to this day.

The Covenant at Mount Ebal

30 Then Joshua built an altar before the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of whole stones on which no iron tool had been lifted. They offered burnt offerings on it before the Lord and sacrificed holy sacrifices. 32 There, on the stones, he wrote a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before the Israelites.

33 All Israel, with its elders, officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark, before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, proselyte and native-born alike. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at first, to bless the people Israel. 34 After that he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, just as it is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the whole assembly of Israel, with the women and children and the proselytes who lived among them.

The Treaty with Gibeon

1 When all the kings beyond the Jordan heard of this, in the hill country, in the lowland, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, 2 they gathered together as one band to fight against Joshua and against Israel.

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they too acted cunningly. They got provisions together and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins that were worn out, split and tied up. 5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and worn-out clothes on their bodies, and all the bread of their provisions was dry and crumbling.

6 They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Now make a covenant with us.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How then can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very distant land because of the name of the Lord your God. We have heard the report of his might and of all that he did in Egypt, 10 and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Mathnan, who lived in Ashtaroth. 11 Our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey. Go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Now make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was hot when we packed it as provisions from our homes on the day we set out to come to you. But now look, it is dry and crumbling. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, and look, they are split. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.”

14 The men accepted their words, and they did not seek instruction from before the Lord. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

The Deception Discovered

16 Three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 The Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Memra of the Lord, the God of Israel. The whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.

19 All the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Memra of the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot harm them. 20 This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that anger will not come upon us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders had told them.

22 Joshua summoned them and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you live among us? 23 Now you are cursed. Some of you will always be servants, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of the sanctuary of my God.”

24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were told plainly that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and so we did this. 25 Now here we are, in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right in your eyes.”

26 So he did this for them: he rescued them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 That day Joshua appointed them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place he would choose, to this day.

The Defense of Gibeon

1 When Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them, 2 they were very much afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities. It was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.

3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon: 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack the inhabitants of Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.” 5 The five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish and the king of Eglon, gathered and went up, they and all their armies. They camped against Gibeon and made war on it.

6 The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly, rescue us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country have gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting men with him, all the mighty warriors.

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will stand against you.” 9 Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10 The Lord threw them into a rout before Israel, and Israel struck them a great blow at Gibeon. They chased them along the road of the ascent of Beth Horon and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, great stones were thrown down on them from heaven by the Lord, all the way to Azekah, and they died. More died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

The Sun Stands Still

12 Then Joshua gave praise before the Lord on the day the Lord handed the Amorites over to the Israelites. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, wait at Gibeon, and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun waited and the moon stood still until the people Israel had taken vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the book of the law? The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the prayer of a man was accepted before the Lord, for the Lord fought for Israel by his Memra.

15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

The Five Kings in the Cave

16 These five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”

18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men over it to guard them. 19 But you, do not stop. Pursue your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.”

20 When Joshua and the Israelites had finished striking them a very great blow, until they were finished off, and the survivors who escaped from them had entered the fortified cities, 21 all the people returned safely to Joshua at the camp at Makkedah. No one so much as harmed the Israelites by pressing them.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish and the king of Eglon.

24 When they had brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the fighting men who had gone with him, “Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” They came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for this is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you fight against.”

26 After this Joshua struck them and killed them, and he hanged them on five gallows. They remained hanging on the gallows until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua gave the order, and they took them down from the gallows and threw them into the cave where they had hidden. They placed large stones at the mouth of the cave, which are there to this very day.

The Southern Campaign

28 Joshua captured Makkedah that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. He destroyed its king and everyone in it, leaving no survivor, and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord handed it and its king over to Israel too. He struck it and everyone in it with the edge of the sword, leaving no survivor in it, and he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish. He camped against it and fought against it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and he captured it on the second day. He struck it and everyone in it with the edge of the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he had no survivor left.

