The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there and the land was subdued before them. But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance.
Then Joshua said to the children of Israel, “how long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your father has given you? Pick out from among you three men of each tribe, and I will send them survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me and they shall divide it into seven parts, Judah shall remain in their territory, and the house of Joseph shall remain in its territory on the north. You shall survey the land in seven parts and bring the surveys here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”
So the men did as Joshua commanded and came back to him at the camp in Shiloh. Joshua cast lots for them before the Lord and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions. The remainder of the chapter outlines the territories of Benjamin’s inheritance according to their families.
The second lot came out for Simeon according to their families. Their inheritance was included within the inheritance of the children of Judah. The tribe of Simeon’s inheritance included the share of Judah because it was too much for them; :1-9.
The third lot fell for the children of Zebulon and this is outlined in :10-16, the fourth fell for Issacchar, according to their families; :17-23, the fifth lot came out for the children of Asher, according to their families; :24-31, the sixth lot for the children of Naphtali and their families; :32-39, the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their families, and their territory was outlined but Dan went beyond it because the children of Dan went up to fight against Lashem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it and dwelt in it. They called Lashem Dan after the name of their father; :40-48.
When they had made and end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their border the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. According to the word of the Lord, they gave him the city which he asked for , Timnath Serah on the mountains of Ephraim and he built the city and dwelt in it.
These were the inheritances which Eleazer the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided as an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the country; :48-51.
The Lord repeated to Joshua that which he had spoken to His servant Moses in regard to appointing of refuge cities. Cities where those who accidentally killed someone could flee to escape the avenger of blood and not be delivered up into their hand. These cities were appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed accidentally might flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood before he stood the congregation; :
Then the heads of the father’s houses of the Levites came near to Eleazer the priest, Joshua and the heads of the father’s houses of the children of Israel. They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan saying, “The Lord commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in with their common-lands for our livestock.”
The children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord these cities and their common-lands. The Kohathites, the children of Aaron thirteen cities, the rest of Kohath, ten cities, Gershon, thirteen cities, Merari twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities and their common-lands
The Lord gave them rest all around according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.
Then Joshua called the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh and said, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren, as He promised them; now, return and go to your tents, and to the land of your possession, which Moses gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
But take careful heed to do the commandment of the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all you heart and with all your soul”; :1-5.
Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. To the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward, and indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he bless them and spoke to them saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoils of your enemies with your brethren”. So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from Shiloh to the land of their possession which they obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the Children of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great impressive altar; :6-10.
When the children of Israel heard of it the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them. They sent Phinehas the son of Eleazer the priest, to the children of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh into the land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, one each of the chief house of every tribe of Israel. They came to them and spoke saying, “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: ‘what treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
If the land of your possession is unclean, then cross the land of the possession of the Lord where the Lord’s tabernacle stands and take possession among us, only do not rebel against the Lord nor against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord your God. Did not Achan commit trespass in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity”.
The children of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh answered them saying , “The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods. He knows and let Israel know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord do not save us this day. If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself require and account. But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, in time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants saying, ‘What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben, and of Gad. You have no part in the Lord”. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build ourselves an alter not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifice by that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him. But that it may be a witness between you and us for generations in time to come, that we may say, “Here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made for a witness between you and us. Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn from following the Lord this day; :11-29.
When Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation of the heads of the divisions of Israel, who were with him heard the words that the children of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh spoke it pleased the. Then Phinehas said , :This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord. Phinehas and the rulers returned from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel and brought back word to them. This pleased the children of Israel and they blessed God and spoke no more of going against them in battle. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is our God; :30-34.
It came to pass a long time after the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about that Joshua was old, advanced in age. Joshua called for all Israel and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age. You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.
I have divided it to you by lot , these nations that remain to be and inheritance for your tribes from the Jordan with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea, westward. And the Lord your God will expel them from before you and drive them pit of your sight. So you shall possess their land as the Lord your God has promised you. Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the fight hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done this day; :1-9.
One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. Therefore, take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back and cling to the remnant of these nations–those that remain among you–and make marrigaes with them and go in to them and they to you, know for certain the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord has given you.
Behold, this day, I am going the way of the earth. You all know in your hearts and your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord spoke concerning you. All have come to pass, not one word of them has failed. Therefore it shall come to pass that just as all the good things have come upon you, so shall the Lord bring all the harmful things He promised also, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God which commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”; :10-16.
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel and called for the elders, their heads and their judges and said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Your fathers including Terah, the father of abrahan and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.” This begins the re-telling of their history with the Lord God of Israel; :1-13.
“I have given you land for which you did not labor and cities which you did not buil, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. Now, therefore , fear the Lord serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day which you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
The people answered and said: “Far be it frim us that we shoul forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for the Lord our Gos is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage, who sis those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we wnet and among all the people through whom we passed. We also will serve the Lord for He is our God.” Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God, He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressionss nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.” The people said , “No we will serve the Lord!” So Joshua said you are witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!”; :14-22.
“Now, therefore”, Joshua said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart (mind) to the Lord God of Israel.” The people said, “The Lord our God we weill serve, and His voice we will obey!”
So Joshua made a covenant with the poeple that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem, then he wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. He took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a wintess to us , for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny God.” After which Joshua let the people depart each to his own inheritance. After these things, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord died being one hundren ten years old. Isral served the Lord all the days of Joshua and the elders that outlived Joshua who knew the works of the Lord, which He had done for Israel.
The bones of Josephwhich the children of Israel had brought out of Egypt, they buried them at Shechem in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of silver and which had become an inheritance of the children of Josheph. and eleazer the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim; :23-33.
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