Josué (NAB) 19
19 1 The second lot fell to Simeon. The heritage of the clans of the tribe of Simeonites lay within that of the Judahites.2 For their heritage they received Beer-sheba, Shema, Moladah,3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,5 Ziklag, Bethmar-caboth, Hazar-susah,6 Beth-lebaoth and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages.7 Also En-rimmon, Ether and Ashan; four cities and their villages,8 besides all the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer (that is, Ramoth-negeb). This was the heritage of the clans of the tribe of the Simeonites.9 This heritage of the Simeonites was within the confines of the Judahites; for since the portion of the latter was too large for them, the Simeonites obtained their heritage within it.
10 The third lot fell to the clans of the Zebulunites. The limit of their heritage was at Sarid. 11 Their boundary went up west... and through Mareal, reaching Dabbesheth and the wadi that is near Jokneam.12 From Sarid eastward it ran to the district of Chisloth-tabor, on to Daberath, and up to Japhia.13 From there it continued eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin, extended to Rimmon, and turned to Neah.14 Skirting north of Hannathon, the boundary ended at the valley of Iphtahel.15 Thus, with Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem, there were twelve cities and their villages16 to comprise the heritage of the clans of the Zebulunites.
17 The fourth lot fell to Issachar. The territory of the clans of the Issacharites 18 included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah and Beth-pazzez.22 The boundary reached Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan. These sixteen cities and their villages23 were the heritage of the clans of the Issacharites.
24 The fifth lot fell to the clans of the tribe of the Asherites. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,26 Allammelech, Amad and Mishal, and reached Carmel on the west, and Shihor-libnath.27 In the other direction, it ran eastward of Beth-dagon, reached Zebulun and the valley of Iphtahel; then north of Beth-emek and Neiel, it extended to Cabul,28 Mishal, Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, near Greater Sidon.29 Then the boundary turned back to Ramah and to the fortress city of Tyre; thence it cut back to Hosah and ended at the sea. Thus, with Mahalab, Achzib,30 Ummah, Acco, Aphek and Rehob, there were twenty-two cities and their villages31 to comprise the heritage of the clans of the tribe of the Asherites.
32 The sixth lot fell to the Naphtalites. The boundary of the clans of the Naphtalites 33 extended from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim to Lakkum, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, and ended at the Jordan.34 In the opposite direction, westerly, it ran through Aznoth-tabor and from there extended to Hukkok; it touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan on the east.35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath and Beth-shemesh; nineteen cities and their villages,39 to comprise the heritage of the clans of the tribe of the Naphtalites.
40 The seventh lot fell to the clans of the tribe of Danites. 41 Their heritage was the territory of Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,44 Eltekoh, Gibbethon, Baalath,45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,46 Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the coast at Joppa.47 But the territory of the Danites was too small for them; so the Danites marched up and attacked Leshem, which they captured and put to the sword. Once they had taken possession of Leshem, they renamed the settlement after their ancestor Dan. 48 These cities and their villages were the heritage of the clans of the tribe of the Danites.
49 When the last of them had received the portions of the land they were to inherit, the Israelites assigned a heritage in their midst to Joshua, son of Nun.50 In obedience to the command of the LORD, they gave him the city which he requested, Timnah-serah in the mountain region of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and made it his home.
51 These are the final portions into which Eleazar the priest, Joshua, son of Nun, and the heads of families in the tribes of the Israelites divided the land by lot in the presence of the LORD, at the door of the meeting tent in Shiloh.
20 1 The LORD said to Joshua: 2 "Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of which I spoke to them through Moses,3 to which one guilty of accidental and unintended homicide may flee for asylum from the avenger of blood.4 To one of these cities the killer shall flee, and standing at the entrance of the city gate, he shall plead his case before the elders, who must receive him and assign him a place in which to live among them.5 Though the avenger of blood pursues him, they are not to deliver up the homicide who slew his fellow man unintentionally and not out of previous hatred.6 Once he has stood judgment before the community, he shall live on in that city till the death of the high priest who is in office at the time. Then the killer may go back home to his own city from which he fled."
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the mountain region of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountain region of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the mountain region of Judah.8 And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they designated Bezer on the open tableland in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.9 These were the designated cities to which any Israelite or stranger living among them who had killed a person accidentally might flee to escape death at the hand of the avenger of blood, until he could appear before the community.
21 1 The heads of the Levite families came up to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua, son of Nun, and to the heads of families of the other tribes of the Israelites 2 at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, and said to them, "The LORD commanded, through Moses, that cities be given us to dwell in, with pasture lands for our livestock."3 Out of their own heritage, in obedience to this command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites the following cities with their pasture lands.4 When the first lot among the Levites fell to the clans of the Kohathites, the descendants of Aaron the priest obtained thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.5 The rest of the Kohathites obtained ten cities by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.6 The Gershonites obtained thirteen cities by lot from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.7 The clans of the Merarites obtained twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.8 These cities with their pasture lands the Israelites allotted to the Levites in obedience to the LORD'S command through Moses.
