IESOUS
TO THE READER
EDITION OF THE GREEK TEXT
For this translation I have made use of the edition of A. Rahlfs, Septuaginta. Id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interpretes, 2 vols. (Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1935). I did not deviate from its text or punctuation. At three places—in chapters 15, 18, and 19—Rahlfs presented the texts of Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Alexandrinus (A) in separate columns. Each of these instances involves lists of place names, often obscure ones. I have followed Rahlfs by translating these columns separately.
An earlier edition of Greek Joshua was prepared by Max L. Margolis in the 1920s and early 1930s and published as The Book of Joshua in Greek: Parts I – IV (Paris: Geuthner, 1931–1938 [repr. 1974]) and The Book of Joshua in Greek: Part V; Joshua 19.39–24.33 (preface E. Tov; Philadelphia: Annenberg Research Institute, 1992). Margolis and Rahlfs agree that the text of Iesous as preserved in Codex B is in many respects a close approximation of the Old Greek (OG) version as it left the hands of the original translator(s). But they often differ, both in small points and in their approach to the frequently enigmatic way in which the many place names of Hebrew Joshua are represented in the Greek traditions. My decision to follow Rahlfs should not be taken to mean that I agree with Rahlfs over Margolis in every instance. The easier accessibility of the Rahlfs version makes it prudent to give it precedence in NETS. In any case, Rahlfs will be superseded by the Göttingen edition, which is in the process of preparation.
TRANSLATION PROFILE OF THE LXX OF JOSHUA
General Character
The Greek of LXX Joshua has been variously described as “one of the most interesting books of the Greek Bible,” “a thoughtful version” and “[striking] a balance between literalness and freedom.” By and large, it, like the corresponding Hebrew, is fairly easy to read.
Comparison with LXX Pentateuch
There are few, if any, indications of the specific date or locale in which the LXX of Joshua was produced; recently the case has been made for a mid-third century BCE date. There is indeed much evidence to commend the view that the person(s) responsible for LXX Joshua, while not feeling bound by the Greek translation of the Pentateuch, did make extensive use of this earlier text. Particularly instructive is LXX Joshua’s use of 
, possibly to distinguish a “licit” altar from one the text condemns. So, for example, at 22.19 Hebrew 
(“an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God”), LXX Joshua has 
(“an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God”).
Variation in Translation
The Greek translator of Joshua, although maintaining standard renderings for a number of terms, also shows a marked tendency to vary them—and not just in instances of potential exegetical importance, as at 22.19 above. Another example of such variation is provided at 5.2 and 3. In both verses the Hebrew reads 
; the LXX has 
in v. 2 but 
in v. 3. It should be noted, however, that in both cases the words I have placed in square brackets have no counterpart in MT and may be textual rather than translational. The Hebrew idiom “to blow the horn” always requires the preposition 
, as in 6.13: 
. On occasion, LXX Joshua follows suit, as in this same verse: 
, though without explicitly reproducing the Hebrew preposition. Elsewhere and even in close proximity (v. 16), however, the Greek verb alone is made to suffice 
. The former I have translated as “sounded with the trumpets” but the latter as “trumpeted”. Among individual and recurring words that the Greek translator handled differently throughout the book of Joshua are 
and 
.
Relationship between MT and LXX
The determination of the relationship between the MT and the OG of Joshua has attracted considerable scholarly debate in the last few decades. Overall, it has been estimated, the Greek version of Joshua is 4–5% shorter than the MT.
This percentage should not obscure the variety of differences between the Greek and Hebrew. (1) In many small details (which are often qualitative rather than quantitative), the two traditions differ. Three examples from proper names are instructive in this regard: throughout chapter 7, 
becomes 
; 
is 
in chapter 10; and the site where Iesous/Joshua assembles the Israelites for the last time (in chapter 24) is 
in the MT, 
in the LXX.
(2) Substantial differences of meaning occur, for example, in chapter 5, even when the number of words is nearly the same. In this regard, none is more dramatic than the LXX statement (5.4) that there were uncircumcised males among the Israelites who left Egypt: 
—in the face of the MT affirmation (5.5) that all the people who came out [of Egypt] had been circumcised: 
. Also of considerable interest is the variation in the number of years the Israelites were in the wilderness (v. 6): forty-two in the LXX; forty in the MT.
(3) In chapter 6, the LXX is 10% shorter than the MT, and in chapter 20, three verses from the MT are absent in the LXX. Fairly typical is this regard is 6.15 in the LXX: 
(“And on the seventh day they rose at dawn and marched around the city seven times”), in comparison with the MT of the same verse. In chapter 20, vv. 1–2 and 7–9 are parallel in the LXX and MT; what follows in the MT as vv. 3–7 appears far more succinctly in v. 3 of the LXX.
(4) On occasion, the LXX has material not found in the MT, specifically in chapters 21 and 24. Especially notable is the reference in 21.42d to “the flint knives”: 
, which reappears at 24.31a as 
. (It is worth observing that this wording differs from the renderings in chapter 5, noted above.) LXX Joshua concludes with two verses (33a–b) that form a distinctive link (vis-à-vis the MT) with the following book of Judges.
The majority of contemporary scholars locate many, if not most, of these differences, especially the larger ones, in a Hebrew Vorlage of the LXX that differed from the MT in these respects. Other scholars would allow a far greater role for interpretive activity on the part of those responsible for LXX Joshua. My translation does not depend on the acceptance of one or the other view or any permutation of them.
Hebraisms
In working through LXX Joshua, I have come to acknowledge what I would term the translation’s (translator’s) strengths and weaknesses. Preeminent among the strengths, as I see them, is a sincere desire on the part of the translator to convey to his (original) audience the sense and the structure of his Hebrew Vorlage as he understood them. His retention of some Hebraisms may well have made his version tough going for all but those who were truly bilingual, but his dedication to the base text does not seem to have flagged, except perhaps in the long and involved lists of place names that predominate in the book’s mid-section.
In addition to several Hebraisms mentioned earlier, I highlight here two other instances, one found only once in Iesous, the other, recurrent. At 14.9, MT 
is rendered, somewhat freely, by the NRSV as “because you have wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.” Initially I had translated the corresponding Greek—
—as “because you have continued to follow closely after the Lord our God.” Since 
regularly renders 
with the meaning “continue to”—although the Greek verb does not have this meaning outside of the LXX—I determined that “continue to,” rather than “add to” (the common, non-LXX meaning) would be appropriate. I finally settled on “apply oneself to” (so, “because you have applied yourself to”) as the rendering that best suited the context.
The Hebrew at 24.13, 
(“land on which you had not labored”), would be adequately and effectively rendered into Greek by 
; the fuller LXX, with 
, is clearly not a “natural” or “normal” koine idiom and can only be explained as a reflex of 
in the source text. The NETS translation, “a land, that on which you did not labor,” is an attempt to reflect the awkwardness of the Greek.
Transliteration
To illustrate the difficulties faced by the modern researcher—as well, I suspect, as the ancient translator and those who transmitted his words—we may look at a small section of the several chapters and many verses devoted to lists, specifically chapter 19.3–4 (describing a portion of the territory allotted to Symeon [LXX] or Simeon [MT]). What follows in transcription is Codex Vaticanus (B), Codex Alexandrinus (A), and the MT (as rendered in the NRSV):
B | A | MT |
3 And Harsola and Bola | 3 and Hasersoual and Bathoul | 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, |
4 and Elthoula and Boula | 4 and Elthoulad and Herma | 4 Eltolad, Bethul, |
In his version, Max Margolis (see above) reconstructed the oldest Greek of these verses in this way: 3 
.
In arriving at these transcriptions he relied heavily on the Onomasticon of Eusebius, resorting to conjecture (only) in the case of 
. It was Margolis’ judgment that Codex Alexandrinus, as a chief exemplar of his Constantinopolitan group, was on the whole a better witness than Codex Vaticanus to the earliest forms of place names, especially rare ones, although (as can be seen here) its testimony is far from faultless.
Other Translation Issues
I have wrestled with several other practices on the part of LXX Joshua. In particular, I decided, in accordance with NETS policy, not to smooth out the many rough edges of the translation. Where sentences lack syntactic cohesion, I indicate this, often with one or more dashes. An example of this is found at 7.14: 
, “And it shall be that the tribe that the Lord shows—you shall bring it near by districts.”
In one case, I would have wished to part company with my NETS colleagues. It seems to me that, in the majority of cases, LXX Joshua’s 
should be translated “westward” (or “to the West”), rather than “seaward” or “to the sea.” This is especially the case when the translator clearly understood other, parallel terms as directional, as in 18.12ff, where 
and 
are in parallel with 
and similar terms. The use of “sea” as a directional designation is without parallel in extra-LXX contexts, thus precluding my use of directional terminology in my translation for this expression.
THE BOOK OF IESOUS (JOSHUA) IN NETS AND IN THE NRSV
The NRSV’s rendering of the book of Joshua is not as literal as that of its predecessor, the RSV. On a number of occasions, this can give the impression that the MT and the LXX of Joshua are more at variance than they actually are. Especially in the earlier chapters, I made a conscious effort to retain NRSV wording when it was a possible equivalent for the Greek; as time went on, I tended to up the ante, as it were, to probable equivalent. I sensed the need to reflect my perception of Greek nuances over against the collective responsibility to prepare an English rendering of the LXX that can be used synoptically with the NRSV.
EARLIER RENDERINGS OF THE LXX INTO ENGLISH
Although there are problems with both its Greek base text and the accompanying English-language version, it is still useful to consult Brenton.
