The Assembly at Shiloh
1Then the whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land was now subdued before them, 2but seven tribes among the Israelites still had not received their inheritance. 3So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to go through the land, write a description of it according to its inheritances, and return to me. 5They are to divide it into seven portions. Judah will remain in its territory in the south, and the house of Joseph in its territory in the north. 6When you have written descriptions of the land in seven portions and brought them to me, I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. 7The Levites, however, have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave them east of the Jordan.” 8So the men set out, and Joshua instructed those going to write the description of the land: “Go, walk through the land, write a description of it, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh at Shiloh.” 9The men went and passed through the land, writing a description of it by towns in seven portions in a document, and they returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10Joshua then cast lots for them at Shiloh before Yahweh, and there he divided the land among the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.
The Territory of Benjamin
11The lot for the tribe of Benjamin, by its clans, came up, and the territory allotted to it lay between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. 12On the north their territory began at the Jordan, went up to the slope north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, ending at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13From there it crossed to Luz, to the slope south of Luz — that is, Bethel — and went down to Ataroth-addar, on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon. 14From that hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved and turned south along the western side, ending at Kiriath-baal — that is, Kiriath-jearim, a town of Judah. This was the western side. 15The southern side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went out westward to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16It went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben-hinnom, at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim, then down the Valley of Hinnom, along the southern slope of the Jebusites, and down to En-rogel. 17It curved north to En-shemesh, went out to Geliloth, opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18It passed along the slope opposite the Arabah on the north, and went down into the Arabah. 19The border continued to the slope of Beth-hoglah on the north, and ended at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20The Jordan formed the border on the east. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin, by its borders on every side, according to their clans.
The Towns of Benjamin
21The towns of the tribe of Benjamin, by its clans, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba — twelve towns, with their villages. 25Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28Zela, Haeleph, Jebus — that is, Jerusalem — Gibeath, and Kiriath — fourteen towns, with their villages. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin, by their clans.