9 From the tribes of the Judahites and Simeonites they designated the following cities,10 and assigned them to the descendants of Aaron in the Kohathite clan of the Levites, since the first lot fell to them:11 first, Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is, Hebron, in the mountain region of Judah, with the adjacent pasture lands,12 although the open country and villages belonging to the city had been given to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, as his property.13 Thus to the descendants of Aaron the priest were given the city of asylum for homicides at Hebron, with its pasture lands; also, Libnah with its pasture lands,14 Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,15 Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands,16 Ashan with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands: nine cities from the two tribes mentioned.17 From the tribe of Benjamin they obtained the four cities of Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands,18 Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands.19 These cities which with their pasture lands belonged to the priestly descendants of Aaron, were thirteen in all.20 The rest of the Kohathite clans among the Levites obtained by lot, from the tribe of Ephraim, four cities.21 They were assigned, with its pasture lands, the city of asylum for homicides at Shechem in the mountain region of Ephraim; also Gezer with its pasture lands,22 Kibzaim with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands.23 From the tribe of Dan they obtained the four cities of Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands,24 Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands;25 and from the half-tribe of Manasseh the two cities of Taanach with its pasture lands and Ibleam with its pasture lands.26 These cities which with their pasture lands belonged to the rest of the Kohathite clans were ten in all.
27 The Gershonite clan of the Levites received from the half-tribe of Manasseh two cities: the city of asylum for homicides at Golan, with its pasture lands; and also Beth-ashtaroth with its pasture lands.28 From the tribe of Issachar they obtained the four cities of Kishion with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands,29 Jarmuth with its pasture lands, and En-gannim with its pasture lands; from the tribe of Asher,30 the four cities of Mishal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands,31 Helkath with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands;32 and from the tribe of Naphtali, three cities: the city of asylum for homicides at Kedesh in Galilee, with its pasture lands; also Hammath with its pasture lands, and Rakkath with its pasture lands.33 These cities which with their pasture lands belonged to the Gershonite clans were thirteen in all.
34 The Merarite clans, the last of the Levites, received from the tribe of Zebulun the four cities of Jokneam with its pasture lands, Kartah with its pasture lands,35 Rimmon with its pasture lands, and Nahalal with its pasture lands;36 also, across the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben, four cities: the city of asylum for homicides at Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands,37 Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands;38 and from the tribe of Gad a total of four cities: the city of asylum for homicides at Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, also Mahanaim with its pasture lands,39 Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.40 The cities which were allotted to the Merarite clans, the last of the Levites, were therefore twelve in all.41 Thus the total number of cities within the territory of the Israelites which, with their pasture lands, belonged to the Levites, was forty-eight.42 With each and every one of these cities went the pasture lands round about it.
43 And so the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to their fathers he would give them. Once they had conquered and occupied it,44 the LORD gave them peace on every side, just as he had promised their fathers. Not one of their enemies could withstand them; the LORD brought all their enemies under their power.45 Not a single promise that the LORD made to the house of Israel was broken; every one was fulfilled.
22 1 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh2 and said to them: "You have done all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you, and have obeyed every command I gave you.3 For many years now you have not once abandoned your kinsmen, but have faithfully carried out the commands of the LORD, your God.4 Since, therefore, the LORD, your God, has settled your kinsmen as he promised them, you may now return to your tents beyond the Jordan; to your own land, which Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you.5 But be very careful to observe the precept and law which Moses, the servant of the LORD, enjoined upon you: love the LORD, your God; follow him faithfully; keep his commandments; remain loyal to him; and serve him with your whole heart and soul."6 Joshua then blessed them and sent them away to their own tents.7 (For, to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had given a portion along with their kinsmen west of the Jordan.) What Joshua said to them when he sent them off to their tents with his blessing was,8 "Now that you are returning to your own tents with great wealth, with very numerous livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and with a very large supply of clothing, divide these spoils of your enemies with your kinsmen there."
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and returned to the land of Gilead, their own property, which they had received according to the LORD'S command through Moses.
10 When the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, they built there at the Jordan a conspicuously large altar.11 The other Israelites heard the report that the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar in the region of the Jordan facing the land of Canaan, across from them, 12 and therefore they assembled their whole community at Shiloh to declare war on them.
13 First, however, they sent to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead an embassy consisting of Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest,14 and ten princes, one from every tribe of Israel, each one being both prince and military leader of his ancestral house.15 When these came to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead, they said to them:16 "The whole community of the LORD sends this message: What act of treachery is this you have committed against the God of Israel? You have seceded from the LORD this day, and rebelled against him by building an altar of your own!17 For the sin of Peor, a plague came upon the community of the LORD.18 We are still not free of that; must you now add to it? You are rebelling against the LORD today and by tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel!19 If you consider the land you now possess unclean, cross over to the land the LORD possesses, where the Dwelling of the LORD stands, and share that with us. But do not rebel against the LORD, nor involve us in rebellion, by building an altar of your own in addition to the altar of the LORD, our God. 20 When Achan, son of Zerah, violated the ban, did not wrath fall upon the entire community of Israel? Though he was but a single man, he did not perish alone for his guilt!"