LEONARD J. GREENSPOON
1 And it happened after the death of Moyses that the Lord spoke to Iesous son of Naue, Moyses’ assistant, saying, 2“Moyses my attendant is dead. Now then rise up to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them. 3Every place upon which you tread with the sole of your feet, to you I will give it, as I promised to Moyses, 4the wilderness and Anti-Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, and as far as the farthest sea; from the setting of the sun shall be your boundaries. 5No person shall stand against youa all the days of yourb life. And just as I was with Moyses, so I will also be with you, and I will not forsake you or overlook you. 6Be strong and manly, for you shall divide for this people the land that I swore to your ancestors to give to them. 7Be strong, therefore, and manly, to observe and act as Moyses my servant commanded you, and you shall not turn aside from them to the right or to the left so that you may be perceptive in everything you do. 8And the book of this law shall not depart out of your mouth, and you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may understand how to do all that is written. Then you shall prosper and make your ways prosperous, and then you shall be perceptive. 9Look, I have commanded you: Be strong and manly; do not be cowardly or frightened, for the Lord your God is with you in all places where you go.”
10 And Iesous commanded the scribes of the people, saying, 11“Go into the midst of the camp of the people, and command the people, saying: ‘Prepare provisions, for yet three days and you are crossing over this Jordan, when you go in to take possession of the land that the Lord, God of your ancestors, gives you.’”
12 And to Rouben and to Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasse Iesous said, 13“Remember the word of the Lord that Moyses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God has given you rest and has given you this land.’ 14Let your wives and your little ones and your livestock settle in the land he gave you. But you shall cross over well-equipped before your kindred, every strong man, and you shall fight on their side 15until the Lord your God gives rest to your kindred, as also to you, and they too inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving them. And each of you shall depart to his inheritance, which Moyses gave to you beyond the Jordan, from the rising of the sun.”
16 And in reply to Iesous, they said: “All that you have commanded us we will do, and to every place you send us we will go. 17Just as we obeyed Moyses in all things, we will obey you. Only let the Lord our God be with you, as he was with Moyses. 18But the person who is disobedient towards you and whoever disobeys your words, as you command him, let him die. But be strong and manly.”
2 And Iesous son of Naue sent two young men from Sattin to spy, saying, “Go up, and view the land, especially Iericho.” And the two young men went and entered Iericho, and they entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Raab and lodged there. 2And it was reported to the king of Iericho, saying, “Men of the sons of Israel have come here to spy out the land.” 3And the king of Iericho sent and spoke to Raab, saying, “Bring out the men who entered your house tonight, for they have come to spy out the land.” 4And the woman took the men and hid them, and she said to them, saying, “The men came to me. 5But when the gate was closed at dark, then the men went out. Where they went I do not know. Pursue after them, if you can overtake them.” 6She had, however, brought them up upon the roof and hid them in the flax-straw that she had laid out upon the roof. 7And the men pursued after them on the way by the Jordan to the fords, and the gate was closed.
And it happened, when those who were pursuing after them had gone out 8and before they too went to sleep, she too came up on the roof to them 9and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, for the dread of you has fallen on us. 10For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you when you came out of the land of Egypt and what he did to the two kings of the Amorrites that were beyond the Jordan, to Seon and Og, those whom you utterly destroyed. 11And when we heard it, we were distraught in our heart, and there was no spirit left in any of us from before you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12And now, since I am showing you pity, swear to me by the Lord God that you also in turn will show pity in the house of my father 13and spare the house of my father and my mother and my brothers and all my house and all that belong to them and deliver my soul from death.” 14And the men said to her, “Our soul for yours unto death.” And she said, “When the Lord hands over to you the city, you shall show me pity and truth.”
15 And she let them down through the window. 16And she said to them, “Depart into the hill country so that the pursuers may not come upon you. And you shall be hidden there three days until those who pursue after you have returned, and afterward you shall depart on your way.” 17And the men said to her, “We are free from this oath of yours. 18Look, we are entering a part of the city, and you shall set in place the sign. You shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather to yourself, into your house, your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s family. 19And it shall be that everyone who goes out of the door of your house into the street, he shall be liable on his own account, and we will be free from this oath of yours. And any who are with you in your house, we shall be liable. 20But if anyone wrongs us or also discloses this business of ours, we shall be free from this oath of yours.” 21And she said to them, “According to your word, so let it be.” And she sent them away.
22 And they departed and went into the hill country and stayed there three days. And the pursuers searched all the roads and did not find them. 23And the two young men returned and came down from the mountain. And they crossed over to Iesous son of Naue and told him all that had happened to them. 24And they said to Iesous, “The Lord has given all the land into our hand, and everyone who inhabits that land cowers because of us.”
3 And Iesous rose early in the morning and departed out of Sattin, and they came as far as the Jordan and lodged there before crossing over. 2And it happened after three days that the scribes went through the camp 3and commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God and our priests and the Leuites carrying it, you shall depart from your places. And go after it. 4But let there be a distance between you and it, as much as two thousand cubits. You shall stand still. Do not approach it so that you may know the way whereby you will go, for you have not gone the way from yesterday and the third day.” 5And Iesous said to the people, “Purify yourselves for tomorrow; for tomorrow among you the Lord will do wonders.” 6And Iesous said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people.” And the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and went in front of the people.
7 And the Lord said to Iesous, “On this day I am beginning to exalt you before all the sons of Israel so that they may know that as I was with Moyses, so will I be also with you. 8And now command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you enter upon a part of the water of the Jordan, then you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9And Iesous said to the sons of Israel, “Draw near here, and hear the word of the Lord your God. 10By this you shall know that a living god is among you, and with destruction he will destroy from before us the Chananite and the Chettite and the Pherezite and the Heuite and the Amorrite and the Gergesite and the Iebousite: 11Look, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes through the Jordan. 12Select for yourselves twelve men from the sons of Israel, one from each tribe. 13And it will be, when the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth rest in the water of the Jordan, that the water of the Jordan shall cease, and the water coming down shall stand still.”
14 And the people departed from their coverts to cross over the Jordan, and the priests bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord in front of the people. 15Now when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant were entering the Jordan and the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were dipped in part of the water of the Jordan—now the Jordan would overflow throughout all its channel-system as if it were the days of wheat harvest—16and the waters flowing down from above stood still, a single solid heap stood apart very, very far off, as far as part of Kariathiarim, and that which came down came down to the sea of Araba, the salt sea, until it completely ceased. And the people stood opposite Iericho. 17And the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan—and all the sons of Israel were crossing over on dry land—until all the people finished crossing over the Jordan.
4 And when all the people finished crossing over the Jordan, then the Lord said to Iesous, saying, 2“Take along men from the people, one from each tribe; 3instruct them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones at hand out of the middle of the Jordan, and when you have carried these over with you, lay them down in your camp, there where you make camp for the night.’” 4And when Iesous had summoned twelve men of the honored from the sons of Israel, one from each tribe, 5he said to them, “Pass on before me, before the Lord, into the middle of the Jordan, and when each has taken up a stone from there, let him carry it on his shoulders, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel, 6so that these may exist as a sign for you, in place for all time; so that when your son asks you tomorrow, saying, ‘What are these stones to you?’ 7then you shall explain to your son, saying, ‘Because the river Jordan failed from before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth, when it crossed over it. And these stones shall be to you a memorial, to the sons of Israel forever.’”
8 And the sons of Israel did so, as the Lord commanded Iesous. And they took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, as the Lord instructed Iesous at the completion of the crossing over of the sons of Israel, and they carried them over with them to the camp and laid them down there. 9Now Iesous also set up another twelve stones in the Jordan itself, in the place that was under the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and they are there until this very day.
10 Now the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood in the Jordan until Iesous finished everything the Lord commanded him to tell the people. And the people hastened, and they crossed over. 11And it happened, as soon as all the people had finished crossing over, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord passed over, and the stones in front of them. 12And the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse crossed over equipped before the sons of Israel, as Moyses had commanded them. 13Forty thousand well girded for battle passed over before the Lord for war against the city of Iericho.
14 On that day the Lord exalted Iesous before the whole race of Israel, and they feared him, as they had Moyses, for as long a time as he lived.
15 And the Lord said to Iesous, saying, 16“Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant of the testimony of the Lord to come up out of the Jordan.” 17And Iesous commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18And it happened, as soon as the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up out of the Jordan and set their feet on the land, that the water of the Jordan rushed headlong into place and went as yesterday and the third day throughout all its banks.
19 And the people went up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and the sons of Israel encamped in Galgala in the part toward sunrise, from Iericho. 20And those twelve stones, which he had taken out of the Jordan, Iesous set up in Galgala, 21saying, “When your sons ask you, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22proclaim to your sons, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground, 23when the Lord our God dried up the water of the Jordan from before them until they crossed over, as the Lord our God did to the Red Sea, which the Lord our God dried up before us until we passed by, 24so that all the nations of the earth may know that the power of the Lord is mighty and in order that you may worship the Lord your God for all time.’”
5 And it happened, when the kings of the Amorrites, who were beyond the Jordan, and the kings of Phoenicia by the sea heard that the Lord God had dried up the Jordan river from before the sons of Israel when they crossed over, that their hearts melted, and they were panic-stricken, and there was no understanding in them, from before the sons of Israel.
2 Now about that time, the Lord said to Iesous, “Make for yourself flint knives out of sharp rock, and sit down, and circumcise the sons of Israel.” 3And Iesous made sharp flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at the place called Hill of Foreskins. 4And how Iesous completely purified the sons of Israel—as many as were born on the way and as many as were uncircumcised of those who had come out of Egypt—5all these Iesous circumcised. 6For Israel had gone about in the wilderness of Madbaritis for forty-two years, wherefore most of their warriors who had come out of the land of Egypt were uncircumcised, those who disobeyed God’s ordinances, concerning whom he also determined that they would not see the land that the Lord had sworn to their forefathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7And in their place he raised up their sons, whom Iesous circumcised because they remained uncircumcised on the way.
8 Now when they had been circumcised, they kept quiet there, remaining in the camp until they were healed. 9And the Lord said to Iesous son of Naue, “On this very day I have taken away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And he called the name of that place Galgala.
10 And the sons of Israel kept the pascha on the fourteenth day of the month from evening at sunset at Iericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain. 11And they ate from the grain of the land, things unleavened and fresh. On this day 12the manna ceased, after they had eaten from the grain of the land, and the sons of Israel no longer had manna, and they enjoyed the fruit of the country of the Phoenicians in that year.
