UST JOS Chapter 15

◄ JOS 15 ► ║ ═ ©

15 The Israelite leaders assigned land by lot to the clans of the tribe of Judah. In the south, their land extended to the wilderness of Zin at the border of Edom.

2 Their southern border started at the bay of the Dead Sea that turns toward the south. 3 From there, the border of the territory of Judah went southward and up the hill of Akrabbim. It continued along to Zin, and then it went up once more south of Kadesh Barnea, beside Hezron. It went up to Addar and then bent around to Karka. 4 From there it continued past Azmon, and from there it ran beside the brook of Egypt. From there, it turned west to the Mediterranean Sea. That was the southern border of the territory of the tribe of Judah. 5 Its eastern border was the Dead Sea, up to where the Jordan River flows into it. Its northern border began at the bay of the Dead Sea near where the Jordan River flows in. 6 The northern border continued from that point and went to Beth Hoglah. From there it went to the north of Beth Arabah until it reached the great stone that Bohan son of Reuben set up. 7 From that point, the border went through the Valley of Achor to Debir. From there it turned north again to go to Gilgal. Gilgal is north of the road that goes over the hill of Adummim, on the south side of the river valley. From Gilgal, the border extended west to the springs at En Shemesh until it reached En Rogel. 8 From that point, the border went along the south slope of the hill of the city of Jerusalem, where the Jebusites live. The boundary went to the top of the hill on the west side of the Valley of Hinnom, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 From there, the border extended northwest to the top of the hills leading to the spring of Nephtoah. From there, it went to the cities near Mount Ephron. From there, the border extended west toward Baalah. (People now call that city Kiriath Jearim.) 10 Then the border continued west past Baalah to Mount Seir. Then it went southwest along the north side of Mount Jearim. (People also call that Mount Kesalon.) The border then went down to Beth Shemesh, and from there it passed by Timnah. 11 The border continued northwest to the hill north of Ekron. From there, it extended west to Shikkeron and past Mount Baalah. It went on to Jabneel and then northwest to the Mediterranean Sea.

12 The western border of the territory of the tribe of Judah was the Mediterranean Sea. All the clans of Judah lived inside those borders.

13 Yahweh commanded Joshua to give part of the land of the tribe of Judah to Caleb. So Joshua gave Caleb a city that people called Kiriath Arba. They named it after Arba, the ancestor of the Anakites. But people now call that city Hebron. 14 Caleb forced the three clans of the Anak people group to leave Hebron. Those were the Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai clans. 15 Then Caleb left there and went to fight against the people who were living in Debir. (People used to call that city Kiriath Sepher). 16 Caleb said, “I need someone to lead the attack against Kiriath Sepher and conquer that city. I will allow the man who does that to marry my daughter Aksah.” 17 Caleb had a younger brother whose name was Kenaz. Kenaz had a son whose name was Othniel. Othniel commanded the soldiers who captured the city of Kiriath Sepher. So Caleb allowed Othniel to marry his daughter Aksah.

18 Aksah came to Kiriath Sepher to marry Othniel. When she got there, she convinced Othniel to let her ask her father for some land they could farm. She went to see her father and respectfully got off the donkey she was riding. Caleb asked her, “What would you like me to do for you?”

19 She replied, “Please do a favor for me. You have given my husband and me some land in an area where it is very dry. So please also give us some land that has springs on it.” So Caleb gave her some land on higher ground that had a spring and some land on lower ground that had a spring.

20 Here is a list of the towns in the land that belonged to the clans of the tribe of Judah.

21 The following cities that belonged to the tribe of Judah were in the southern wilderness, near the border of the region of Edom:

Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, and Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (people also call that city Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Molodah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. There were these 29 cities in the southern part of the territory of Judah. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages,

33 The following cities were in the northern part of the western foothills within the territory of Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah. (People also call that city Gederothaim). These were the 14 cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

37 The following cities were in the southern part of the western foothills within the territory of Judah: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Bethdagon, Naamah, and Makkedah.

These were the 16 cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

42 The following cities were in the central part of the western foothills within the territory of Judah: Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah. These were the nine cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

45 Judah's territory also included the city of Ekron and its surrounding towns and villages. 46 From Ekron to the Mediterranean Sea, Judah’s territory also included all the settlements near the city of Ashdod, including their villages.

47 Judah's territory also included the city of Ashdod itself. and its surrounding towns and villages. It also included the city of Gaza and its surrounding towns and villages. It included all of the land down to the brook of Egypt and to the Mediterranean Sea. The border followed the coastline.

48 The following cities were in the southwestern part of the hill country within the territory of Judah: Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (people also call that city Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. These were the 11 cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

52 The following cities were in the south central part of the hill country within the territory of Judah: Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron), and Zior. These were the nine cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

55 The following cities were in the southeastern part of the hill country within the territory of Judah: Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. These were the ten cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

58 The following cities were in the central part of the hill country within the territory of Judah: Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. These were the six cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

60 The following two cities and their villages were in the northern part of the hill country within the territory of Judah: Rabbah and Kiriath Baal. (People also call that city Kiriath Jearim).

61 The following cities were in the desert near the Dead Sea within the territory of Judah: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. These were the six cities in that area. The people of Judah lived in them and in their surrounding villages.

63 However, the army of the tribe of Judah was not able to force the Jebusites who were living Jerusalem to leave. So the Jebusites are still living among the people of Judah in Jerusalem today.

JOS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24