1 After they had conquered the land, the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh, and the Tent of Meeting was set up there.
2 Among the Israelites were seven tribes which had not yet been given their share of the land.
3 Then Joshua said to them, "How much longer will you wait before going in and taking possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers has given you?
4 Choose three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the whole territory so that it can be divided.
5 They must divide the land into seven parts, because those of the tribe of Judah have already their territory to the south, and those of the tribe of Joseph have their territory to the north.
6 You are to survey the land in seven divisions and bring your findings to me here, so that I can cast lots for you before Yahweh our God.
7 The Levites have no share in the land with the rest of you; their share is to serve as priests of Yahweh, and the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their land beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses, Yahweh's servant, gave it to them."
8 To those who were to survey the country, Joshua gave this command before they started on their way: "Go, survey and map the whole country, and then come back to me. Here in Shiloh I will consult Yahweh for you by drawing lots."
9 So the men left and went all over the country, making a list of all the towns and how they were to be divided into seven parts. When they brought it back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh,
10 he drew lots to consult Yahweh for them and divided the land among the Israelites according to their clans.
11 The first share of land went to the tribe of Benjamin according to their clans: their territory lay between that of the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
12 The northern border began at the Jordan, climbed to the northern side of Jericho, rose through the hill country westward and ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.
13 From there it continued toward the south side of Luz which is now called Bethel; then downward to Ata-roth-addar, on the mountain south of Lower Beth-horon.
14 The border then curved, and on the western side of this mountain turned southward and ended at Kiriath-baal, which is now called Kiriath-jearim, a city of the tribe of Judah. This was the western border.
15 The southern border ran from the edge of Kiriath-jearim toward Gasin, and to the spring of Nephtoah.
16 It continued to the foot of the mountain facing the Valley of Ben-hinnom, at the north end of Rephaim Valley. It then went south through the Valley of Hinnom, south of the mountainside of the Jebusites and reached En-rogel.
17 It then curved northward to En-shemesh coming out at the circles of stones facing the Ascent of Adummim,
18 then on to Cheteph in sight of the Arabah and down to the Arabah and
19 the stone of Bohan (Bohan was a son of Reuben) and from there passed north of the mountainside overlooking the Jordan Valley. The border ended at the bay of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border.
20 The Jordan itself was the eastern border. Such was the land given to the tribe of Benjamin, with the borders defining it.
21 The towns of the tribe of Benjamin, according to their clans, were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz;
22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel;
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba: twelve towns and their surrounding villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth;
26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah;
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah;
28 Zela, Haeleph, Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath: fourteen towns with their surrounding villages. This was the land given to the tribe of Benjamin, according to their clans.
Versículos relacionados com Joshua, 18:
Joshua 18 deals with the distribution of the remaining land among the tribes of Israel, after Joshua finished winning most of Canaan. The tribes of Judah and Joseph had already received their portions, but there were still seven tribes who needed to receive their lands. Then Joshua summoned the leaders of the tribes to draw the land and divide them equitably.
Leviticus 25:10: "You shall consecrate the fifteen year, and you will be freedom on Earth to all its residents; the year of Jubilee shall be, and you will each make it to your possession, and each to your family." The year of the Jubilee, mentioned here, was a 50 -year period when all debts were forgiven and all lands that had been sold returned to their original families. This is related to Joshua 18, as the chapter deals with the equitable distribution of the land between the tribes of Israel.
Numbers 34:13: "These are the boundaries of the earth that you will inherit by lot, that election, the priest, and Joshua, son of Num, will give you by possession." This verse describes the distribution of the lands of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, which is the central subject of Joshua 18.
Deuteronomy 19:14: "Thou shalt not take away the milestones of his neighbor, which the ancestors placed in your sonships, on the earth that is giving you the Lord, thy God, by possession." This verse deals with respect for the properties of others, which is an important aspect of the equitable distribution of land in Joshua 18.
Psalm 16:5-6: "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my chalice; you sustain my luck. The lines fall into delicious places; yes, it was a beautiful inheritance." This psalm talks about trust in the Lord as the source of inheritance and luck. In Joshua 18, the tribes of Israel had their luck to determine their inheritance and, as a result, trusted God's providence to guide the process.
Isaiah 54:2: "The place of your tent, and extend the curtains of your dwellings; do not hinder it; your strings, and fix your stakes well." This verse talks about growth and expansion. In Joshua 18, the distribution of land allowed the tribes of Israel to settle into new areas and grow as a nation.
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