21 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the military leaders of the Israelites: "The LORD is the God of gods.22 The LORD, the God of gods, knows and Israel shall know. If now we have acted out of rebellion or treachery against the LORD, our God, 23 and if we have built an altar of our own to secede from the LORD, or to offer holocausts, grain offerings or peace offerings upon it, the LORD himself will exact the penalty.24 We did it rather out of our anxious concern lest in the future your children should say to our children: 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?25 For the LORD has placed the Jordan as a boundary between you and us. You descendants of Reuben and Gad have no share in the LORD.' Thus your children would prevent ours from revering the LORD.26 So we decided to guard our interests by building this altar of our own: not for holocausts or for sacrifices,27 but as evidence for you on behalf of ourselves and our descendants, that we have the right to worship the LORD in his presence with our holocausts, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Now in the future your children cannot say to our children, 'You have no share in the LORD.'28 Our thought was, that if in the future they should speak thus to us or to our descendants, we could answer: 'Look at the model of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for holocausts or for sacrifices, but to witness between you and us.' 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD or to secede now from the LORD by building an altar for holocaust, grain offering, or sacrifice in addition to the altar of the LORD, our God, which stands before his Dwelling."
30 When Phinehas the priest and the princes of the community, the military leaders of the Israelites, heard what the Reubenites, the Gadites and the Manassehites had to say, they were satisfied.31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the Manassehites, "Now we know that the LORD is with us. Since you have not committed this act of treachery against the LORD, you have kept the Israelites free from punishment by the LORD."32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and reported the matter to them.33 The report satisfied the Israelites, who blessed God and decided against declaring war on the Reubenites and Gadites or ravaging the land they occupied.34 The Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar its name as a witness among them that the LORD is God.
23 1 Many years later, after the LORD had given the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about them, and when Joshua was old and advanced in years,2 he summoned all Israel (including their elders, leaders, judges and officers) and said to them: "I am old and advanced in years.3 You have seen all that the LORD, your God, has done for you against all these nations; for it has been the LORD, your God, himself who fought for you.4 Bear in mind that I have apportioned among your tribes as their heritage the nations that survive (as well as those I destroyed) between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west.5 The LORD, your God, will drive them out and dislodge them at your approach, so that you will take possession of their land as the LORD, your God, promised you.
6 Therefore strive hard to observe and carry out all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, not straying from it in any way,7 or mingling with these nations while they survive among you. You must not invoke their gods, or swear by them, or serve them, or worship them,8 but you must remain loyal to the LORD, your God, as you have been to this day.9 At your approach the LORD has driven out large and strong nations, and to this day no one has withstood you.10 One of you puts to flight a thousand, because it is the LORD, your God, himself who fights for you, as he promised you.
11 Take great care, however, to love the LORD, your God.12 For if you ever abandon him and ally yourselves with the remnant of these nations while they survive among you, by intermarrying and intermingling with them,13 know for certain that the LORD, your God, will no longer drive these nations out of your way. Instead they will be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns for your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD, your God, has given you.
14 "Today, as you see, I am going the way of all men. So now acknowledge with your whole heart and soul that not one of all the promises the LORD, your God, made to you has remained unfulfilled. Every promise has been fulfilled for you, with not one single exception.
15 But just as every promise the LORD, your God, made to you has been fulfilled for you, so will he fulfill every threat, even so far as to exterminate you from this good land which the LORD, your God, has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the LORD, your God, which he enjoined on you, serve other gods and worship them, the anger of the LORD will flare up against you and you will quickly perish from the good land which he has given you."
24 1 Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges and their officers. When they stood in ranks before God,2 Joshua addressed all the people: "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: In times past your fathers, down to Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, dwelt beyond the River and served other gods. 3 But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.5 "Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies which I wrought in her midst.6 Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea with chariots and horsemen.7 Because they cried out to the LORD, he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them. After you witnessed what I did to Egypt, and dwelt a long time in the desert,8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them (the two kings of the Amorites) before you.9 Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;10 but I would not listen to Balaam. On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
11 Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power.12 And I sent the hornets ahead of you which drove them (the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites) out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow. 13 "I gave you a land which you had not tilled and cities which you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.
14 "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
16 But the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods.17 For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.18 At our approach the LORD drove out (all the peoples, including) the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."
19 Joshua in turn said to the people, "You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If, after the good he has done for you, you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, he will do evil to you and destroy you."
21 But the people answered Joshua, "We will still serve the LORD."22 Joshua therefore said to the people, "You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD." They replied, "We are, indeed!"23 "Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."24 Then the people promised Joshua, "We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice."
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem,26 which he recorded in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was in the sanctuary of the LORD.27 And Joshua said to all the people, "This stone shall be our witness, for it has heard all the words which the LORD spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God."28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his own heritage.
29 After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.30 He was buried within the limits of his heritage at Timnath-serah in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.31 Israel served the LORD during the entire lifetime of Joshua and that of the elders who outlived Joshua and knew all that the LORD had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph.
33 When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas in the mountain region of Ephraim.
Josué (NAB) 19