Joshua Chapter 18
Showing all 28 verses for Joshua Chapter 18.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"The whole community of Israel gathered together at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. By now the land was under their control."
The whole congregation gathers at Shiloh and sets up the tabernacle before finishing the land division - worship comes before the remaining business is settled. Put me at the centre of your plans first, and let everything else be arranged around that, not the other way round.
"And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. "
"But there were still seven tribes among the Israelites who had not yet received their allotted land."
Seven tribes still had not received their inheritance, even after the land was subdued. Just because the victory has been won does not mean every blessing has yet been claimed; do not stop pressing forward simply because the hardest battle is over.
"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? "
"So Joshua said to the Israelites, 'How much longer are you going to put off taking possession of the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?'"
Joshua gently confronts the tribes: how long will you be slack to possess what God has already given you? I ask you the same question about the promises and freedoms you already have in me but have not yet stepped into.
"Give out 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. "
"'Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go through the land, map it out in terms of the inheritance for each tribe, and then report back to me.'"
Joshua sends men out to survey and describe the land honestly before it is divided - wisdom and fair process guiding the way forward. I value careful, honest preparation; faith does not mean skipping the practical work of understanding what lies ahead.
"And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north. "
"'They are to divide it into seven sections. Judah will stay in its territory to the south, and the house of Joseph will stay in its territory to the north.'"
The land is divided into seven parts with clear boundaries already fixed for Judah and Joseph. Order and fairness protect everyone's portion; I care as much about how you treat others fairly as about the blessing itself.
"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. "
"'You are to map out the land into seven sections and bring the description back to me, and I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.'"
Joshua asks for the land to be described so lots can be cast before the LORD - the final decision left in God's hands, not human preference. When choices are hard, bring them honestly to God and trust him with the outcome rather than forcing your own way.
"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 Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them. "
"'But the Levites have no share of land among you, because their inheritance is serving as the LORD's priests. And Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh have already received their land east of the Jordan, which Moses, the LORD's servant, gave them.'"
The Levites receive no land because the priesthood itself is their inheritance. Some callings are not measured in property or achievement; being close to me, serving me, can be reward enough in itself.
"And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that 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. "
"So the men got up and went. Joshua instructed those going to map the land, saying, 'Go, travel through the land, describe it, and come back to me, and I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.'"
Joshua sends the men to walk through the land and describe it, promising to cast lots before the LORD once they return. Faithful obedience often means doing the unglamorous legwork first, trusting that God's guidance comes as you are willing to walk the ground yourself.
"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. "
"The men went out and travelled through the land, recording it by towns into seven sections in a written document, and returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh."
The men complete their survey and record the land, city by city, in a book - patient, thorough documentation of what God had provided. Keeping track of God's provision, even in ordinary written detail, helps you and others remember his faithfulness later.
"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. "
"Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions."
Joshua casts the lots before the LORD at Shiloh, and the land is divided according to God's own decision. True leadership submits the biggest decisions to God rather than claiming the authority to decide alone.
"And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. "
"The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin, family by family, and their territory fell between the land of Judah and the land of the tribes of Joseph."
Benjamin's lot falls between Judah and Joseph - a small tribe given a significant place, wedged among two much larger ones. Your portion in life does not need to be the biggest to matter; being placed exactly where God intends is what counts.
"And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. "
"Their northern border started at the Jordan, went up to the north side of Jericho, continued through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness of Bethaven."
Benjamin's northern border winds up from Jordan past Jericho into the hill country. Even a boundary drawn through wilderness and hills is still a gift with purpose; do not despise the rugged parts of the territory God has given you.
"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. "
"From there the border went towards Luz (also called Bethel) on its southern side, then went down to Atarothaddar, near the hill south of lower Bethhoron."
The border passes by Bethel, the very place where Jacob once met God in a dream. Your daily path, ordinary and mapped out as it seems, may cross ground that is holy because of what God has done there before.
"And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. "
"The border then turned and curved around the western side, southward from the hill facing Bethhoron, ending at Kirjathbaal (also called Kirjathjearim), a town belonging to Judah. This formed the western boundary."
