Book of Joshua bible study dividing and settling of the Promised Land

 

            This study is a continuation and shows what happened after Joshua and the people of Israel conquered much, but not all of the Promised Land. They then appointed the land to the tribes of Israel in the various ways by as devised by God. The chapter goes into all this, and more. Here is a link to the earlier 12 chapters of Joshua which this study now expands on

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In Joshua chapter 13 then Joshua gives some of the tribes their inheritances of land but there are starting to be occasions where they do not drive out the people as they were supposed to

(Joshua 13:1)  Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.

 

(Joshua 13:2)  This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites

 

(Joshua 13:3)  (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim,

 

(Joshua 13:4)  in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites,

 

(Joshua 13:5)  and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath,

 

(Joshua 13:6)  all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.

 

(Joshua 13:7)  Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh."

 

(Joshua 13:8)  With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them:

 

(Joshua 13:9)  from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon;

 

(Joshua 13:10)  and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites;

 

(Joshua 13:11)  and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;

 

(Joshua 13:12)  all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out.

 

(Joshua 13:13)  Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

 

(Joshua 13:14)  To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.

 

(Joshua 13:15)  And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 13:16)  So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba;

 

(Joshua 13:17)  with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,

 

(Joshua 13:18)  and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,

 

(Joshua 13:19)  and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley,

 

(Joshua 13:20)  and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth,

 

(Joshua 13:21)  that is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.

 

(Joshua 13:22)  Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.

 

(Joshua 13:23)  And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.

 

(Joshua 13:24)  Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 13:25)  Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah,

 

(Joshua 13:26)  and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,

 

(Joshua 13:27)  and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 13:28)  This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.

 

(Joshua 13:29)  And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 13:30)  Their region extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities,

 

(Joshua 13:31)  and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 13:32)  These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.

 

(Joshua 13:33)  But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

 

Joshua chapter 14 continues this process of giving out the land inheritances and apportionments to Israel’s people even by what Moses swore to do

(Joshua 14:1)  These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit.

 

(Joshua 14:2)  Their inheritance was by lot, just as the LORD had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes.

 

(Joshua 14:3)  For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.

 

(Joshua 14:4)  For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their livestock and their substance.

 

(Joshua 14:5)  The people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses; they allotted the land.

 

(Joshua 14:6)  Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me.

 

(Joshua 14:7)  I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.

 

(Joshua 14:8)  But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.

 

(Joshua 14:9)  And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.'

 

(Joshua 14:10)  And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.

 

(Joshua 14:11)  I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.

 

(Joshua 14:12)  So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said."

 

(Joshua 14:13)  Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

 

(Joshua 14:14)  Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.

 

(Joshua 14:15)  Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.

 

In Joshua chapter 15 The land allotted to Judah is then described including driving out descendants of Anak and the cities in them

(Joshua 15:1)  The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south.

 

(Joshua 15:2)  And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward.

 

(Joshua 15:3)  It goes out southward of the ascent of Akrabbim, passes along to Zin, and goes up south of Kadesh-barnea, along by Hezron, up to Addar, turns about to Karka,

 

(Joshua 15:4)  passes along to Azmon, goes out by the Brook of Egypt, and comes to its end at the sea. This shall be your south boundary.

 

(Joshua 15:5)  And the east boundary is the Salt Sea, to the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 15:6)  And the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah and passes along north of Beth-arabah. And the boundary goes up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.

 

(Joshua 15:7)  And the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. And the boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh and ends at En-rogel.

 

(Joshua 15:8)  Then the boundary goes up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.

 

(Joshua 15:9)  Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the boundary bends around to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).

 

(Joshua 15:10)  And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah.

 

(Joshua 15:11)  The boundary goes out to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, then the boundary bends around to Shikkeron and passes along to Mount Baalah and goes out to Jabneel. Then the boundary comes to an end at the sea.

 

(Joshua 15:12)  And the west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 15:13)  According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak).

 

(Joshua 15:14)  And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.

 

(Joshua 15:15)  And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.

