A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Joshua 17

¹ There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph, to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war. Therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.

² There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families: for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida. These were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.

³ But Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

⁴ And they came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the princes, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.” Therefore according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

⁵ And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side of the Jordan,

⁶ because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons; and the rest of Manasseh’s sons had the land of Gilead.

⁷ And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.

⁸ Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.

⁹ And the border descended unto the River Kanah, southward of the river. These cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the boundaries of it were at the sea.

¹⁰ Southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north and in Issachar on the east.

¹¹ And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.

¹² Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

¹³ Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.

¹⁴ And the children of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying, “Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto?”

¹⁵ And Joshua answered them, “If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.”

¹⁶ And the children of Joseph said, “The hill is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Bethshean and her towns, and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”

¹⁷ And Joshua spoke unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “Thou art a great people and hast great power. Thou shalt not have one lot only;

¹⁸ but the mountain shall be thine, for it is a wood and thou shalt cut it down. And the boundaries of it shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and though they be strong.”

Joshua 18

¹ And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

— Shiloh was in the lot of Ephraim, the tribe to which Joshua belonged, and it was proper that the tabernacle should be near the residence of the chief governor. And it remained in Shiloh for more than three hundred years (1Sa 4:1-11).

² And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. — seven tribes; which were those of Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan;

³ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, “How long are ye slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?

⁴ Appoint from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; and they shall rise and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.

⁵ And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their borders on the north.

⁶ Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.

⁷ But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

⁸ And the men arose and went away; and Joshua charged those who went to describe the land, saying, “Go, and walk through the land and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh.”

⁹ And the men went and passed through the land and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.

¹⁰ And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.

¹¹ And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families; and the borders of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

¹² And their border on the north side was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the boundaries thereof were at the Wilderness of Bethaven.

¹³ And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz (which is Bethel), southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the Nether Bethhoron.

¹⁴ And the border was drawn thence and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the boundaries thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.

¹⁵ And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah.

¹⁶ And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and which is in the Valley of the Giants on the north, and descended to the Valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusites on the south, and descended to Enrogel;

¹⁷ and was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

¹⁸ and passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah.

¹⁹ And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward; and the boundaries of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea at the south end of the Jordan: this was the south border.

²⁰ And the Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin by the borders thereof round about, according to their families.

²¹ Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the Valley of Keziz,

²² and Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,

²³ and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,

²⁴ and Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages;

²⁵ Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

²⁶ and Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,

²⁷ and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,

²⁸ and Zelah, Eleph, and Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

Joshua 19

¹ And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families; and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

² And they had in their inheritance Beersheba (or Sheba), and Moladah,

³ and Hazarshual, and Balah, and Ezem,

⁴ and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah,

⁵ and Ziklag, and Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusah,

⁶ and Bethlebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their villages;

⁷ Ain, Rimmon, and Ether, and Ashan: four cities and their villages;

⁸ and all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalathbeer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.

⁹ Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon, for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.

— for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them; therefore the tribe of Simeon his inheritance was allocated within the territory of Judah;

¹⁰ And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families, and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid.

¹¹ And their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam,

¹² and turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chislothtabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia,

¹³ and from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittahhepher, to Ittahkazin, and goeth out to Rimmon to Neah.

¹⁴ And the border compasseth it on the north side to Hannathon, and the boundaries thereof are in the Valley of Jiphthahel,

¹⁵ and Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.

¹⁶ This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.

¹⁷ And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families.

¹⁸ And their border was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem,

¹⁹ and Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath,

²⁰ and Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez,

²¹ and Remeth, and Engannim, and Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez.

²² And the border reacheth to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Bethshemesh, and the boundaries of their border were at the Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.

²³ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

²⁴ And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

²⁵ And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,

²⁶ and Alammelech, and Amad, and Mishal; and reacheth to Carmel westward, and to Shihorlibnath;

²⁷ and turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the Valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,

²⁸ and Ebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, even unto Great Sidon. — Sidon and Tyre belong to Asher (Asher~Belgium);

²⁹ And then the border turneth to Ramah, and to the stronghold city of Tyre; and the border turneth to Hosah, and the boundaries thereof are at the sea from the border to Achzib;

³⁰ Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty and two cities with their villages.

³¹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

³² The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.

³³ And their border was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakkum; and the boundaries thereof were at the Jordan.

³⁴ And then the border turneth westward to Aznothtabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon the Jordan toward the sunrising.

³⁵ And the fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,

³⁶ and Adamah, and Ramah, and Hazor,

³⁷ and Kedesh, and Edrei, and Enhazor,

³⁸ and Iron, and Migdalel, Horem, and Bethanath, and Bethshemesh: nineteen cities with their villages.

³⁹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

⁴⁰ And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.

⁴¹ And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Irshemesh,

⁴² and Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah,

⁴³ And Elon, and Timnah, and Ekron,

⁴⁴ and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath,

⁴⁵ and Jehud, and Beneberak, and Gathrimmon,

⁴⁶ and Mejarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Joppa.

⁴⁷ And the border of the children of Dan went out too little for them. Therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

⁴⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

⁴⁹ When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them.

⁵⁰ According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in Mount Ephraim; and he built the city and dwelt therein.

⁵¹ These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.

Joshua 20

¹ The Lord also spoke unto Joshua, saying,

² “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spoke unto you by the hand of Moses,

— cities of refuge (Num 35:9-28; Deu 19:1-13); the command here recorded was given on their going to occupy their allotted settlements; the sanctuaries were not temples or altars, as in other countries, but inhabited cities; and the design was not to screen criminals;

— but only to afford the homicide protection from the vengeance of the deceased’s relatives until it should have been ascertained whether the death had resulted from accident and momentary passion, or from premeditated malice;

³ that the slayer who killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

⁴ And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand, because he smote his neighbor unwittingly and hated him not beforehand.

⁶ And he shall dwell in that city until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest who shall be in those days. Then shall the slayer return and come unto his own city and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.’”

⁷ And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in Mount Naphtali, and Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba (which is Hebron) in the mountain of Judah.

⁸ And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁹ These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.

~ by Joel on January 11, 2025.

Posted in Old Testament