34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon. They camped against it and fought against it. 35 They captured it that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. He destroyed everyone in it that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37 They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, together with its king, all its towns and everyone in it, leaving no survivor, just as he had done to Eglon. He destroyed it and everyone in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it. 39 He captured it with its king and all its towns. They struck them with the edge of the sword and destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivor. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, and as he had done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country, the south, the lowland and the slopes, with all their kings. He left no survivor, and he destroyed every living thing, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Rekem Geah to Gaza, and the whole land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, for the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel by his Memra. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

The Northern Campaign

1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Acshaph, 2 and to the kings in the north, in the hill country, in the plain south of Ginnesar, in the lowland, and in the districts of Dor to the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites below Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 They came out, they and all their armies with them, a people as many as the sand on the seashore, with a great many horses and chariots. 5 All these kings met together and came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

6 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will hand all of them over, slain, before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Joshua and all the fighting men with him came against them suddenly while they were camped at the waters of Merom, and fell upon them. 8 The Lord handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down and chased them as far as Great Sidon, the channels of the sea, and the valley of Mizpah to the east. They struck them down until no survivor was left to them. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor, and he killed its king with the sword, for Hazor had formerly been the head of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck everyone in it with the edge of the sword, destroying them completely. Not a living thing was left, and he burned Hazor with fire. 12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings, and all their kings, and struck them with the edge of the sword. He destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites carried off all the goods of these cities and the livestock for themselves. But all the people they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them. They left no living thing.

15 As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left undone nothing of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

A Summary of the Conquests

16 So Joshua took possession of this whole land: the hill country, all the south, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the plain, and the hill country of Israel with its lowland, 17 from the divided mountain that goes up toward Seir as far as the plain of Gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. They took all the others in battle. 20 For it was from before the Lord that their hearts were made stubborn to set themselves in battle against Israel, so that they might be destroyed without mercy and wiped out, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 At that time Joshua came and wiped out the giants from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua destroyed them with their cities. 22 None of the giants was left in the land of the Israelites. Only in Gaza, in Gath and in Ashdod did some remain.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by tribes. And the land had rest from war.

Kings Defeated East of the Jordan

1 These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites struck down and whose land they took possession of beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, with all the plain to the east: 2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and the middle of the valley, and half of Gilead, as far as the Jabbok Valley, the border of the Ammonites, 3 and the plain as far as the Sea of Ginnesar to the east, and as far as the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, to the east, toward Beth Jeshimoth, and on the south below the slopes of the heights.

4 And the territory of Og king of Mathnan, one of the remnant of the giants, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah and all Mathnan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and Apikeros, and half of Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 Moses the servant of the Lord and the Israelites struck them down, and Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land as a possession to the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Kings Defeated West of the Jordan

7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites struck down beyond the Jordan to the west, from the plain of Gad in the valley of Lebanon to the divided mountain that goes up toward Seir. Joshua gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Israel according to their divisions, 8 in the hill country, the lowland, the plain, the slopes, the wilderness and the south, the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites:

9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;

17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;

18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;

20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Acshaph, one;

21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

23 the king of Dor in the districts of Dor, one; the king of the nations at Gilgal, one;

24 the king of Tirzah, one. All the kings were thirty-one.

Land Still to Be Taken

1 Joshua was old, advanced in days, and the Lord said to him, “You are old, advanced in days, and a great deal of the land remains to be possessed. 2 This is the land that remains: all the territories of the Philistines and all the Geshurites, 3 from the Shihor, which faces Egypt, to the territory of Ekron in the north, which is counted as the land of the Canaanites; the five lords of the Philistines, the people of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; and the Avvites; 4 in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah, which belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the territory of the Amorites; 5 the land of Byblos and all Lebanon toward the sunrise, from the plain of Gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 6 All who live in the hill country from Lebanon to the inlets of the sea, all the Sidonians, I will drive out by my Memra before the Israelites. Only divide it to Israel as an inheritance, as I commanded you. 7 Now divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

The Allotments East of the Jordan

8 With the other half, the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad received their inheritance, which Moses gave them across the Jordan to the east, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them: 9 from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Arnon Valley, and the city in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the territory of the Ammonites; 11 and the land of Gilead, the territory of the Geshurites and of Apikeros, all Mount Hermon, and all Mathnan as far as Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Mathnan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. He was left of the remnant of the giants. Moses struck them down and drove them out. 13 But the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or Apikeros, and the Geshurites and Apikeros have lived among Israel to this day.