13 And it happened, when Iesous was at Iericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a person standing before him, and his sword was drawn in his hand. And Iesous approached and said to him, “Are you one of us or on the side of our adversaries?” 14Then he said to him, “As commander-in-chief of the force of the Lord I have now come.” And Iesous fell facedown onto the earth, and he said to him, “Master, what do you order your domestic?” 15And the commander-in-chief of the Lord said to Iesous, “Loosen the sandal from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.”
6 And Iericho was completely closed up and fortified, and no one came out from it nor went in. 2And the Lord said to Iesous, “Look, I am delivering Iericho into your control, and its king in it, mighty ones in strength. 3And you, station around it the warriors in a circle. 5And it shall be as soon as you sound with the trumpet, let all the people shout together. And when they shout, the walls of the city will fall spontaneously, and all the people shall enter, each one rushing headlong into the city.” 6And Iesous the son of Naue went in to the priests 7and spoke to them, saying, “Charge the people to go around and surround the city. And let the warriors pass by in arms before the Lord.
8 “And let seven priests holding seven sacred trumpets proceed in this manner before the Lord, and let them signal vigorously. And let the ark of the covenant of the Lord follow. 9And let the warriors go before, and the priests who bring up the rear, behind the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as they walk and trumpet.” 10And the people Iesous commanded, saying, “Do not shout, and do not let anyone hear your voice until the day he himself tells you to shout, and then you shall shout.” 11And when the ark of the covenant of God had gone around the city, it immediately went back into the camp and lodged there.
12 And on the second day Iesous rose in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 13And the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets passed on before the Lord, and afterwards the warriors entered, and the rest of the crowd behind the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. And all the rest of the crowd encircled the city from close at hand 14and went back again into the camp. Thus they kept doing for six days.
15 And on the seventh day they rose at dawn and marched around the city seven times. 16And on the seventh circuit the priests trumpeted, and Iesous said to the sons of Israel, “Cry out, for the Lord has given you the city. 17And the city shall be devoted, it and all that is in it, to the Lord Sabaoth. Only keep safe Raab the prostitute, her and what is in her house. 18But you, keep well away from what is devoted so that you yourselves do not covet and take any of what is devoted and make the camp of the sons of Israel a devoted thing and annihilate us. 19And all silver or gold or bronze or iron shall be sacred to the Lord; it shall be carried into the treasury of the Lord.” 20And the priests sounded with the trumpets. And as soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, all the people at the same time raised a great and strong shout, and the whole wall fell down all around. And all the people went up into the city. 21And with the edge of the sword Iesous devoted it and all that was in the city, from man even to woman, from young man even to old, and even to calf and draft animal.
22 And Iesous said to the two young men who had served as spies, “Go into the woman’s house, and bring her out from there and all that is hers.” 23And the two young men who had spied out the city went into the house of the woman and brought out Raab the prostitute and her father and her mother and her brothers and all that was hers and her kindred. And they set her outside the camp of Israel. 24And the city was burned with burning with all that was in it. Only things of silver and gold and bronze and iron did they give, to be brought into the treasury of the Lord. 25And Raab the prostitute and all her father’s house Iesous kept alive, and it has dwelled in Israel until this very day. For she hid the spies whom Iesous sent to spy out Iericho.
26 And Iesous swore on that day before the Lord, saying,
“Cursed be the person
who shall build that city.
At the cost of his firstborn he shall found it,
and at the cost of his youngest he shall
set up its gates.”
And thus did Ozan of Baithel; at the cost of Abiron, his firstborn, he founded it, and at the cost of his youngest, although he escaped, he set up its gates.
27 And the Lord was with Iesous, and his name was in all the land.
7 And the sons of Israel committed a major offense and appropriated for themselves part of what was devoted. And Achar son of Charmi son of Zambri son of Zara, of the tribe of Ioudas, took from what was devoted, and the Lord was furiously angry with the sons of Israel.
2 And Iesous sent men to Gai, which is near Baithel, saying, “Spy out Gai.” And the men went up and spied out Gai. 3And they returned to Iesous and said to him, “Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and take the city by siege. Do not lead up there the whole people, for they are few.” 4And about three thousand men went up, and they fled before the men of Gai. 5And of them the men of Gai killed up to thirty-six men. And they pursued them from the gate, and they crushed them on the slope. And the heart of the people was terrified and became like water.
6 And Iesous tore his clothes, and Iesous fell on the ground facedown before the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they threw dust on their heads. 7And Iesous said, “I pray, Lord, why has your servant brought this people across the Jordan, to hand them over to the Amorrite so as to destroy us? If only we had remained and been settled beyond the Jordan. 8And what shall I say, since Israel has turned its neck before its enemy? 9And when the Chananite and all the inhabitants of the land hear, they will surround us and wipe us out from the land. And what will you make of your great name?”
10 And the Lord said to Iesous, “Stand up. Why is it that you have fallen upon your face? 11The people have sinned and transgressed the covenant that I made with them. And they have stolen from what is devoted and put it into their own belongings. 12The sons of Israel shall not be able to stand before their enemies; they shall turn their neck before their enemies, because they have become what is devoted. I will be with you no longer, unless you remove what is devoted from yourselves. 13Stand up, sanctify the people, and tell them to be sanctified for tomorrow. This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘What is devoted is among you. You will be unable to withstand before your enemies until you remove what is devoted from among you.’ 14And all of you shall be gathered together in the morning by tribes. And it shall be that the tribe that the Lord shows—you shall bring it near by districts. And the district that the Lord shows you shall bring near by household. And the household that the Lord shows you shall bring near by man. 15And the one who is indicated shall be burned with fire, and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord and has committed lawlessness in Israel.”
16 And Iesous rose early and brought the people near by tribes, and the tribe of Ioudas was shown. 17And it was brought near by districts, and the Zarai district was shown. And it was brought near by man, 18and Achar son of Zambri son of Zara was shown. 19And Iesous said to Achar, “Give glory today to the Lord, God of Israel, and make the confession. And tell me what you have done, and do not hide it from me.” 20And Achar answered Iesous and said, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord, God of Israel. Thus and so have I done. 21I saw in the spoil a beautiful, many-colored carpet and two hundred didrachmas of silver and one golden tongue-shaped object of fifty didrachmas, and I coveted them and took them. And look, they are hidden in the ground in my tent, and the silver is hidden underneath them.”
22 And Iesous sent messengers, and they ran to the tent into the camp, and these things were hidden in the tent, and the silver was underneath them. 23And they brought them out of the tent and brought them to Iesous and the elders of Israel, and they set them before the Lord. 24And Iesous took Achar son of Zara and brought him up to the ravine of Achor, and his sons and his daughters and his bull calves and his draft animals and all his sheep and his tent and all his belongings—and all the people with him. And he brought them up to Emekachora. 25And Iesous said to Achar, “Why have you destroyed us? May the Lord destroy you as also today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. 26And they set up over him a great heap of stones. And the Lord ceased from burning anger. Therefore he named it Emekachora until this day.
8 And the Lord said to Iesous, “Do not fear, nor be afraid. Take with you the men, all the military men, and get up, go up to Gai. See, I have given into your hands the king of Gai and his land. 2And you shall do to Gai as you did to Iericho and its king. And the spoil of the cattle you shall carry away as spoil for yourself. Now set for yourself an ambush against the city, behind.”
3 And Iesous and all the military people got up to go up against Gai. And Iesous picked out thirty thousand men mighty in strength and sent them off by night. 4And he commanded them, saying, “You, lie in ambush behind the city; do not be far from the city, and all of you shall be ready. 5And I and all those with me will approach the city. And it shall be that when the inhabitants of Gai come out against us, as also before, then we shall flee from before them. 6And when they come out after us, we will draw them away from the city. And they will say, ‘They are fleeing from before us, as also previously.’ 7And you shall rise up out of the ambush and go into the city. 8And you shall act according to this word; see, I have commanded you.” 9And Iesous sent them off, and they went to the ambush, and lay between Baithel and between Gai, from the sea of Gai.
10 And Iesous early in the morning mustered the people, and they went up, he and the elders, before the people to Gai. 11And all the military people with him went up, and as they went, they came opposite the city to the east. 12And the ambush of the city was at the sea. 14And it happened, when the king of Gai saw this, that he hurried and went out to meet them directly in battle, he and all the people who were with him, and he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15And Iesous and Israel saw it and retreated from before them. 16And they closely pursued after the sons of Israel, and they themselves went away from the city. 17There was no one left in Gai who did not closely pursue after Israel, and they left the city open and closely pursued after Israel.
18 And the Lord said to Iesous, “Stretch out your hand with the javelin that is in your hand toward the city, for I have given it into your hands. And the ambush shall rise up quickly out of its place.” And Iesous stretched out his hand, the javelin, toward the city. 19And the ambush rose up quickly out of its place, and they came out when he stretched out his hand. And they went to the city and took it, and they hurried and set the city on fire with fire. 20And when the inhabitants of Gai looked around behind them, then they beheld smoke rising up out of the city to the sky. And they no longer had anywhere to flee this way or that way. 21And Iesous and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city rose up to the sky. And they changed course and struck down the men of Gai. 22And theseb came out from the city to meet them, and theyc were between the camp, some on one side and some on the other side, and they struck them down until no one was left of them who survived and escaped. 23And they took the king of Gai alive and brought him to Iesous.
24 And when the sons of Israel had finished slaying all those in Gai, those in the plains and on the mountain on the descent, there where they fully pursued them, then Iesous turned back to Gai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25And those who fell that day, from man even to woman, were twelve thousand—all the inhabitants of Gai. 27Except for the livestock and the spoils that were in the city, all things that the sons of Israel took as spoil, according to the ordinance of the Lord, as the Lord had instructed Iesous. 28And Iesous burned the city with fire; he made it an uninhabited mound forever until this day. 29And he hanged the king of Gai on a forked tree, and he was on the tree until evening. And when the sun set Iesous gave instructions, and they took his body down from the tree and threw him into the hole and set over him a heap of stones until this day.