 

(Joshua 15:16)  And Caleb said, "Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

 

(Joshua 15:17)  And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

 

(Joshua 15:18)  When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

 

(Joshua 15:19)  She said to him, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water." And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

 

(Joshua 15:20)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 15:21)  The cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

 

(Joshua 15:22)  Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

 

(Joshua 15:23)  Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

 

(Joshua 15:24)  Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

 

(Joshua 15:25)  Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor),

 

(Joshua 15:26)  Amam, Shema, Moladah,

 

(Joshua 15:27)  Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,

 

(Joshua 15:28)  Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,

 

(Joshua 15:29)  Baalah, Iim, Ezem,

 

(Joshua 15:30)  Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

 

(Joshua 15:31)  Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

 

(Joshua 15:32)  Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:33)  And in the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

 

(Joshua 15:34)  Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

 

(Joshua 15:35)  Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

 

(Joshua 15:36)  Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:37)  Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

 

(Joshua 15:38)  Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

 

(Joshua 15:39)  Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

 

(Joshua 15:40)  Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,

 

(Joshua 15:41)  Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:42)  Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

 

(Joshua 15:43)  Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

 

(Joshua 15:44)  Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:45)  Ekron, with its towns and its villages;

 

(Joshua 15:46)  from Ekron to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:47)  Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coastline.

 

(Joshua 15:48)  And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

 

(Joshua 15:49)  Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),

 

(Joshua 15:50)  Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

 

(Joshua 15:51)  Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:52)  Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

 

(Joshua 15:53)  Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,

 

(Joshua 15:54)  Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:55)  Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

 

(Joshua 15:56)  Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

 

(Joshua 15:57)  Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:58)  Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

 

(Joshua 15:59)  Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:60)  Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:61)  In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,

 

(Joshua 15:62)  Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi: six cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 15:63)  But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.

 

In Joshua chapter 16 the people of Joseph and Ephraim were given their land, but Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites as God wanted them to

(Joshua 16:1)  The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel.

 

(Joshua 16:2)  Then going from Bethel to Luz, it passes along to Ataroth, the territory of the Archites.

 

(Joshua 16:3)  Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.

 

(Joshua 16:4)  The people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.

 

(Joshua 16:5)  The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon,

 

(Joshua 16:6)  and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah,

 

(Joshua 16:7)  then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touches Jericho, ending at the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 16:8)  From Tappuah the boundary goes westward to the brook Kanah and ends at the sea. Such is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Ephraim by their clans,

 

(Joshua 16:9)  together with the towns that were set apart for the people of Ephraim within the inheritance of the Manassites, all those towns with their villages.

 

(Joshua 16:10)  However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.

 

In the book of Joshua chapter 17 the land allotment of the people of Manasseh is described

(Joshua 17:1)  Then allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.

 

(Joshua 17:2)  And allotments were made to the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.

 

(Joshua 17:3)  Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

 

(Jos 17:4)  They approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers." So according to the mouth of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.

 

(Joshua 17:5)  Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan,

 

(Joshua 17:6)  because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

 

(Joshua 17:7)  The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.

 

(Joshua 17:8)  The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim.

 

(Joshua 17:9)  Then the boundary went down to the brook Kanah. These cities, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasseh, belong to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea,

 

(Joshua 17:10)  the land to the south being Ephraim's and that to the north being Manasseh's, with the sea forming its boundary. On the north Asher is reached, and on the east Issachar.

 

(Joshua 17:11)  Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.

 

(Joshua 17:12)  Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.

 

(Joshua 17:13)  Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

 

(Joshua 17:14)  Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the LORD has blessed me?"

 

(Joshua 17:15)  And Joshua said to them, "If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you."

 

(Joshua 17:16)  The people of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel."

 

(Joshua 17:17)  Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, "You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only,

 

(Joshua 17:18)  but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong."

 

In Joshua chapter 18 Joshua sends out men from each tribe to survey the land and further divide it, then Benjamin tribe gets their allotment of land

(Joshua 18:1)  Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

 

(Joshua 18:2)  There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned.

 

(Joshua 18:3)  So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

 

(Joshua 18:4)  Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me.

 

(Joshua 18:5)  They shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north.