14 Only to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance: the offerings of the Lord God of Israel are its inheritance, as he had told it.

The Territory of Reuben

15 Moses gave land to the tribe of the Reubenites by their families. 16 Their territory ran from Aroer, which is on the bank of the Arnon Valley, and the city in the middle of the valley, and all the plain as far as Medeba; 17 Heshbon and all its cities on the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain of the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Ramatha, and Beth Jeshimoth,

21 and all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses struck down together with the chiefs of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the chiefs of Sihon who lived in the land. 22 The Israelites also killed Balaam son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword, along with the rest of their slain. 23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its bank. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their families, the cities and their villages.

The Territory of Gad

24 Moses gave land to the tribe of Gad, to the Gadites, by their families. 25 Their territory was Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, as far as Aroer, which faces Rabbah; 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir; 27 and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan and its bank as far as the end of the Sea of Ginnesar, across the Jordan to the east. 28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their families, the cities and their villages.

The Territory of Eastern Manasseh

29 Moses gave land to the half-tribe of Manasseh; it belonged to the half-tribe of the Manassites by their families. 30 Their territory ran from Mahanaim through all Mathnan, all the kingdom of Og king of Mathnan, and all the villages of Jair in Mathnan, sixty cities, 31 and half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Mathnan. These belonged to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, to half the descendants of Makir, by their families.

32 These are the lands Moses gave as inheritances in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho, to the east. 33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance: the gifts that the Lord God of Israel gave them are their inheritance, as he had told them.

The Allotments West of the Jordan

1 These are the lands the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the Israelites gave them as an inheritance. 2 Their inheritance was divided to them by lot, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. 3 For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and the half-tribe across the Jordan, and to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them. 4 For the descendants of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. They gave the Levites no portion in the land, only cities to live in, with their open land for their cattle and their flocks. 5 The Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.

Caleb’s Inheritance

6 The men of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word that the Lord spoke with Moses the prophet of the Lord about me and about you at Rekem Geah. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Rekem Geah to spy out the land, and I brought him back a report just as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me broke the people’s heart, while I followed the fear of the Lord my God with my whole heart. 9 That day Moses swore, ‘The land your foot has walked on will surely be yours as an inheritance, and your children’s forever, because you followed the fear of the Lord my God with your whole heart.’ 10 Now look, the Lord has kept me alive, as he promised, these forty-five years since the Lord spoke this word with Moses, while Israel traveled in the wilderness. And now look, I am eighty-five years old today. 11 Today I am still as strong as I was on the day Moses sent me. As my strength was then, so is my strength now, for waging war and for going out and coming in. 12 Now give me this hill country the Lord spoke of on that day. You heard on that day that giants live there, in great fortified cities. Perhaps the Memra of the Lord will be my help, and I will drive them out, as the Lord promised.”

13 Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. 14 That is why Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he followed the fear of the Lord God of Israel with his whole heart. 15 Hebron was formerly named Kiriath Arba; Arba was a great man among the giants. And the land had rest from war.

The Boundaries of Judah

1 The lot for the tribe of the people of Judah by their families reached to the border of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin in the south, at the far south. 2 Their southern border ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that turns southward. 3 It went out south of the Scorpion Ascent, passed along to Zin, went up south of Rekem Geah, passed along to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka. 4 It passed along to Azmon and went out to the Stream of Egypt, and the border ended at the sea. This will be your southern border.

5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north side ran from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. 6 The border went up to Beth Hoglah and passed along north of Beth Mishra, and the border went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 7 The border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor and turned north toward Gilgal, which is opposite the Pass of Adummim, south of the valley. The border passed along to the waters of En Shemesh and ended at the Fuller’s Spring. 8 The border went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites on the south, that is, Jerusalem. The border went up to the top of the mountain that faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the end of the Plain of the Giants on the north. 9 From the top of the mountain the border turned to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went out to the cities of Mount Ephron, and turned toward Baalah, that is, Kiriath Jearim. 10 From Baalah the border turned west to Mount Seir, passed along to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north, that is, Kesalon, went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed along to Timnah. 11 The border went out to the slope of Ekron on the north, turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel, and the border ended at the sea. 12 The western border was the Great Sea and its coast. This is the border of the people of Judah all around, by their families.

