1The entire community of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. They had conquered the land.
2But there were still seven tribes of Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.
3Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you wait before you go in and take possession of the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
4Choose three men from each tribe. I will send them out, and they will go through the land, describing it according to what they want for their inheritance, and then they will return to me.
5They will divide it into seven portions. Judah will remain in its southern territory, and the house of Joseph will remain in its northern territory.
6You are to survey the land and divide it into seven parts, and bring me the description here. Then I will cast lots for you here in the presence of Yahweh our God.
7However, the Levites will not receive a portion among you, because the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance east of the Jordan River, which Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave them."
8So the men set out. Joshua instructed those who went to survey the land, "Go, walk through the land, survey it, and then come back to me. I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh before Yahweh."
9The men went throughout the land and described it city by city in a book, dividing it into seven portions. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
10Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Yahweh, and there Joshua divided the land among the people of Israel according to their tribal divisions.
11The lot for the tribe of Benjamin's descendants came up according to their families. The border of their allotted land ran between the territories of Judah and Joseph.
12Their northern border started at the Jordan River. It went up to the northern side of Jericho, then west through the hill country, and ended in the wilderness of Beth Aven.
13From there, the border continued to Luz (also called Bethel) to its southern side. The border then went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain south of lower Beth Horon.
14The border extended and curved around to the west, going south from the mountain that is in front of Beth Horon to the south. It ended at Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This described the western border.
15The southern border started at the furthest point of Kiriath Jearim. The border went west and then out to the spring of Nephtoah's waters.
16The border went down to the furthest part of the mountain that is in front of the Hinnom Valley, which is in the northern part of the Rephaim Valley. It went down into the Hinnom Valley, to the southern side of the Jebusite territory, and then down to En Rogel.
17It extended north, went out to En Shemesh, and continued to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. It then went down to the stone of Bohan, Reuben's son.
18It passed along to the side opposite the Arabah to the north and went down to the Arabah.
19The border continued along the side of Beth Hoglah to the north, and the border ended at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan River. This was the southern border.
20The Jordan River formed its eastern border. This land, with all its surrounding borders, was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, according to their families.
21The cities belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
22Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24Chephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba; a total of twelve cities with their villages.
25Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,
27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28Zelah, Eleph, the Jebusite city (also called Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath; a total of fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, according to their families.