 

(Joshua 18:6)  And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

 

(Joshua 18:7)  The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them."

 

(Joshua 18:8)  So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh."

 

(Joshua 18:9)  So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh,

 

(Joshua 18:10)  and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.

 

(Joshua 18:11)  The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.

 

(Joshua 18:12)  On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

 

(Joshua 18:13)  From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon.

 

(Joshua 18:14)  Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side.

 

(Joshua 18:15)  And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.

 

(Joshua 18:16)  Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel.

 

(Joshua 18:17)  Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

 

(Joshua 18:18)  and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah it goes down to the Arabah.

 

(Joshua 18:19)  Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border.

 

(Joshua 18:20)  The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.

 

(Joshua18:21)  Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

 

(Joshua 18:22)  Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

 

(Joshua 18:23)  Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

 

(Joshua 18:24)  Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba--twelve cities with their villages:

 

(Joshua 18:25)  Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

 

(Joshua 18:26)  Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

 

(Joshua 18:27)  Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

 

(Joshua 18:28)  Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim--fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

 

Joshua chapter 19 describes the allotments for the other tribes and what cities and such they contain

(Joshua 19:1)  The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah.

 

(Joshua 19:2)  And they had for their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,

 

(Joshua 19:3)  Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

 

(Joshua 19:4)  Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

 

(Joshua 19:5)  Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

 

(Joshua 19:6)  Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen--thirteen cities with their villages;

 

(Joshua 19:7)  Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan--four cities with their villages,

 

(Joshua 19:8)  together with all the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Simeon according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 19:9)  The inheritance of the people of Simeon formed part of the territory of the people of Judah. Because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them, the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

 

(Joshua 19:10)  The third lot came up for the people of Zebulun, according to their clans. And the territory of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid.

 

(Joshua 19:11)  Then their boundary goes up westward and on to Mareal and touches Dabbesheth, then the brook that is east of Jokneam.

 

(Joshua 19:12)  From Sarid it goes in the other direction eastward toward the sunrise to the boundary of Chisloth-tabor. From there it goes to Daberath, then up to Japhia.

 

(Joshua 19:13)  From there it passes along on the east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon it bends toward Neah,

 

(Joshua 19:14)  then on the north the boundary turns about to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtahel;

 

(Joshua 19:15)  and Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem--twelve cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:16)  This is the inheritance of the people of Zebulun, according to their clans--these cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:17)  The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the people of Issachar, according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 19:18)  Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

 

(Joshua 19:19)  Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

 

(Joshua 19:20)  Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

 

(Joshua 19:21)  Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez.

 

(Joshua 19:22)  The boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordan--sixteen cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:23)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Issachar, according to their clans--the cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:24)  The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 19:25)  Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

 

(Joshua 19:26)  Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touches Carmel and Shihor-libnath,

 

(Joshua 19:27)  then it turns eastward, it goes to Beth-dagon, and touches Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel. Then it continues in the north to Cabul,

 

(Joshua 19:28)  Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as Sidon the Great.

 

(Joshua 19:29)  Then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab, Achzib,

 

(Joshua 19:30)  Ummah, Aphek and Rehob--twenty-two cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:31)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans--these cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:32)  The sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, for the people of Naphtali, according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 19:33)  And their boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 19:34)  Then the boundary turns westward to Aznoth-tabor and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 19:35)  The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

 

(Joshua 19:36)  Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

 

(Joshua 19:37)  Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

 

(Joshua 19:38)  Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh--nineteen cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:39)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Naphtali according to their clans--the cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:40)  The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans.

 

(Joshua 19:41)  And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

 

(Joshua 19:42)  Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

 

(Joshua 19:43)  Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

 

(Joshua 19:44)  Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

 

(Joshua 19:45)  Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

 

(Joshua 19:46)  and Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against Joppa.

 

(Joshua 19:47)  When the territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.

 

(Joshua 19:48)  This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans--these cities with their villages.

 

(Joshua 19:49)  When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.

 

(Joshua 19:50)  By command of the LORD they gave him the city that he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.