Caleb and Achsah

13 To Caleb son of Jephunneh Joshua gave a portion among the people of Judah, according to the Memra of the Lord to Joshua: Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. Arba was the father of the giants. 14 Caleb drove out from there the three sons of the giants, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of the giants.

15 From there he went up against the people who lived in Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath Arki. 16 Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath Arki and captures it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as his wife.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured it, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. 18 When she came to him, she persuaded him to ask her father for an inheritance. She got down from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 19 She said, “Give me an inheritance. Since you have given me land in the south, give me a place watered by springs.” So he gave her the upper watered place and the lower watered place.

The Towns of Judah

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah by their families. 21 The cities at the far end of the tribe of the people of Judah, toward the border of Edom in the south, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, and Kerioth Hezron, that is, Hazor, 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beer Sheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: twenty-nine cities in all, with their villages.

33 In the lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.

37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.

42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.

45 Ekron, with its towns and its villages; 46 from Ekron to the west, all the cities near Ashdod, with their villages; 47 Ashdod, with its towns and its villages; Gaza, with its towns and its villages, as far as the Stream of Egypt and the Great Sea and its coast.

48 In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah, that is, Debir, 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages.

52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, and Zior: nine cities with their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities with their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.

60 Kiriath Baal, that is, Kiriath Jearim, and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.

61 In the wilderness: Beth Mishra, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi: six cities with their villages.

63 As for the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive them out, and the Jebusites have lived with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.

The Territory of Joseph

1 The lot for the descendants of Joseph went out from the Jordan at Jericho, to the waters of Jericho on the east, into the wilderness that goes up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel. 2 It went out from Bethel to Luz and passed along to the territory of the Arkites at Ataroth. 3 It went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth Horon and as far as Gezer, and it ended at the sea. 4 So the descendants of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

The Territory of Ephraim

5 The territory of the Ephraimites by their families was this: the border of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth Addar as far as Upper Beth Horon. 6 The border went out westward to Micmethath on the north, and the border turned east to Taanath Shiloh and passed by it on the east to Janoah. 7 It went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, touched Jericho, and went out to the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the border runs westward to the Valley of Kanah and ends at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites by their families, 9 together with the cities set apart for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites, all the cities and their villages.

10 They did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, and the Canaanites have lived among the house of Ephraim to this day, and they became laborers paying tribute.

The Territory of Manasseh

1 This was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was Joseph’s firstborn. To Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, belonged the land of Gilead and Mathnan. 2 The lot also fell to the rest of the Manassites by their families: to the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, by their families.

3 But Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They came before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the Memra of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers. 5 Ten portions fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Mathnan across the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons, while the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the Manassites.

7 The border of Manasseh ran from Asher to Micmethath, which faces Shechem, and the border went south to the people who lived at En Tappuah. 8 The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites. 9 The border went down to the Valley of Kanah, south of the valley. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh ran north of the valley and ended at the sea. 10 The south belonged to Ephraim and the north to Manasseh, with the sea as its border. They reached Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. 11 In Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth Shean and its towns, Ibleam and its towns, the people of Dor and its towns, the people of Endor and its towns, the people of Taanach and its towns, and the people of Megiddo and its towns: three districts.

12 But the Manassites could not drive out the people of these cities, and the Canaanites went on living in this land. 13 When the Israelites grew strong, they put the Canaanites to work paying tribute, but they did not drive them out completely.

The Request of Joseph’s Descendants

14 The descendants of Joseph spoke with Joshua and said, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, when I am a numerous people, since the Lord has blessed me until now?” 15 Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 The descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shean and its towns and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and you have great strength. You will not have only one lot. 18 The hill country will be yours. Though it is a forest, you will clear it, and its farthest reaches will be yours. For you will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they are strong.”

The Land Survey at Shiloh

1 The whole congregation of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh, and they set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been subdued before them, 2 but seven tribes remained among the Israelites who had not yet divided their inheritance.