9 Now when the kings of the Amorrites, who were on the other side of the Jordan, who were in the hill country and who were in the plain and who were in all the coast of the great sea, and who were near Anti-Lebanon, and the Chettites and the Chananites and the Pherezites and the Heuites and the Amorrites and the Gergesites and the Iebousites heard, 2they gathered together, all of them with one accord, to make war against Iesous and Israel.
2a(8.30) Then Iesous built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Gaibal, 2b(31)as Moyses the attendant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the law of Moyses, “an altar of whole stones on which iron was not applied,” and he brought up there whole burnt offerings to the Lord and an offering of deliverance. 2c(32)And Iesous wrote on the stones Deuteronomiond, a law of Moyses, which he wrote in the presence of the sons of Israel. 2d(33)And all Israel and their elders and their judges and their scribes passed on one side and on the other side of the ark, opposite, and the priests and the Leuites took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the guest and the native-born. Half of them were near Mount Garizin and half of them were near Mount Gaibal, as Moyses the attendant of the Lord commanded at first, to bless the people. 2e(34)And after these things Iesous thus read all the words of this law, the blessings and the curses, according to all things written in the law of Moyses. 2f(35)There was not a word of all that Moyses commanded Iesous that Iesous did not read in the ears of all the assembly of the sons of Israel, to the men and the women and the children and the guests who attached themselves to Israel.
3 And the inhabitants of Gabaon heard all that the Lord did to Iericho and to Gai. 4And indeed they on their part acted with cunning, and they went, prepared provisions and got themselves ready. And they put old sacks on their donkeys and old and torn, bound-up wineskins. 5And the hollows of their shoes and their sandals were old and clouted on their feet, and their garments were worn out upon them, and the bread of their provision was dry and moldy and bug-infested. 6And they came to Iesous into the camp of Israel to Galgala, and they said to Iesous and Israel, “We have come from a land far away; now then make a covenant with us.” 7And the sons of Israel said to the Chorrite, “Take heed, lest you live with me, and how am I to make a covenant with you?” 8And they said to Iesous, “We are your domestics.” And Iesous said to them, “From where are you? And from where have you come?” 9And they said, “Your servants have come from a land very far away in the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard his name and what he did in Egypt 10and what he did to the kings of the Amorrites who were on the other side of the Jordan, to Seon, king of Hesebon, and to Og, king of Basan, who lived in Astaroth and in Edrain. 11And when they heard, our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provision for yourselves for the journey, and go to meet them, and you shall say to them, “We are your domestics; now then make a covenant with us.’” 12These are the loaves; we took them for our journey when they were hot on the day on which we set out to come to you, but now they are dried and have become bug-infested. 13And these are the skins of wine that we filled when they were new, and they are burst. And our garments and our shoes are worn out because of the very long journey.” 14And the leaders took of their provision and did not ask the Lord. 15And Iesous made peace with them, and they made a covenant with them, to preserve them, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
16 And it happened three days after they had made a covenant with them that they heard that they were close by them and that they were living among them. 17And the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities. And their cities were Gabaon and Kephira and Berot and Iarin-City. 18But the sons of Israel did not fight against them, because all the leaders had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the leaders. 19And the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we shall not be able to touch them. 20This we will do: take them alive, and we will preserve them. And there shall not be wrath against us because of the oath that we swore to them. 21They shall live and shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation”—as the leaders said to them.
22 And Iesous called them together and said to them, “Why have you misled me, saying, ‘We live very far from you,’ but you are fellow dwellers, those who live among us? 23And now you are cursed; there shall not be lacking from you a slave or a hewer of wood for me and my God.” 24And they answered Iesous, saying, “It was reported to us what the Lord your God instructed his servant Moyses, to give you this land and to destroy us and all its inhabitants from before you, and we greatly feared for our lives before you and did this thing. 25And now, see, we are in your power; do to us as it is pleasing to you and as it seems right to you.” 26And thus they did to them, and Iesous rescued them on that day out of the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27And Iesous made them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation and for the altar of God. Therefore the inhabitants of Gabaon became hewers of wood and drawers of water of the altar of God until this very day, and in the place that the Lord should choose.
10 And when Adonibezek, king of Ierousalem, heard that Iesous had taken Gai and had utterly destroyed it—as they did to Iericho and its king, so they did to Gai and its king—and that the inhabitants of Gabaon had deserted to Iesous and to Israel, 2then they became greatly frightened by means of them, for he knew that Gabaon was a large city, like one of the mother-cities, and all its men were strong. 3And Adonibezek, king of Ierousalem, sent to Ailam, king of Chebron, and to Phidon, king of Ierimouth, and to Iephtha, king of Lachis, and to Dabir, king of Odollam, saying, 4“Come up here to me, and help me, and let us go to war with Gabaon, for they have deserted to Iesous and to the sons of Israel.” 5And the five kings of the Iebousites—the king of Ierousalem and the king of Chebron and the king of Ierimouth and the king of Lachis and the king of Odollam—went up, they and all their people, and surrounded Gabaon and besieged it.
6 And the inhabitants of Gabaon sent to Iesous into the camp of Israel to Galgala, saying, “Do not relax your hands from your servants. Come up to us quickly, and rescue us, and help us, for all the kings of the Amorrites who live in the hill country are gathered together against us.” 7And Iesous went up out of Galgala, he and all the military people with him, every one mighty in strength. 8And the Lord said to Iesous, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands; not one of them shall be left before you.” 9And Iesous came upon them suddenly; he entered all night out of Galgala. 10And the Lord confounded them before the sons of Israel, and the Lord shattered them with great destruction at Gabaon, and they pursued them by the way of the ascent of Horonin and cut them down as far as Azeka and as far as Make-da. 11Now as they fled from before the sons of Israel, upon the descent of Horonin, then the Lord threw down upon them hailstones from the sky as far as Azeka, and there were more who died through the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed by dagger in the battle.
12 Then Iesous spoke to the Lord, on the day when God delivered the Amorrite into the control of Israel, when he shattered them at Gabaon, and they were shattered before the sons of Israel, and Iesous said,
“Let the sun stand at Gabaon,
and the moon at the ravine of Ailon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon was
in position
until God avenged himself on their
enemies,
and the sun stood in midheaven; it did not go forward to set auntil the end ofa one day. 14And there was not such a day either before or after so that a god heeded a human being, because the Lord fought alongside Israel.
16 And those five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave that was in Makeda. 17And it was told Iesous, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave that is in Makeda.” 18And Iesous said, “Roll stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men to guard over them. 19But you, do not stand in pursuing after your enemies, and lay hold of their rear guard. And do not let them enter into their cities, for the Lord our God has given them into our hands.” 20And it happened, when Iesous and every son of Israel finished smiting them with a very great slaughter, all the way to the end, that those who survived sought survival in the strong cities. 21And all the people returned sound to Iesous to Makeda, and no one of the sons of Israel grumbled with his tongue.
22 And Iesous said, “Open the cave, and bring these five kings out of the cave.” 23And they brought the five kings out of the cave—the king of Ierousalem and the king of Chebron and the king of Ierimouth and the king of Lachis and the king of Odollam. 24And when they brought them out to Iesous, then Iesous called together all Israel and the chiefs of war who went with him, saying to them, “Come forward, and put your feet on their necks.” And they came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25And Iesous said to them, “Neither fear them, nor be cowardly; be manly and strong; for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” 26And Iesous killed them, and he hung them on five trees. And they hung upon the trees until evening. 27And it happened towards sunset that Iesous commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave, there where they had fled for refuge, and they rolled stones against the cave until this very day.
28 And they took Makeda on that day, and they slew it with the edge of the rapier, and they utterly destroyed everything breathing in it, and there was no one left in it that survived and had escaped. And they did to the king of Makeda as they did to the king of Iericho.
29 And Iesous departed out of Makeda, and all Israel with him, to Lebna, and he besieged Lebna. 30And the Lord delivered it into the hands of Israel, and they took it and its king, and they slew it with the edge of the rapier, and everything breathing in it, and there was not left in it one that survived and had escaped. And they did to its king as they did to the king of Iericho.
31 And Iesous departed out of Lebna, and all Israel with him, to Lachis, and surrounded it and besieged it. 32And the Lord delivered Lachis into the hands of Israel, and he took it on the second day, and they slew it with the edge of the rapier, and they utterly destroyed it as they did to Lebna.
33 Then Ailam, king of Gazer, came up to help Lachis, and Iesous smote him with the edge of the rapier, and his people, until there was not left of them any who survived and had escaped.
34 And Iesous departed out of Lachis, and all Israel with him, to Odollam, and surrounded it and besieged it. 35And the Lord delivered it in the hand of Israel, and he took it on that day and slew it with the edge of the rapier, and they slew everything breathing in it, as they did to Lachis.
36 And Iesous and all Israel with him departed to Chebron and surrounded it. 37And he smote it with the edge of the rapier, and everything breathing, as many as were in it; there was not anyone who survived; as they did to Odollam, they utterly destroyed it and as many as were in it.
38 And Iesous and all Israel returned to Dabir, and when they had surrounded it, 39they took it and its king and its villages, and they smote it with the edge of the rapier, and they utterly destroyed it and everything breathing in it, and they did not leave it anyone who survived; as they did to Chebron and its king, so they did to Dabir and its king.
40 And Iesous smote all the land of the hill country and the Nageb and the plain and Asedoth and its kings; they did not leave any of them who survived, and they utterly destroyed everything that breathed with life, as the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded, 41from Kades Barne as far as Gaza, all Gosom as far as Gabaon. 42And Iesous smote, once for all, all their kings and their land, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought alongside Israel.