The border description ends at Kirjathjearim, a city belonging to Judah - a reminder that even careful boundaries touch and depend on the neighbouring tribe's ground. No inheritance stands entirely alone; your life is bound up with those around you.
"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: "
"The southern border started from the edge of Kirjathjearim, went westward, and reached the spring of Nephtoah."
The southern boundary runs out to the well of Nephtoah - waters marking the edge of what belongs to Benjamin. Even the details of where your responsibility ends and another's begins matter to God; clarity protects peace between neighbours.
"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 Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel, "
"The border then came down to the end of the hill facing the Valley of Hinnom (in the Valley of the Rephaim to the north), continued down into the Hinnom Valley, along the south side of the Jebusite city, and down to Enrogel."
The border touches the valley of Hinnom and the valley of the giants - places later associated with judgement and sorrow. Even land marked by difficult history can still be part of the inheritance God gives; he is not afraid to redeem places with a hard past.
"And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, "
"It then curved from the north, went out to Enshemesh, continued towards Geliloth (opposite the ascent of Adummim), and went down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben."
The boundary passes by the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben - a landmark named after a person, showing how individual lives leave lasting marks on the land itself. Your own faithfulness can become a signpost that others navigate by long after you are gone.
"And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah: "
"It continued along the slope facing the Arabah to the north, and went down into the Arabah."
The border continues down towards Arabah, tracing the lower, less prominent ground. Not every part of your inheritance will be a highland or a highlight; God still counts the low, quiet places as truly yours.
"And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast. "
"The border then passed along the north side of Bethhoglah, and ended at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary."
The southern border finally reaches the salt sea at the mouth of Jordan - the very lowest, harshest point on the map. Even in the barest, most desolate corner of your circumstances, the boundary of God's provision for you still reaches all the way there.
"And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families. "
"The Jordan formed its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, marked out on every side, family by family."
Jordan itself forms the eastern border, closing the description of Benjamin's whole inheritance. There is a completeness to what God gives you; once he has marked out your portion, it is whole and sufficient, not lacking on any side.
"Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz, "
"The towns belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, family by family, were: Jericho, Bethhoglah, the valley of Keziz,"
Jericho and Bethhoglah head this list of Benjamin's cities - places tied to Israel's earliest victories and worship. Remember that today's ordinary address may sit on ground where God once did something extraordinary for you.
"And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel, "
"Betharabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,"
Betharabah and Bethel are named among Benjamin's towns, plain place-names holding rich history. Even a short list of names matters to God because it represents real homes and real families settled by his faithfulness.
"And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, "
"Avim, Parah, Ophrah,"
Avim, Parah, and Ophrah are simply listed, unremarkable towns doing their quiet part in Benjamin's territory. Not every place, or every person, needs to be famous to matter; ordinary faithfulness in an unremarkable town is still precious to God.
"And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages: "
"Chepharhaammonai, Ophni, Geba - twelve towns in all, with their surrounding villages."
Twelve cities are counted with their villages, a tidy, complete number for part of Benjamin's territory. God's provision is never haphazard; even the smallest count reflects careful, deliberate generosity.
"Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, "
"Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,"
Gibeon, Ramah, and Beeroth appear here, cities that would later host prophets, judges, and covenant meetings. God often plants significance in a place long before its most important moments actually happen.
"And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah, "
"Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,"
Mizpeh, Chephirah, and Mozah round out this section of the list - towns that would later host national gatherings of prayer and decision. What looks like a plain list today may be preparing the very ground for tomorrow's turning points.
"And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, "
"Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,"
Rekem, Irpeel, and Taralah complete another cluster of towns, names that history barely remembers beyond this list. Even names that fade from later record were not forgotten by God when the inheritance was first given.
"And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families. "
"Zelah, Eleph, Jebusi (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath - fourteen towns with their villages. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, family by family."
The list ends with Jebusi, which is Jerusalem - the city not yet conquered but already named as part of Benjamin's inheritance. God can name something as yours long before you have taken hold of it; do not be discouraged if the fullness of a promise is still ahead of you.