3 Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you hold back from going in to possess the land that the Lord God of your fathers has given you? 4 Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them. They will set out and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritances, and then come back to me. 5 They will divide it into seven portions. The house of Judah will stay within its territory on the south, and the house of Joseph will stay within its territory on the north. 6 You will write a description of the land in seven portions and bring it here to me, and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 For the Levites have no portion among you: the gifts the Lord has given them are their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance across the Jordan to the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

8 The men set out and went, and Joshua commanded those who were going to describe the land, “Go and walk through the land and write a description of it, then come back to me, and here I will cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 The men went and passed through the land and described it by its cities in seven portions in a book, and they came to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land among the Israelites according to their divisions.

The Territory of Benjamin

11 The lot of the tribe of the Benjaminites came up by their families, and the territory of their lot lay between the people of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. 12 Their border on the north side began at the Jordan. The border went up to the slope of Jericho on the north, went up through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13 From there the border passed along to Luz, to the slope of Luz on the south, that is, Bethel, and the border went down to Ataroth Addar, on the mountain south of Lower Beth Horon. 14 Then the border bent and turned on the west side southward from the mountain that faces Beth Horon on the south, and it ended at Kiriath Baal, that is, Kiriath Jearim, a city of the people of Judah. This was the west side.

15 The south side began at the edge of Kiriath Jearim. The border went out westward and went out to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah. 16 The border went down to the edge of the mountain that faces the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which is in the Plain of the Giants to the north. It went down the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites on the south and went down to the Fuller’s Spring. 17 It bent from the north and went out to En Shemesh, went out to Geliloth, which is opposite the Pass of Adummim, and went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18 It passed along to the slope facing the plain on the north and went down to the Arabah. 19 The border passed along to the slope of Beth Hoglah on the north, and the border ended at the shore of the Salt Sea on the north, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 The Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the Benjaminites, by its borders all around, by their families.

21 The cities of the tribe of the Benjaminites by their families were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, the Plain of Keziz, 22 Beth Mishra, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities with their villages.

25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city, that is, Jerusalem, Gibeah, and Kiriath: fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the Benjaminites by their families.

The Territory of Simeon

1 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the sons of Simeon by their families, and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the sons of Judah. 2 In their inheritance they had Beer Sheba, Sheba and Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah and Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul and Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth and Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen: thirteen towns with their villages; 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan: four towns with their villages; 8 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon by their families.

9 The inheritance of the sons of Simeon came out of the allotment of the sons of Judah, because the portion of the sons of Judah was too large for them, so the sons of Simeon received their inheritance within theirs.

The Territory of Zebulun

10 The third lot came up for the sons of Zebulun by their families. The border of their inheritance ran as far as Sarid. 11 Their border went up westward to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and touched the stream that faces Jokneam. 12 From Sarid it turned east, toward the sunrise, to the border of Kisloth Tabor, went out to Daberath and went up to Japhia. 13 From there it passed east, toward the sunrise, to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin, went out to Rimmon, which stretches toward Neah, and from there it turned. 14 The border went around it on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El, 15 along with Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem: twelve towns with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the sons of Zebulun by their families, these towns with their villages.

The Territory of Issachar

17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the sons of Issachar by their families. 18 Their territory included Jezreel, Kesulloth and Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion and Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion and Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. 22 The border touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen towns with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Issachar by their families, the towns with their villages.

The Territory of Asher

24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the sons of Asher by their families. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten and Acshaph, 26 Alammelech, Amad and Mishal. On the west it touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 It turned toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El northward, Beth Emek and Neiel, and went out to Cabul on the left, 28 with Ebron, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29 The border turned to Ramah and as far as the fortified towns, the towns of strength. Then the border turned to Hosah and ended at the sea, from the portion of Achzib, 30 with Umah, Aphek and Rehob: twenty-two towns with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher by their families, these towns with their villages.

The Territory of Naphtali

32 The sixth lot came out for the sons of Naphtali, for the sons of Naphtali by their families. 33 Their border ran from Heleph, from Elon in Zaanannim, Adami Nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan. 34 The border turned west to Aznoth Tabor and went out from there to Hukok. It touched Zebulun on the south, met Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise. 35 The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath and Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah and Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei and En Hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh: nineteen towns with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali by their families, the towns with their villages.