11 Now when Iabin, king of Hasor, heard, he sent to Iobab, king of Marron, and to the king of Symoon and to the king of Aziph 2and to the kings who were by Sidon the great, to the hill country and to Raba opposite Keneroth and to the plain and to Napheddor 3and to the coast-dwelling Chananites on the east and to the coast-dwelling Amorrite and the Heuites and the Iebousites and the Pherezites in the mountain and the Chettites, those under Haermon in the land of Massepha. 4And they came out, they and their kings with them, as the sand of the sea in multitude, and horses and very many chariots. 5And all these kings gathered and came to the same place and encamped at the water of Marron, to fight with Israel.
6 And the Lord said to Iesous, “Do not be afraid before them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver them, routed before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7And Iesous—and all the military people—came upon them at the water of Marron suddenly, and they fell upon them in the hill country. 8And the Lord delivered them into the power of Israel, and as they smote them, they pursued them as far as Sidon the great and as far as Maseron and as far as the plains of Massoch to the east. And they cut them down until not one of them was left who survived. 9And Iesous did to them as the Lord commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
10 And Iesous turned back at that time and took Hasor and its king. And Hasor was earlier chief of all those kingdoms. 11And they slew everything breathing in it with the rapier and utterly destroyed them all, and nothing breathing was left in it, and they burned Hasor with fire. 12And all the cities of the kings and their kings, Iesous took and killed them with the edge of the rapier and utterly destroyed them, as Moyses the servant of the Lord instructed. 13But all the cities fortified with mounds Israel did not burn, but Iesous burned only Hasor. 14And the sons of Israel appropriated all its spoils for themselves, but they completely destroyed all people with the edge of the rapier until he demolished them; they did not leave anything of them breathing. 15As the Lord instructed Moyses his servant, Moyses also commanded Iesous in like manner, and so Iesous did; he did not transgress anything of all that Moyses instructed him.
16 And Iesous took all the land: the hill country and all the Nageb and all the land of Gosom and the plain and that toward the west and the mountain of Israel and the low regions 17by the mountain, from mount Hachel, and that which rises up to Seir and as far as Baalgad and the plains of Lebanon, under Mount Haermon. And all their kings he took and destroyed and killed them. 18And for rather many days Iesous made war with these kings. 19And there was not a city that Israel did not take; they took everything in war. 20For it was through the Lord to strengthen their heart to meet for war against Israel in order that they might be utterly destroyed, that mercy not be given to them, but that they be utterly destroyed, just as the Lord said to Moyses.
21 And at that time Iesous came and utterly destroyed the Enakim out of the hill country, out of Chebron and out of Dabir and out of Anaboth and out of all the race of Israel and out of all the mountain of Ioudas with their cities, and Iesous utterly destroyed them. 22And none of the Enakim was left by the sons of Israel, but only in Gaza and in Geth and in Asedoth was anyone left. 23And Iesous took all the land, as the Lord commanded Moyses, and Iesous gave them as an inheritance of Israel by allotment according to their tribes, and the land stopped being at war.
12 And these are the kings of the land, whom the sons of Israel slew, and they inherited their land beyond the Jordan from the rising of the sun, from the ravine of Arnon to Mount Haermon and all the land of Araba on the east: 2Seon, the king of the Amorrites, who lived in Hesebon, ruling from Aroer, which is in the ravine, along part of the ravine, and half of Galaad as far as Iabok, the boundaries of the sons of Ammon; 3and Araba as far as the sea of Chenereth eastward and as far as the sea of Araba; the sea of salt on the east along the way of Hasimoth, from Thaiman, which is under Asedoth Phasga. 4And Og, king of Basan, was left of the giants, he who lived in Astaroth and in Edrain, 5ruling from Mount Haermon and from Selcha and all the land of Basan as far as the boundaries of Gesouri and Machati and half of Galaad as far as the boundaries of Seon, king of Hesebon. 6Moyses, the servant of the Lord, and the sons of Israel smote them, and Moyses gave it as an inheritance to Rouben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse.
7 And these are the kings of the Amorrites whom Iesous slew, and the sons of Israel, beyond the Jordan by the sea of Baalgad in the plain of Lebanon and as far as the Mount Chelcha, as they rise to Seir, and Iesous gave it to the tribes of Israel to inherit according to their allotment, 8in the mountain and in the plain and in Araba and in Asedoth and in the wilderness and in the Nageb; the Chettite and the Amorrite and the Chananite and the Pherezite and the Heuite and the Iebousite: 9the king of Iericho and the king of Gai, which is near Baithel, 10king of Ierousalem, king of Chebron, 11king of Ierimouth, king of Lachis, 12king of Ailam, king of Gazer, 13king of Dabir, king of Gader, 14king of Hermath, king of Arath, 15king of Lebna, king of Odollam, 16king of Make-da, 17king of Taphoug, king of Hopher, 18king of Aphek of Saron, 19king of Hasor, 20king of Symoon, king of Marron, king of Aziph, 21king of Kades, king of Tanach, 22king of Magedon, king of Iekonam of Chermel, 23king of Dor of Napheddor, king of Goim of Galilee, 24king of Tharsa; all these, twenty-nine kings.
13 And Iesous was rather old, advanced in days, and the Lord said to Iesous, “You are advanced in days, and there is much land left to inherit. 2And this is the land that is left: the boundaries of Phylistiim, Gesiri and the Chananite, 3from the uninhabited region before Egypt, as far as the boundaries of Akkaron, to the left of the Chananites, it is reckoned to the five satrapies of the Phylistiim—to the Gazean and to the Azotian and to the Ascalonite and to the Geththite and to the Akkaronite—and to the Heuite, 4from Thaiman, and to all the land of Chanaan before Gaza and the Sidonians as far as Aphek, as far as the boundaries of the Amorrites, 5and all the land of Gabli of Phylistiim and all Lebanon, toward the rising of the sun, from Galgal under Mount Haermon as far as the entrance of Hemath, 6everyone who inhabits the hill country from Lebanon as far as Maserephothmaim. All the Sidonians, I will utterly destroy them from before Israel, but pass it on as an allotment to Israel, as I commanded you. 7And now divide this land as an inheritance for the nine tribes and for the half-tribe of Manasse. From the Jordan as far as the great sea toward the setting of the sun you shall give it; the great sea shall be the boundary.”
8 But to the two tribes and to the half-tribe of Manasse, to Rouben and to Gad, Moyses gave beyond the Jordan toward the rising of the sun; Moyses the servant of the Lord has given it 9from Aroer, which is on the edge of the wadi of Arnon, and the city in the middle of the ravine and all Misor from Maidaba as far as Daiban, 10all the cities of Seon, king of the Amorrites, who reigned in Hesebon, as far as the boundaries of the sons of Ammon, 11and Galaaditis and the boundaries of Gesiri and of Machati, the entire Mount Haermon, and all Basanitis as far as Selcha, 12all the kingdom of Og in Basanitis, he who reigned in Astaroth and in Edrain; he was left of the giants, and Moyses smote and utterly destroyed him. 13And the sons of Israel did not utterly destroy Gesiri and Machati and the Chananite, and Gesiri’s king and Machati kept living among the sons of Israel until this very day.
14 With the exception of the tribe of Leui—no inheritance was given; the Lord God of Israel, he is their inheritance, as the Lord said to them, and this is the division that Moyses divided for the sons of Israel in Araboth Moaba beyond the Jordan opposite Iericho.
15 And Moyses gave to the tribe of Rouben according to their districts. 16And their boundaries were from Aroer, which is opposite the valley of Arnon, and the city that is in the ravine of Arnon and all the land of Misor, 17as far as Hesebon, and all the cities that are in the land of Misor and of Daibon and of Bamoth-Baal and of the house of Beelmon 18and Iassa and Kedemoth and Mephaath 191and Kariathaim and Sebama and Serada and Sior on the mountain of Emakb 20and Baithphogor and Asedothc Phasga and Baithasimoth 21and all the cities of Misor and all the kingdom of Seon, king of the Amorrites, whom Moyses smote, him and the leaders of Madian, and Eui and Rokom and Sour and Hour and Robe, rulers alongside Seon, and the inhabitants of the land. 22And Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, they slew at the decisive moment. 23And itd became the boundaries of Rouben. Jordan was a boundary. This was the inheritance of the sons of Rouben according to their districts, their cities and their farmsteads.
24 And Moyses gave to the sons of Gad according to their districts. 25And their boundaries were Iazer, all of the cities of Galaad and half of the land of the sons of Ammon, as far as Aroer, which is before Rabba, 26and from Hesebon as far as Ramoth by Massepha and Botanin and Maanain as far as the boundaries of Dabir 27and in Emekb Baitharam and Baithanabra and Sokchotha and Saphan and the rest of the kingdom of Seon, king of Hesebon, and the Jordan shall be the boundary as far as part of the sea of Chenereth beyond the Jordan eastward. 28This is the inheritance of the sons of Gad according to their districts, their cities and their farmsteads.
29 And Moyses gave to the half-tribe of Manasse according to their districts. 30And their boundaries were from Maanaim and all the kingdom of Basani and all the kingdom of Og, king of Basan, and all the villages of Iair, which are in Basanitis, sixty cities, 31and half of Galaad and in Astaroth and in Edrain, cities of the kingdom of Og in Basanitis, and they were given to the sons of Machir son of Manasse and to half the sons of Machir son of Manasse according to their districts.
32 These are the ones whom Moyses caused to inherit beyond the Jordan in Araboth Moaba, beyond the Jordan by Iericho eastward.
14 And these are the inheritors from the sons of Israel in the land of Chanaan to whom Eleazar the priest and Iesous the son of Naue and the chiefs of the paternal families of the tribes of the sons of Israel gave inheritances. 2By lots they inherited, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Iesous to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe, 3from beyond the Jordan. And to the Leuites he did not give an allotment among them. 4For the sons of Ioseph were two tribes, Manasse and Ephraim, and a portion was not given in the land to the Leuites, rather, cities to live in and areas marked off for their cattle and their cattle. 5As the Lord commanded Moyses, so the sons of Israel did, and they distributed the land.
