Joshua 18
1WHEN all the congregation of Israel assembled at Selo, and fixed there the tabernacle of the testimony, and the land was subdued under them,
2but there still remained among the children of Israel seven tribes who had not received their portions,
3Joshua said to the children of Israel, How long will you be devoid of courage, to take possession of the land which the Lord our God hath given?
4Appoint from among you three men of a tribe, and let them arise, and go through the land, and lay before me a draught of it, as it ought to be divided.
5And when they came to him he distinguished for them seven portions, saying, Let Juda stand. Their boundary is south of this. And let the children of Joseph stand. Their boundary is north of this.
6Divide ye therefore the land into seven parcels, and bring them to me, and I will cast the lot for you before the Lord our God;
7for the children of Levi are to have no lot among you; for the priesthood of the Lord is their portion; and Gad and Reuben, and the half of the tribe of Manasses, have received their possession on the eastern bank of the Jordan—that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
8So the men prepared to set out, and when they were going to traverse the land, Joshua gave them a charge, saying, Go and traverse the land, and come to me, and I will here cast the lots for you before the Lord, at Selo.
9So they went, and traversed the land, and when they had viewed it, and written it by cities in seven parcels in books, they brought them to Joshua.
10And Joshua cast lots for them at Selo, before the Lord,
11and the lot of the tribe of Benjamin came out first, according to their communities, and the bounds of their lot came out between the children of Juda, and the children of Joseph;
12and these were their borders. On the north their boundary was to go up from the Jordan, back of Jericho, on the north side, and to run westward to the mountain, and come out at Mabdari-tis-Baithon;
13thence the boundary was to run to the border of Louza, back of Louza on the south side of it, this is Baithel; thence the boundary was to run down to Maatarob-Orech, by the high land which is south of the lower Baithoron;
14thence the boundary was to wind, and proceed to that part on the south which overlooketh the sea, from the mountain before Baithoron southward, and to terminate at Kariath-Baal, this is Kariathiarim, a city of the children of Juda. This was the western part.
15And with regard to the southern part; from a part of Kariath-baal, the boundary was to run to Gasin, by the fountain of water Naphtho;
16thence the boundary was to run down part of the way, that is, in front of the forest Sonnam, which is the northern part of Emek-raphain; thence down to Gehenna, back of Jebusi, south of it, down to the fountain Rogel;
17then to turn off to the fountain Baithsamys, and pass on to Galiloth, which is over against the steep of Aithamin; then down to the stone of Baion, one of the sons of Reuben;
18then to run back of Baithabara, north of it, down to the border at the north end of the sea;
19and the termination of this boundary was to be at the north bay of the salt sea, and at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.
20And the Jordan was to be the eastern boundary. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, and these their borders round about, according to their communities.
21And the cities of the Benjaminites according to their communities were Jericho, and Bethegaio, and Amekasis,
22and Baithabara, and Sara, and Besana,
23and Aiein, and Phara, and Ephratha,
24and Karapha, and Kephira, and Moni, and Gabaa, twelve cities with their villages;
25Gabaon, and Rama, and Beerotha,
26and Massema, and Miron, and Amoke,
27and Phira, and Kaphan, and Nakan, and Selekan, and Thareela,
28and Jebus (this is Jerusalem), and Gabaoth-Jarim, thirteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to their communities.