The Territory of Dan

40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the sons of Dan by their families. 41 The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol and Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon and Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah and Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon and Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak and Gath Rimmon, 46 and Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa.

47 But the territory of the sons of Dan slipped out of their hands, so the sons of Dan went up and waged war against Leshem. They captured it, struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it and settled in it, and they called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father. 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan by their families, these towns with their villages.

Joshua’s Inheritance

49 When they had finished dividing the land as an inheritance by its borders, the sons of Israel gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 By the Memra of the Lord they gave him the town he asked for, Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and settled in it.

51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot at Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

1 The Lord spoke with Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak with the sons of Israel and say, ‘Set apart for yourselves the cities of refuge that I spoke of with you through Moses, 3 so that a killer who kills a person by mistake, without knowing it, may flee there. They will be a refuge for you from the avenger of blood. 4 He will flee to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. They will take him into the city with them, give him a place, and he will live among them. 5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, they will not hand the killer over to him, because he killed his neighbor without knowing it and had not hated him before. 6 He will live in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the high priest serving in those days. Then the killer may return and go to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.’”

7 So they designated Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of the house of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of the house of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the hill country of the house of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho, to the east, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness, on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Mathnan from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities appointed for all the sons of Israel and for the proselytes who become proselytes among them, so that anyone who kills a person by mistake may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

The Towns of the Levites

1 The heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 2 They spoke with them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given towns to live in, with their open lands for our cattle.” 3 So by the Memra of the Lord the sons of Israel gave the Levites these towns and their open lands out of their own inheritance.

4 The lot came out for the families of Kohath. The sons of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, received thirteen towns by lot from the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Simeon and the tribe of Benjamin. 5 The rest of the sons of Kohath received ten towns by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 6 The sons of Gershon received thirteen towns by lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Mathnan. 7 The sons of Merari by their families received twelve towns from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Zebulun.

8 So the sons of Israel gave the Levites these towns and their open lands by lot, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Towns for Aaron’s Descendants

9 From the tribe of the sons of Judah and the tribe of the sons of Simeon they gave these towns, which are listed here by name. 10 They went to the sons of Aaron, of the families of Kohath, of the sons of Levi, because the first lot fell to them. 11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, the father of the giants, that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the open lands around it. 12 But the fields of the town and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his inheritance.

13 To the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the killer, with its open lands, Libnah with its open lands, 14 Jattir with its open lands, Eshtemoa with its open lands, 15 Holon with its open lands, Debir with its open lands, 16 Ain with its open lands, Juttah with its open lands and Beth Shemesh with its open lands: nine towns from these two tribes.

17 From the tribe of Benjamin they gave Gibeon with its open lands, Geba with its open lands, 18 Anathoth with its open lands and Almon with its open lands: four towns. 19 All the towns of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen towns with their open lands.

Towns for the Other Kohathites

20 To the families of the sons of Kohath, the rest of the Levites from the sons of Kohath, the towns of their lot came from the tribe of the sons of Ephraim. 21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the killer, with its open lands in the hill country of the house of Ephraim, Gezer with its open lands, 22 Kibzaim with its open lands and Beth Horon with its open lands: four towns.

23 From the tribe of Dan they gave Eltekeh with its open lands, Gibbethon with its open lands, 24 Aijalon with its open lands and Gath Rimmon with its open lands: four towns.

25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they gave Taanach with its open lands and Gath Rimmon with its open lands: two towns. 26 In all there were ten towns with their open lands for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath.

Towns for the Gershonites

27 To the sons of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, they gave from the half-tribe of Manasseh Golan in Mathnan, the city of refuge for the killer, with its open lands, and Beeshtarah with its open lands: two towns.

28 From the tribe of Issachar they gave Kishion with its open lands, Daberath with its open lands, 29 Jarmuth with its open lands and En Gannim with its open lands: four towns.

30 From the tribe of Asher they gave Mishal with its open lands, Abdon with its open lands, 31 Helkath with its open lands and Rehob with its open lands: four towns.

32 From the tribe of Naphtali they gave Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the killer, with its open lands, Hammoth Dor with its open lands and Kartan with its open lands: three towns. 33 All the towns of the sons of Gershon by their families were thirteen towns with their open lands.