6 And the sons of Ioudas came to Iesous at Galgal, and Chaleb the son of Iephonne the Kenezite said to him, “You know the word that the Lord spoke to Moyses man of God concerning you and me at Kades Barne. 7For I was forty years old when Moyses the servant of God sent me out of Kades Barne to spy out the land, and I answered him a word according to his mind. 8And my brothers who went up with me changed the heart of the people, but I added to follow closely the Lord my God. 9And Moyses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land upon which you have tread shall be yours as an allotment and your children’s forever, because you have applied yourself to follow closely after the Lord our God.’ 10And now the Lord has sustained me, as he said; this is the forty-fifth year from when the Lord spoke this word to Moyses, and Israel journeyed in the wilderness, and now, look, I am today eighty-five years old. 11I am still strong today, as when Moyses sent me; I am now just as strong to go out and to go into war. 12And now I ask you for this mountain, as the Lord said on that day; for you have heard this word on that day. But now the Enakim are there, cities strong and great; if then the Lord is with me, I will utterly destroy them, as the Lord said to me.”
13 And Iesous blessed him and gave Chebron to Chaleb son of Iephonne son of Kenez as an allotment. 14Therefore Chebron became an allotment for Chaleb the son of Iephonne the Kenezite to this day, because he followed closely the ordinance of the Lord, God of Israel. 15And the name of Chebron formerly was city of Arbok; this is the mother-city of the Enakim, and the land abated from war.
15 And the boundaries of the tribe of Ioudas according to their districts were from the boundaries of Idumea from the wilderness of Sin as far as Kades to the southwest. 2And their boundaries were from the southwest as far as part of the salt sea from the ridge that stretches southwest-ward. 3And they pass through before the ascent of Akrabin and go out around Senna and go up from the southwest to Kades Barne and go out to Hasoron and go up to Addara and go around toward the west of Kades 4and proceed to Asemona and pass through as far as the ravine of Egypt, and the outlet of its boundaries shall be to the sea. This is their boundaries from the southwest. 5And the boundaries from the east: the whole salt sea as far as the Jordan. And their boundaries from the north, both from the ridge of the sea and from the part of the Jordan, 6the boundaries go to Baithagla, and they go past from the north to Baitharaba, and the boundaries go higher to the stone of Baion son of Rouben, 7and the boundaries go higher to the fourth part of the ravine of Achor and go down to Galgal, which is before the approach of Addamin, which is to the southwest of the valley, and pass through to the water of the fountain of the sun, and its outlet shall be the fountain of Rogel, 8and the boundaries go up to the ravine of Honom at the ridge of Iebous (this is Ierousalem), and the boundaries pass through to the mountain top that is before the ravine of Honom toward the sea, which is by the side of the land of Raphain northward, 9and the boundary passes through from the top of the mountain to the spring of the water of Naphtho and passes through to Mount Ephron, and the boundary will lead out to Baal (this is the city of Iarim), 10and the boundary will go around from Baal to the sea and will go alongside to Mount Assares at the ridge, the city of Iarim from the north (this is Chaslon) and will go down to Sun-City and will go alongside to the southwest, 11and the boundary will go out toward the ridge of Akkaron northward, and the boundaries will go out to Sakcharona and will pass alongside to Mount Bala and will go out to Iabnel, and the outlet of the boundaries shall be to the sea. 12And their boundaries from the sea: the great sea shall be the boundary. These are the boundaries of the sons of Ioudas round about according to their districts.
13 And to Chaleb son of Iephonne he gave a portion among the sons of Ioudas, according to the ordinance of God, and Iesous gave him the city of Arbok, the mother-city of Enak (this is Chebron). 14And Chaleb son of Iephonne completely destroyed from there the three sons of Enak: Sousi and Tholmi and Achima. 15And Chaleb went up from there against the inhabitants of Dabir; now the name of Dabir formerly was City of Letters. 16And Chaleb said, “Whoever takes City of Letters and gains power over it, to him I will give Achsa my daughter as wife.” 17And Gothoniel son of Kenez, the younger brother of Chaleb, took it, and he gave him Achsa his daughter as his wife. 18And it happened, when she came in, that she advised him, saying, “I will ask my father for a field.” And she cried out from the donkey, and Chaleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 19And she said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have placed me in the land of Nageb; give me Golathmain.” And Chaleb gave her upper Golathmain and lower Golathmain.
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ioudas. 21And these were their cities, foremost city of the tribe of the sons of Ioudas at the boundaries of Edom at the wilderness:
63 And the Iebousite dwelled in Ierousalem, and the sons of Ioudas were not able to destroy them, and the Iebousites dwelled in Ierousalem to that day.
16 And the boundaries of the sons of Ioseph were from the Jordan near Iericho from the east, and they will go up from Iericho into the hill country, the wilderness, into Baithel Louza, 2and they will go out into Baithel and will proceed to the boundaries of Chatarothi, 3and they will go across to the sea, to the boundaries of Aptalim, as far as the boundaries of Lower Baithoron, and their outlet shall be to the sea.
4 And the sons of Ioseph, Ephraim and Manasse, received their inheritance.
5 And the boundaries of the sons of Ephraim were according to their districts, and the boundaries of their inheritance were from the east Ataroth and Erok, as far as Upper Baithoron and Gazara, 6and the boundaries will go across to the sea, into Ikasmon from the north of Therma; they will go around eastward into Thenasa and Sellesa, and they will proceed from the east into Ianoka 7and into Macho and Ataroth, and these are their villages, and they will go to Iericho and will pass through and out to the Jordan. 8And from Taphou the boundaries shall proceed to the sea, to Chelkana, and their outlet shall be to the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim according to their districts. 9And the cities marked off for the sons of Ephraim were in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasse, all the cities and their villages. 10And Ephraim did not destroy the Chananite living in Gazer, and the Chananite lived in Ephraim until this day, until Pharao, king of Egypt, went up and took it, and he burned it with fire, and they massacred the Chananites and the Pherezites and those living in Gazer, and Pharao gave it as a dowry to his daughter.
17 And the boundaries of the tribe of the sons of Manasse, for he was the firstborn to Ioseph, were: to Machir, firstborn of Manasse, father of Galaad, for he was a military man, in Galaaditis and in Basanitis. 2And to the remaining sons of Manasse, according to their districts they were: to the sons of Iezer and to the sons of Kelez and to the sons of Ieziel and to the sons of Sychem and to the sons of Symarim and to the sons of Hopher; these are the males, according to their districts.
3 And to Salpaad son of Hopher—he did not have sons but daughters, and these are the names of the daughters of Salpaad: Maala and Noua and Hegla and Melcha and Thersa. 4And they stood before Eleazar the priest and before Iesous and before the leaders, saying, “God commanded through the hand of Moyses, to give us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.” And there was given to them through the ordinance of the Lord an allotment among the brothers of their father. 5And their portion fell from Anassa and the plain of Labek, out of Galaad, which is beyond the Jordan, 6because the daughters of the sons of Manasse inherited an allotment in the midst of their brothers, but the land of Galaad was for the remaining sons of Manasse.
7 And the boundaries of the sons of Manasse were Delanath, which is before the sons of Anath, and they proceed to the boundaries, to Iamin and Iassib, to the fountain of Thaphthoth. 8It shall belong to Manasse and Thapheth at the borders of Manasse to the sons of Ephraim. 9And the boundaries shall go down to the ravine of Karana south-westward by the ravine of Iariel—a terebinth tree belonging to Ephraim is in the midst of a city of Manasse—and the boundaries of Manasse northward are into the wadi, and the sea shall be its outlet. 10From the southwest is Ephraim’s, to the north is Manasse’s, and the sea shall be their boundaries, and they shall border upon Aser to the north and on Issachar from the east. 11And Manasse shall have, in Issachar and in Aser, Baithsan and their villages and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages and the inhabitants of Megeddo and its villages and the third part of Napheta and its villages. 12And the sons of Manasse were not able to destroy utterly these cities, and the Chananite began to dwell in this land. 13And it happened also, when the sons of Israel grew strong, that they made the Chananites subjects, but did not utterly destroy them.
14 Now the sons of Ioseph disputed with Iesous, saying, “Why have you caused us to inherit a single allotment and a single portion, for I am a numerous people, and God has blessed me?” 15And Iesous said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up into the thicket, and clear it for yourself, if Mount Ephraim is cramped for you.” 16And they said, “Mount Ephraim is not enough for us, and the Chananite dwelling on it, in Baithsan and in its villages, in the valley of Iezrael, has choice cavalry and iron.” 17And Iesous said to the sons of Ioseph, “If you are a numerous people and if you have great strength, you shall not have a single allotment. 18For the thicket shall be yours, because there is a thicket, and you shall clear it, and it shall be yours, and when you utterly destroy the Chananite, because he has choice cavalry; for you are stronger than he.”
18 And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel was assembled at Selo, and they pitched there the tent of witness, and the land was subdued by them.
2 And the sons of Israel who had not received their inheritance remained, seven tribes. 3And Iesous said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you be slack about inheriting the land that the Lord our God has given you? 4Provide from yourselves three men from a tribe, and let them rise up and go throughout the land, and let them map it out before me, as it will be necessary to divide it.” And they came to him, 5and he divided for them seven portions: “Ioudas shall stand for them as a boundary from the southwest, and the sons of Ioseph shall stand for them from the north. 6Now you, apportion the land into seven portions, and bring word to me here, and I will cast a lot for you before the Lord our God. 7For the sons of Leui have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is his portion, and Gad and Rouben and the half-tribe of Manasse have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moyses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 And the men rose up and went on their way, and Iesous commanded the men who went to survey the land, saying, “Go, and survey the land, and come to me, and I will cast a lot for you here before the Lord in Selo.” 9And they went and surveyed the land, and they viewed it, and they wrote it in a book according to its cities, seven parts, and they brought it to Iesous. 10And Iesous cast a lot for them in Selo before the Lord.