 

(Joshua 19:51)  These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot at Shiloh before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

 

In Joshua chapter 20 then the cities of refuge are then set up

(Joshua 20:1)  Then the LORD said to Joshua,

 

(Joshua 20:2)  "Say to the people of Israel, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

 

(Joshua 20:3)  that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.

 

(Joshua 20:4)  He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them.

 

(Joshua 20:5)  And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.

 

(Joshua 20:6)  And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.'"

 

(Joshua 20:7)  So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

 

(Joshua 20:8)  And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

 

(Joshua 20:9)  These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

 

Joshua chapter 21 then the Levites and similar people are taken care of with land from the various tribes to live on

(Joshua 21:1)  Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.

 

(Joshua 21:2)  And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, "The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock."

 

(Joshua 21:3)  So by command of the LORD the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.

 

(Joshua 21:4)  The lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.

 

(Joshua 21:5)  And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.

 

(Joshua 21:6)  The Gershonites received 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 in Bashan, thirteen cities.

 

(Joshua 21:7)  The Merarites according to their clans received from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

 

(Joshua 21:8)  These cities and their pasturelands the people of Israel gave by lot to the Levites, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

 

(Joshua 21:9)  Out of the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon they gave the following cities mentioned by name,

 

(Joshua 21:10)  which went to the descendants of Aaron, one of the clans of the Kohathites who belonged to the people of Levi; since the lot fell to them first.

 

(Joshua 21:11)  They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasturelands around it.

 

(Joshua 21:12)  But the fields of the city and its villages had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.

 

(Joshua 21:13)  And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:14)  Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:15)  Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:16)  Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands--nine cities out of these two tribes;

 

(Joshua 21:17)  then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:18)  Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands--four cities.

 

(Joshua 21:19)  The cities of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands.

 

(Joshua 21:20)  As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Kohathite clans of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were out of the tribe of Ephraim.

 

(Joshua 21:21)  To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:22)  Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:23)  and out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:24)  Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:25)  and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands--two cities.

 

(Joshua 21:26)  The cities of the clans of the rest of the Kohathites were ten in all with their pasturelands.

 

(Joshua 21:27)  And to the Gershonites, one of the clans of the Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands--two cities;

 

(Joshua 21:28)  and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:29)  Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:30)  and out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:31)  Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:32)  and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands--three cities.

 

(Joshua 21:33)  The cities of the several clans of the Gershonites were in all thirteen cities with their pasturelands.

 

(Joshua 21:34)  And to the rest of the Levites, the Merarite clans, were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:35)  Dimnah with its pasturelands, Nahalal with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:36)  and out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:37)  Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands--four cities;

 

(Joshua 21:38)  and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

 

(Joshua 21:39)  Heshbon with its pasturelands, Jazer with its pasturelands--four cities in all.

 

(Joshua 21:40)  As for the cities of the several Merarite clans, that is, the remainder of the clans of the Levites, those allotted to them were in all twelve cities.

 

(Joshua 21:41)  The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.

 

(Joshua 21:42)  These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities.

 

(Joshua 21:43)  Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.

 

(Joshua 21:44)  And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands.

 

(Joshua 21:45)  Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

 

In Joshua chapter 22 then Joshua commends some tribes for being obedient yet rebukes others for disobedience in ways even idolatry

(Joshua 22:1)  At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

 

(Joshua 22:2)  and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you.

 

(Joshua 22:3)  You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God.

 

(Joshua 22:4)  And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.

 

(Joshua 22:5)  Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

 

(Joshua 22:6)  So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

 

(Joshua 22:7)  Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them,

 

(Joshua 22:8)  he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."

 

(Joshua 22:9)  So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by command of the LORD through Moses.

 

(Joshua 22:10)  And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.

 

(Joshua 22:11)  And the people of Israel heard it said, "Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel."

 

(Joshua 22:12)  And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.

 

(Joshua 22:13)  Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,

 

(Joshua 22:14)  and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

 

(Joshua 22:15)  And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them,

 

(Joshua 22:16)  "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the LORD?

 

(Joshua 22:17)  Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the LORD,

 

(Joshua 22:18)  that you too must turn away this day from following the LORD? And if you too rebel against the LORD today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

 

(Joshua 22:19)  But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the LORD's land where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

 

(Joshua 22:20)  Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.'"