Towns for the Merarites

34 To the families of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, they gave from the tribe of Zebulun Jokneam with its open lands, Kartah with its open lands, 35 Dimnah with its open lands and Nahalal with its open lands: four towns.

36 From the tribe of Reuben they gave Bezer in the wilderness, the city of refuge for the killer, Jahaz with its open lands, 37 Kedemoth with its open lands and Mephaath with its open lands: four towns.

38 From the tribe of Gad they gave Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the killer, with its open lands, Mahanaim with its open lands, 39 Heshbon with its open lands and Jazer with its open lands: four towns in all. 40 All the towns given by lot to the sons of Merari by their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were twelve towns.

41 All the towns of the Levites within the inheritance of the sons of Israel were forty-eight towns with their open lands. 42 Each of these towns had its open lands around it. So it was with all these towns.

The Promise Fulfilled

43 The Lord gave Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. 44 The Lord gave them rest all around, just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies could stand before them: the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. 45 Not one word of all the good words that the Lord had spoken concerning the house of Israel failed. Every one of them came true.

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1 Then Joshua called the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them, “You have kept everything that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have obeyed my word in everything I commanded you. 3 You have not abandoned your brothers these many days, up to this day, and you have kept the charge of the commandment of the Memra of the Lord your God. 4 Now the Lord your God has given your brothers rest, as he promised them. So now turn and go to your towns, to the land of your inheritance, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to carry out the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all the ways that are right before him, to keep his commandments, to draw near to his worship, and to serve before him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their towns. 7 To one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Mathnan, and to the other half Joshua gave land among their brothers beyond the Jordan to the west. When Joshua sent them away to their towns, he blessed them 8 and said to them, “Return to your towns with great wealth and very much cattle, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great amount of clothing. Divide what you took from your enemies with your brothers.”

9 So the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned. They left the sons of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to go to the land of Gilead, the land of their inheritance, which they had received by the Memra of the Lord through Moses.

The Altar by the Jordan

10 When they came to Geliloth by the Jordan, in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar to look at. 11 The sons of Israel heard it said, “The sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar facing the land of Canaan, at Geliloth by the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the sons of Israel.” 12 When the sons of Israel heard this, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go up against them in battle.

13 The sons of Israel sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, 14 and ten leaders with him, one leader for each father’s house from all the tribes of Israel. Each was head of his fathers’ house among the thousands of Israel. 15 They came to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and spoke with them, saying, 16 “This is what the whole congregation of the Lord says: ‘What is this treachery you have committed against the Memra of the God of Israel, turning away today from the worship of the Lord by building yourselves an altar, rebelling today against the Memra of the Lord? 17 Is the sin of Peor too small for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, though a plague came upon the congregation of the Lord? 18 And you would turn away today from the worship of the Lord! If you rebel today against the Memra of the Lord, tomorrow his anger will fall on the whole congregation of Israel. 19 But if the land of your inheritance is unclean, cross over to the land of the inheritance of the people of the Lord, where the tabernacle of the Lord dwells, and take an inheritance among us. Do not rebel against the Memra of the Lord, and do not rebel against us by building yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 Did not Achan son of Zerah commit treachery with what was devoted to destruction, and anger fell on the whole congregation of Israel? He was one man, yet he did not die alone for his sin.’”

The Eastern Tribes’ Reply

21 Then the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke with the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22 “God, God, the Lord! God, God, the Lord! It is known before him, and Israel will know in the end: if it was in rebellion or in treachery against the Memra of the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we built ourselves an altar to turn away from the worship of the Lord, or to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to make holy sacrifices on it, let the Lord himself require it. 24 No, we did this out of concern over a matter, thinking, ‘Tomorrow your children may say to our children, “You have no share in the Memra of the Lord, the God of Israel. 25 The Lord has set the Jordan as a border between us and you, sons of Reuben and sons of Gad. You have no share in the Memra of the Lord.”’ So your children might make our children stop fearing before the Lord. 26 So we said, ‘Let us now build ourselves the altar, not for burnt offerings and not for holy sacrifices, 27 but as a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, our sacrifices and our holy sacrifices, so that your children will not say to our children tomorrow, “You have no share in the Memra of the Lord.”’ 28 We said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our generations tomorrow, we will say, “Look at the likeness of the altar of the Lord that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings and not for holy sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.”’ 29 Far be it from us to sin before him, to rebel against the Memra of the Lord, and to turn away today from the worship of the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and holy sacrifices other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”