11 And the allotment of the tribe of Beniamin came out first according to their districts, and the boundaries of their allotment came out between Ioudas and between the sons of Ioseph. 12And from the north their boundaries were: from the Jordan the boundaries shall go up behind Iericho from the north and shall go up to the mountain to the sea, and its outlet shall be Madbaritis Baithon. 13And the boundaries shall pass through from there to Louza, behind Louza from the southwest (this is Baithel), and the boundaries shall go down to Maatarothorech, to the hill country that is to the southwest of Lower Baithoron. 14And the boundaries shall pass through and go around to the part that looks beyond the sea from the southwest, from the mountain in front of Baithoron south-westward, and its outlet shall be at Kariathbaal (this is Kariathiarin, a city of the sons of Ioudas). This is the part toward the sea. 15And the part toward the southwest is from part of Kariathbaal, and the boundaries shall pass through to Gasin, to the fountain of the water of Naphtho, 16and the boundaries shall go down to the part of the mountain that is in front of the wooded valley of Honnam, which is by the side of Emekraphain from the north, and they shall go down to Gaienna behind Iebousai from the southwest and shall go down to the fountain of Rogel, 17and they shall pass through to the fountain of Baithsamys and shall proceed to Galiloth, which is opposite the ascent of Aithamin, and they shall go down to the stone of Baion of the sons of Rouben, 18and they shall pass through behind Baitharaba from the north and shall go down 19to the boundaries behind Baithagla from the north, and the outlet of the boundaries shall be at the small crest of the salt sea northward to the part of the Jordan southwest-ward: these are the boundaries from the southwest. 20And the Jordan shall be the boundary from the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the sons of Beniamin, its boundaries all around according to districts.
21 And the cities of the sons of Beniamin according to their districts were Iericho and
46and from the sea of Ierakon the boundary was near Joppe. 47This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their districts, their cities and their villages. 47aAnd the sons of Dan did not force out the Amorrite who was oppressing them in the mountain, and the Amorrites did not permit them to go down into the valley, and they reduced from them the boundary of their portion. 48And the sons of Ioudas proceeded and fought against Lachis, and they took it and smote it with the edge of the dagger, and they inhabited it and called its name Lasendak. 48aAnd the Amorrite continued to dwell in Elom and in Salamin, and the hand of Ephraim was heavy upon them, and they became as tribute to them.
49 And they proceeded to come into possession of the land according to their boundary, and the sons of Israel gave an allotment to Iesous the son of Naue among them, 50by God’s ordinance, and they gave him the city that he asked for, Thamnasarach, which is in Mount Ephraim, and he built the city and dwelt in it.
51 These are the divisions that Eleazar the priest assigned as inheritances, and Iesous the son of Naue and the chiefs of the paternal families among the tribes of Israel, according to allotments, at Selo before the Lord by the doors of the tent of witness. And they proceeded to come into possession of the land.
20 And the Lord spoke to Iesous, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Give the cities of places of refuge of which I spoke to you through Moyses, 3a place of refuge for the slayer who has smitten a soul involuntarily, and the cities shall be for you a place of refuge, and the slayer shall not die by the next of kin in blood until he stands before the congregation for judgment.’”
7 And he set apart Kades in Galilee in the mountain of Nephthali. And Sychem in the mountain of Ephraim and the city of Arbok (this is Chebron) in the mountain of Ioudas. 8And beyond the Jordan he gave Bosor in the wilderness on the plain, out of the tribe of Rouben, and Aremoth in Galaad, out of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in Basanitis, out of the tribe of Manasse. 9These were the cities designated for the sons of Israel and for the guest abiding among them, that anyone who smites a soul involuntarily may flee there so that he will not die by the hand of the next of kin in blood until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
21 And the chiefs of the paternal families of the sons of Leui approached Eleazar the priest and Iesous the son of Naue and the tribal chiefs of the families out of the tribes of Israel, 2and they said to them at Selo in the land of Chanaan, saying, “The Lord commanded through the hand of Moyses to give us cities to occupy and surrounding lands for our cattle.” 3And the sons of Israel gave to the Leuites, as they were inheriting by ordinance of the Lord, the cities and their surrounding lands round about.
4 And the allotment went out to the district of Kaath, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, the Leuites, had by lot thirteen cities from the tribe of Ioudas and from the tribe of Symeon and from the tribe of Beniamin.
5 And the remaining sons of Kaath had by lot ten cities out of the tribe of Ephraim and out of the tribe of Dan and out of the half-tribe of Manasse.
6 And the sons of Gedson had thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Aser and from the tribe of Nephthali and from the half-tribe of Manasse in Basan.
7 And the sons of Merari according to their districts had by lot twelve cities from the tribe of Rouben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zaboulon.
8 And the sons of Israel gave to the Leuites the cities and their surrounding lands, as the Lord commanded Moyses.
9 And the tribe of the sons of Ioudas and the tribe of the sons of Symeon and part of the tribe of the sons of Beniamin gave the cities, and they were assigned 10to the sons of Aaron from the district of Kaath of the sons of Leui, because theirs was the allotment. 11He gave to them Kariatharbok, the mother-city of those of Enak (this is Chebron) in the mountain of Ioudas and the surrounding lands. 12And the fields of the cities and its villages Iesous gave to the sons of Chaleb son of Iephonne as a possession.
13 And to the sons of Aaron he gave the city as a place of refuge for the one who slays, Chebron and the lands set apart with it and Lemna and the lands set apart near it 14and Ailom and the lands set apart for it and Tema and the lands set apart for it 15and Gella and the lands set apart for it and Dabir and the lands set apart for it 16and Asa and the lands set apart for it and Tany and the lands set apart for it and Baithsamys and the lands set apart for it—nine cites from these two tribes. 17And from the tribe of Beniamin: Gabaon and the lands set apart for it and Gatheth and the lands set apart for it 18and Anathoth and the lands set apart for it and Gamala and the lands set apart for it—four cities. 19All the cities of the sons of Aaron the priests were thirteen.
20 And the districts, the sons of Kaath, the remaining Leuites from the sons of Kaath, also had a city of their boundaries from the tribe of Ephraim, 21and they gave them the city of a place of refuge of the one who slays, Sychem and the lands set apart for it and Gazara and the lands by it and the lands set apart for it 22and Kabsaim and the lands set apart near it and Upper Baithoron and the lands set apart for it—four cities. 23And out of the tribe of Dan: Elkothaim and the lands set apart for it and Gethedan and the lands set apart for it 24and Ailon and the lands set apart for it and Getheremmon and the lands set apart for it—four cities. 25And from the half-tribe of Manasse: Tanach and the lands set apart for it and Iebatha and the lands set apart for it—two cities. 26All the cities and the lands set apart near them belonging to the remaining districts of the sons of Kaath were ten.
27 And to the sons of Gedson, the Leuites out of the half-tribe of Manasse, the cities set apart for those who slay, Gaulon in Basanitis and the lands set apart for it and Bosoran and the lands set apart for it—two cities. 28And out of the tribe of Issachar: Kison and the lands set apart for it and Debba and the lands set apart for it 29and Rem-math and the lands set apart for it and the Fountain of Letters and the lands set apart for it—four cities. 30And out of the tribe of Aser: Basellan and the lands set apart for it and Dabbon and the lands set apart for it 31and Chelkat and the lands set apart for it and Raab and the lands set apart for it—four cities. 32And out of the tribe of Nephthali: the city set apart for the one who slays, Kades in Galilee and the lands set apart for it and Hemmath and the lands set apart for it and Themmon and the lands set apart for it—three cities. 33All the cities of Gedson according to their districts were thirteen cities.
34 And to the district of the sons of Merari, the rest of the Leuites, out of the tribe of the sons of Zaboulon: Maan and its surrounding lands and Kades and its surrounding lands 35and Demna and its surrounding lands and Sella and its surrounding lands—four cities. 36And beyond the Jordan opposite Iericho, out of the tribe of Rouben: the city as a place of refuge of the one who slays, Bosor in the wilderness of Misor and its surrounding lands and Iazer and its surrounding lands 37and Dekmon and its surrounding lands and Mapha and its surrounding lands—four cities. 38And from the tribe of Gad: the city of a place of refuge of the one who slays, Ramoth in Galaad and its surrounding lands and Kamin and its surrounding lands 39and Hesebon and its surrounding lands and Iazer and its surrounding lands—all the cities were four. 40All cities belonging to the sons of Merari according to the districts of those remaining from the tribe of Leui, and the boundaries were twelve cities.
41 All the cities of the Leuites within the possession of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities and their surrounding lands 42round about these cities—a city and the surrounding lands round about the city, pertaining to all these cities. 42aAnd Iesous ceased dividing the land in their boundaries. 42bAnd the sons of Israel gave a portion to Iesous according to the ordinance of the Lord. They gave him the city that he asked for; they gave him Thamnasarach in Mount Ephraim. 42cAnd Iesous built the city and lived in it. 42dAnd Iesous took the flint knives with which he circumcised the sons of Israel born on the way in the wilderness, and he put them in Thamnasarach.
43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers, and they inherited it and settled in it. 44And the Lord gave them rest round about just as he swore to their fathers; no one of all their enemies rose against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands. 45None failed of all the good words that the Lord spoke to the sons of Israel; all came to pass.
22 Then Iesous summoned the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse 2and said to them, “You have heard all that Moyses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice according to all that I have commanded you. 3You have not forsaken your brothers all these days and more until this day. You have kept the ordinance of the Lord your God. 4And now the Lord our God has given rest to our brothers, as he said to them; now then return, and depart to your homes and to the land of your possession that Moyses gave to you on the other side of the Jordan. 5But take great care to do the ordinances and the law that Moyses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do: to love the Lord your God, to walk by all his ways, to keep his ordinances and to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your mind and with all your soul.” 6And Iesous blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.
7 And to one half of the tribe of Manasse Moyses gave land in Basanitis, and to one half Iesous gave land with his brothers on the other side of the Jordan toward the sea. And when Iesous sent them away to their homes and blessed them, 8then they departed with much wealth to their homes, and they divided the spoil of the enemies with their brothers: both very large herds of cattle and silver and gold and iron and a great quantity of clothing. 9And the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of the sons of Manasse went from the sons of Israel out of Selo in the land of Chanaan, to depart to the land of Galaad, to the land of their possession, which they inherited through the ordinance of the Lord by the hand of Moyses.
