1The land had been subdued ⁶⁴and lay before them. The Israelites gathered together at Shiloh ⁶⁵and set up the Tent of Meeting. ⁶⁶

2However, seven of the Israelite tribes had not received their land allocations. ⁶⁷

3So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you go on being reluctant to go and take possession of the land that the Lord gave your forefathers?

4Choose three men from each tribe and I will send them out to explore the land. Then they can write a description regarding the land allocations and bring it to me.

5They are to divide the land into seven parts, up to the boundary of Judah's land in the south and Joseph's ⁶⁸land in the north.

6Once you have written the description about the land, divided into seven parts, you will bring it to me here and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God.

7But the Levites do not receive a share, for their role as priests of the Lord is their allocation. Also, Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their allocation that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan.”

8As the men started out on their way to explore the land. Joshua told them, “Go throughout the land and write a description of what you find. Then return to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.”

9So the men went and explored the land and wrote down on a scroll a description of the seven parts, recording the towns in each part. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh

10where Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the Lord. There Joshua divided the land up and allotted the different parts to the remaining ⁶⁹Israelite tribes.

11The first lot cast went to the tribe of Benjamin, by families. The land allotted lay between that of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Joseph.

12Their boundary began at the Jordan, and went north of the slope of Jericho, west through the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth-aven.

13Then the boundary went south to Luz (or Bethel) and on down to Ataroth-addar on the mountain south of Lower Beth-horon.

14Here the boundary turned south along the western side of the mountain facing Beth-horon, finishing at Kiriath-baal (or Kiriath-jearim), a town of the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.

15The southern boundary began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim. It ran ⁷⁰to the spring at Nephtoah,

16and then down to the foot of the mountain that faces the valley of Ben-hinnom, at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. Then it went down the valley of Hinnom, along the slope near the Jebusite town, ⁷¹south towards En-rogel.

17From there it headed north to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, opposite the heights of Adummim, and then on down to the Stone of Bohan (Reuben's son).

18Then it went along the ridge opposite the Jordan Valley to the north, and then down into the Jordan Valley itself.

19From there it ran along the north slope of Beth-hoglah, ending at the north bay of the Salt Sea, the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary.

20The eastern boundary was the Jordan. These were the boundaries around the land of the tribe of Benjamin, by families.

21These were the towns of the tribe of Benjamin, according to families: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

22Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,

23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24Kephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve towns with their associated villages.

25In addition: Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

26Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,

27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

28Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen towns with their associated villages. This was the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, by families.