Reconciliation

30 When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words that the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, they were pleased. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Shekinah of the Lord dwells among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Memra of the Lord. So you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the Memra of the Lord.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 The report pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel gave thanks before the Lord. They spoke no more of going up against them in battle to destroy the land where the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad lived. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad named the altar, saying, “It is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Joshua’s Farewell Address

1 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies all around, when Joshua was old and advanced in years, 2 Joshua called all Israel, its elders, its heads, its judges and its officers, and said to them, “I am old and advanced in years.

3 “You have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these peoples before you, for it is the Lord your God whose Memra fights for you. 4 See, I have allotted to you these peoples who remain as an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, along with all the peoples I have destroyed, as far as the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will break them before you and drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

6 “Be very strong, then, to keep and to do everything written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, 7 so that you do not mix with these peoples who remain among you. Do not mention the name of their idols, do not swear by them, do not serve them and do not bow down to them. 8 Instead, hold fast to the fear of the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 The Lord has driven out great and strong peoples before you, and no one has stood against you to this day. 10 One man of you will chase a thousand, for it is the Lord your God whose Memra fights for you, as he promised you.

11 “Be very careful, for your own lives, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you ever turn back and hold fast to the rest of these peoples who remain among you, and intermarry with them and mix with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Memra of the Lord your God will no longer drive these peoples out before you. They will become a snare and a stumbling block to you, bands bearing weapons against you and camps surrounding you, until you perish from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now I am going today the way of all the earth. Know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one word of all the good words the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed. All of them have come true for you; not one word has failed. 15 Just as all the good words that the Lord your God spoke concerning you have come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil words, until he destroys you from this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve the idols of the peoples and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land he has given you.”

The Covenant at Shechem

1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem. He called the elders of Israel, its heads, its judges and its officers, and they presented themselves before the Lord.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served the idols of the peoples. 3 I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountain of Seir to possess, while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

5 “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck the Egyptians with what I did among them, and afterward I brought you out. 6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. The Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 They cried out before the Lord, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea over them and covered them, and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness a long time.

8 “‘I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They waged war against you, but I handed them over to you. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and waged war against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I was not willing to accept anything from Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

11 “‘You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The inhabitants of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites. It was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land you had not labored over and towns you had not built, and you live in them. You eat from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

14 “Now fear before the Lord and serve before him in wholeness and in truth. Remove the idols that your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve before the Lord. 15 If it seems wrong to you to serve before the Lord, choose today whom you will serve: the idols your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the idols of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my household will serve before the Lord.”

16 The people answered, “Far be it from us to abandon the worship of the Lord to serve the idols of the peoples! 17 For it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, who did these great signs before our eyes, and who protected us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 The Lord drove out all the peoples before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve before the Lord, for he is our God.”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve before the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. As a God of true judgment, he will not forgive your transgressions and your sins. 20 If you abandon the worship of the Lord and serve the idols of the peoples, he will turn and do you harm and destroy you, after having done you good.” 21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve before the Lord.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the worship of the Lord, to serve before him.” They said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now remove the idols of the peoples that are among you, and turn your hearts to the worship of the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey his Memra.”

25 That day Joshua made a covenant with the people and set for them a statute and an ordinance at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words and placed them in the book of the law of the Lord. He took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone will be for us like the two stone tablets of the covenant, for we have made it as a witness, because the words written on it are like all the words that he spoke with us. It will be a memorial and a witness against you, so that you do not lie before your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his inheritance.

The Death of Joshua

29 After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 They buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of the house of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served before the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work that the Lord had done for Israel.

The Burials of Joseph and Eleazar

32 The bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel had brought up from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the portion of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred lambs. It became an inheritance for the sons of Joseph. 33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at the hill of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him in the hill country of the house of Ephraim.