10 And they came to Galgala of the Jordan, which is in the land of Chanaan, and the sons of Gad and the sons of Rouben and the half-tribe of Manasse built there an altara by the Jordan, a large altara to see. 11And the sons of Israel heard people saying, “Look, the sons of Gad and the sons of Rouben and the half-tribe of Manasse have built an altara at the boundaries of the land of Chanaan at Galaad of the Jordan, on the other side of the sons of Israel.” 12And all the sons of Israel gathered together at Selo, to go up to make war against them.
13 And the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Rouben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad both Phinees son of Eleazar son of Aaron the high priest 14and ten of the chiefs with him, one chief from each paternal house from all the tribes of Israel—chiefs of paternal houses they were, officers of thousands of Israel. 15And they came to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Rouben and to the halves of the tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad, and they spoke to them, saying, 16“This is what the whole congregation of the Lord says, ‘What is this trespass that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away today from the Lord by building for yourselves an altara so that you become rebels from the Lord? 17Is the sin of Phogor insignificant for you, that we have not been cleansed from it until this day and there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord? 18And shall you turn away today from the Lord? And it shall be if you rebel today from the Lord, that tomorrow there shall be anger upon all Israel. 19And now if the land of your possession is small, cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, there where the tent of the Lord encamps, and take your inheritance among us, but do not become rebels from God, and do not rebel from the Lord by your building an altara other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20Look! Did not Achar the son of Zara commit a trespass from what was devoted, and there was anger upon the whole congregation of Israel? And he was not one lone person. Did he alone die for his own sin?’”
21 And the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse answered, and they spoke to the officers of thousands of Israel, saying, 22“God is Lord God, and God, Lord God, he himself knows, and Israel itself shall know: If in rebellion we have trespassed against the Lord, may he not deliver us in thisa. 23And if we built an altarb for ourselves so as to rebel from the Lord our God, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of whole burnt offerings or so as to make upon it a sacrifice of deliverance, the Lord shall seek it out. 24But we have done this for the sake of a matter of caution, saying, ‘Lest tomorrow your children say to our children, “What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? 25And the Lord set boundaries between us and you, the Jordan, and you do not have a portion of the Lord.”’ And your sons shall alienate our sons, that they not worship the Lord. 26And we said to do thus, to build this altarb not for produce offerings nor for sacrifices, 27but that this may be a witness between us and you and between our descendants after us, to serve a service to the Lord before him with our produce offerings and our sacrifices and our sacrifices of deliverance, and your children will not say to our children tomorrow, ‘You do not have a portion of the Lord.’ 28And we said, if it should ever happen that they speak to us and to our descendants tomorrow, then they shall say, ‘See a likeness of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for produce offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between you and between us and between our sons.’ 29May it not be therefore that we turn away from the Lord in these very days, to rebel from the Lord, so as to build an altar for produce offerings and for the sacrifices of salaminc and for the sacrifice of deliverance, other than the altar of the Lord that is before his tent.”
30 And when Phinees the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation of Israel who were with him heard the words that the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse spoke, then it pleased them. 31And Phinees the priest said to the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse, “Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not committed a trespass against the Lord and that you have delivered the sons of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”
32 And Phinees the priest returned, and the chiefs, from the sons of Rouben and from the sons of Gad and from the half-tribe of Manasse, out of the land of Galaad into the land of Chanaan, to the sons of Israel, and they reported the words to them. 33And it pleased the sons of Israel, and they spoke to the sons of Israel and blessed the God of the sons of Israel, and they said that they would no longer go up against them for war, to utterly destroy the land of the sons of Rouben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse, and theyd settled upon it. 34And Iesous named the altarb of those of Rouben and those of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasse, and he said: “It is a witness between them that the Lord is their God.”
23 And it happened, after rather many days after the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies round about and Iesous was old, advanced in days, 2that Iesous summoned all the sons of Israel and their council of elders and their chiefs and their scribes and their judges, and he said to them, “I am old and advanced in days. 3Now you have seen what the Lord your God has done to all these nations before you, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4See that I have cast upon you by the allotments to your tribes these nations that remain to you, from the Jordan all the nations that I have utterly destroyed, and from the great sea it shall be the boundary toward the setting of the sun. 5And the Lord your God, he shall utterly destroy them from before you until they perish, and he shall send wild beasts against them until he utterly destroys them and their kings from before you, and inherit their land, as the Lord your God spoke to you. 6Therefore be very steadfast to observe and to do all the things written in the book of the law of Moyses so that you do not turn aside to the right or the left, 7that you not go into these nations that are left, and the names of their gods shall not be named among you; neither do obeisance to them nor serve them, 8but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done until this day. 9And the Lord utterly destroyed them from before you, great and strong nations, and no one has withstood you until this day. 10One of you has put to flight thousands, since the Lord your God was fighting for you, as he said to you. 11And take great care to love the Lord your God. 12For if you turn away and attach yourselves to these nations remaining with you and make marriages with them and intermingle with them and they with you, 13know that the Lord will not continue to utterly destroy these nations from before you, but they shall be snares and traps for you and nails in your heels and arrows in your eyes until you are destroyed from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.
14 But I am going the way, as also all who are on earth, and you shall know in your heart and in your soul, because not one word has crumbled of all the words that the Lord our God spoke concerning all that involves you; not one out of them failed. 15And it shall happen that, as all the good things that the Lord spoke concerning you have come upon you, so the Lord God will bring upon you all the evil things until he utterly destroys you from this good land that the Lord has given you, 16when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go to serve other gods and do obeisance to them.”
24 And Iesous gathered all the tribes of Israel to Selo and summoned their elders and their scribes and their judges and set them before God. 2And Iesous said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Your fathers at first lived beyond the river, Thara the father of Abraam and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods. 3And I took your father Abraam from beyond the river and led him in all the land and made his offspring many and gave him Isaak, 4and to Isaak, Iakob and Esau. And I gave to Esau Mount Seir for him to inherit. And Iakob and his sons went down into Egypt and became there a great and populous and mighty nation, 5and the Egyptians afflicted them.’ And the Lord smote Egypt with things he did to them, and afterwards he brought you out 6of Egypt. And you came into the Red Sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and with horses into the Red Sea. 7And we cried out to the Lord, and he gave a cloud and darkness between us and between the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them and covered them, and your eyes saw what the Lord did in the land of Egypt. And you were in the wilderness rather many days. 8And he brought you into the land of the Amorrites, who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought against you, and the Lord handed them over into your hands, and you inherited their land and utterly destroyed them from before you. 9And Balak the son of Sepphor, king of Moab, rose up and set himself against Israel, and he sent and invited Balaam to curse you. 10And the Lord your God would not destroy you, and he blessed you with a blessing and rescued you out of their hands and delivered them. 11And you crossed over the Jordan and came to Iericho, and the inhabitants of Iericho fought against you, the Amorrite and the Chananite and the Pherezite and the Heuite and the Iebousite and the Chettite and the Gergesite, and the Lord handed them over into your hands. 12And he sent forth the hornet ahead of you, and he drove them out from before you, the twelve kings of the Amorrites, not by your sword or by your bow. 13And he gave you a land, that on which you did not labor, and cities that you did not build, and you were settled in them, and you shall eat of vineyards and olive yards that you did not plant.
14 “And now fear the Lord, and serve him in straightness and in righteousness, and put away the foreign gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if it does not seem good to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were beyond the river or the gods of the Amorrites among whom you live upon their land, but I and my household will serve the Lord, because he is holy.”
16 And the people answered and said, “May it not be that we forsake the Lord so as to serve other gods. 17The Lord our God, he is God; he brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, and he protected us on all the way on which we went and among all the nations through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out from before us the Amorrite and all the nations that inhabited the land. But we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 And Iesous said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy god. And since he is jealous, he will not forgive your sins and your acts of lawlessness. 20Whenever you forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he will come upon you and do you harm and consume you, instead of having done you good.” 21And the people said to Iesous, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22And Iesous said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him. 23And now put away the foreign gods that are among you, and direct your heart toward the Lord, God of Israel.” 24And the people said to Iesous, “We will serve the Lord and hearken to his voice.” 25And Iesous made a covenant with the people that day and gave them law and judgment at Selo before the tent of the God of Israel. 26And he wrote these words in the book as the law of God, and he took a large stone, and Iesous set it under the terebinth tree before the Lord. 27And Iesous said to the people, “Look, this stone shall be in your midst as a witness; for it has heard all the things spoken to it by the Lord, whatever he spoke to us today, and this shall be in your midst as a witness at the last of days, whenever you deal falsely with the Lord my God.” 28And Iesous sent the people away, and they went each to his place.
29 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Iesous and all the days of the elders who drew out the time with Iesous and who knew all the works of the Lord that he did for Israel. 30And it happened after these things that Iesous son of Naue, slave of the Lord, died at one hundred ten years.
31 And they buried him at the borders of his allotment in Thamnathasachara in Mount Ephraim, from the north of Mount Gaas. 31aThere they put with him, into the tomb in which they buried him, the flint knives with which he circumcised the sons of Israel in Galgala, when he led them out of Egypt, as the Lord instructed them, and there they are until this very day.
32 And the sons of Israel brought up the bones of Ioseph out of Egypt, and they interred him in Sikima, in the portion of the field that Iakob acquired from the Amorrites living in Sikima for one hundred ewe-lambs, and he gave it to Ioseph as a portion.
33 And it happened after these things that Eleazar son of Aaron, the high priest, died and was buried in Gabaath of Phinees his son, which he gave him in Mount Ephraim. 33aOn that day the sons of Israel took the ark of God and carried it around in their midst. And Phinees served as priest in the place of Eleazar his father until he died, and he was interred in Gabaath, which was his own. 33bAnd the sons of Israel departed each to their place and to their own city. And the sons of Israel worshiped Astarte and Astaroth and the gods of the nations round about them. And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Eglom, the king of Moab, and he dominated them eighteen years.