 

(Joshua 22:21)  Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel,

 

(Joshua 22:22)  "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today

 

(Joshua 22:23)  for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the LORD himself take vengeance.

 

(Joshua 22:24)  No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?

 

(Joshua 22:25)  For the LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the LORD.' So your children might make our children cease to worship the LORD.

 

(Joshua 22:26)  Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,

 

(Joshua 22:27)  but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the LORD in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."'

 

(Joshua 22:28)  And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, 'Behold, the copy of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.'

 

(Joshua 22:29)  Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following the LORD by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle!"

 

(Joshua 22:30)  When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes.

 

(Joshua 22:31)  And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD."

 

(Joshua 22:32)  Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them.

 

(Joshua 22:33)  And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled.

 

(Joshua 22:34)  The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, "For," they said, "it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."

 

In chapter 23 of Joshua then Joshua then charges the people to be obedient to the Lord and to do the commandments with blessings for obedience and punishments and judgments for not obeying

(Joshua 23:1)  A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years,

 

(Joshua 23:2)  Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years.

 

(Joshua 23:3)  And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you.

 

(Joshua 23:4)  Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.

 

(Joshua 23:5)  The LORD your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the LORD your God promised you.

 

(Joshua 23:6)  Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,

 

(Joshua 23:7)  that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them,

 

(Joshua 23:8)  but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day.

 

(Joshua 23:9)  For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.

 

(Joshua 23:10)  One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.

 

(Joshua 23:11)  Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.

 

(Joshua 23:12)  For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,

 

(Joshua 23:13)  know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you.

 

(Joshua 23:14)  "And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.

 

(Joshua 23:15)  But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you,

 

(Joshua 23:16)  if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you."

 

Joshua again charges the people to serve God and not stray away from God and also citing the consequences for doing so. The people do indeed agree to do so, and a covenant is made.

(Joshua 24:1)  Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.

 

(Joshua 24:2)  And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.

 

(Joshua 24:3)  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.

 

(Joshua 24:4)  And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

 

(Joshua 24:5)  And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.

 

(Joshua 24:6)  "'Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.

 

(Joshua 24:7)  And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time.

 

(Joshua 24:8)  Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.

 

(Joshua 24:9)  Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you,

 

(Joshua 24:10)  but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

 

(Joshua 24:11)  And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand.

 

(Joshua 24:12)  And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.

 

(Joshua 24:13)  I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.'

 

(Joshua 24:14)  "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

 

(Joshua 24:15)  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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."

 

(Joshua 24:16)  Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods,

 

(Joshua 24:17)  for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

 

(Joshua 24:18)  And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

 

(Joshua 24:19)  But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

 

(Joshua 24:20)  If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good."

 

(Joshua 24:21)  And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD."

 

(Joshua 24:22)  Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses."

 

(Joshua 24:23)  He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel."

 

(Joshua 24:24)  And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey."

 

(Joshua 24:25)  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem.

 

(Joshua 24:26)  And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

 

(Joshua 24:27)  And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God."

 

(Joshua 24:28)  So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

 

(Joshua 24:29)  After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old.

 

(Joshua 24:30)  And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

 

(Joshua 24:31)  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel.

 

(Joshua 24:32)  As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

 

(Joshua 24:33)  And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

 

To find out how the Israelites fared on their pledges to follow God after they got to their inheritance please then follow the link to the first bible study of the judges

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/book-of-judges-bible-study-part-one/10200711226356618

God was merciful to the Israelites and is merciful to us today. While they would stumble God was merciful and forgive them of their sins, cleaning them up. God sent Jesus to help us do the same thing, for He loves us so. Jesus came and willingly and lovingly went and died for all of our sins, paying the price for them once and for all. This was all done so that relationship now can be had between man and God, who wants the relationship with man. There is nothing that can be compared with a relationship with God, either, it is so good. I am now including a prayer which can be used to invite Jesus in your heart to begin this wonderful special relationship. Please pray this prayer with me.

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours