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After they had conquered the land, the entire community of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of the LORD's presence.
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There were still seven tribes of the people of Israel who had not yet been assigned their share of the land.
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So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long are you going to wait before you go in and take the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
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Let me have three men from each tribe. I will send them out over the whole country to map out the territory that they would like to have as their possession. Then they are to come back to me.
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The land will be divided among them in seven parts; Judah will stay in its territory in the south, and Joseph in its territory in the north.
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Write down a description of these seven divisions and bring it to me. Then I will draw lots to consult the LORD our God for you.
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The Levites, however, will not receive a share of the land with the rest of you, because their share is to serve as the LORD's priests. And of course, the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh have already received their land east of the Jordan, which Moses, the LORD's servant, gave to them."
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The men went on their way to map out the land after Joshua had given them these instructions: "Go all over the land and map it out, and come back to me. And then here in Shiloh I will consult the LORD for you by drawing lots."
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So the men went all over the land and set down in writing how they divided it into seven parts, making a list of the towns. Then they went back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.
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Joshua drew lots to consult the LORD for them, and assigned each of the remaining tribes of Israel a certain part of the land.
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The territory belonging to the families of the tribe of Benjamin was the first to be assigned. Their land lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph.
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On the north their border began at the Jordan and then went up the slope north of Jericho and westward through the hill country as far as the desert of Bethaven.
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The border then went to the slope on the south side of Luz (also called Bethel), then down to Ataroth Addar, on the mountain south of Lower Beth Horon.
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The border then went in another direction, turning south from the western side of this mountain and going to Kiriath Baal (or Kiriath Jearim), which belongs to the tribe of Judah. This was the western border.
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The southern border started on the edge of Kiriath Jearim and went to the Springs of Nephtoah.
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It then went down to the foot of the mountain that overlooks Hinnom Valley, at the north end of Rephaim Valley. It then went south through Hinnom Valley, south of the Jebusite ridge, toward Enrogel.
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It then turned north to Enshemesh and then on to Geliloth, opposite Adummim Pass. The border then went down to the Stone of Bohan (Bohan was a son of Reuben)
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and passed north of the ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley. It then went down into the valley,
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passing north of the ridge of Beth Hoglah, and ended at the northern inlet on the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River empties into it. This was the southern border.
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The Jordan was the eastern border. These were the borders of the land which the families of the tribe of Benjamin received as their possession.
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The cities belonging to the families of the tribe of Benjamin were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
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Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
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Chepharammoni, Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities, along with the towns around them.
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There were also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
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Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah,
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Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
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Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath Jearim: fourteen cities, along with the towns around them. This is the land which the families of the tribe of Benjamin received as their possession.
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The second assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Simeon. Its territory extended into the land assigned to the tribe of Judah.
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It included Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,
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Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
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Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
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Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
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Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities, along with the towns around them.
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There were also Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities, along with the towns around them.
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This included all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (or Ramah), in the south. This was the land which the families of the tribe of Simeon received as their possession.
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Since Judah's assignment was larger than was needed, part of its territory was given to the tribe of Simeon.
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The third assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Zebulun. The land which they received reached as far as Sarid.
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From there the border went west to Mareal, touching Dabbesheth and the stream east of Jokneam.
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On the other side of Sarid it went east to the border of Chisloth Tabor, then to Daberath and up to Japhia.
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It continued east from there to Gath Hepher and Ethkazin, turning in the direction of Neah on the way to Rimmon.
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On the north the border turned toward Hannathon, ending at Iphtahel Valley.
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It included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities, along with the towns around them.
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These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Zebulun received as their possession.
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The fourth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Issachar.
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Its area included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
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Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
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Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
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Remeth, Engannim, Enhaddah, and Bethpazzez.
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The border also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, ending at the Jordan. It included sixteen cities along with the towns around them.
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These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Issachar received as their possession.
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The fifth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Asher.
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Its area included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
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Allam Melech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath.
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As it turned east, the border went to Bethdagon, touching Zebulun and Iphtahel Valley on the way north to Bethemek and Neiel. It continued north to Cabul,
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Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Sidon.
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The border then turned to Ramah, reaching the fortified city of Tyre; then it turned to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. It included Mahalab, Achzib,
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Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob: twenty-two cities, along with the towns around them.
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These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Asher received as their possession.
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The sixth assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Naphtali.
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Its border went from Heleph to the oak in Zaanannim, on to Adaminekeb and to Jamnia, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.
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There the border turned west to Aznoth Tabor, from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan on the east.
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The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
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Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor,
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Yiron, Migdalel, Horem, Bethanath, and Beth Shemesh: nineteen cities, along with the towns around them.
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These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Naphtali received as their possession.
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The seventh assignment made was for the families of the tribe of Dan.
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Its area included Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,
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Shaalbim, Aijalon, Ithlah,
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Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
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Jehud, Beneberak, Gathrimmon,
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Mejarkon, and Rakkon, as well as the territory around Joppa.
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When the people of Dan lost their land, they went to Laish and attacked it. They captured it, killed its people, and claimed it for themselves. They settled there and changed the name of the city from Laish to Dan, naming it after their ancestor Dan.
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These cities and their towns were in the land which the families of the tribe of Dan received as their possession.
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When the people of Israel finished dividing up the land, they gave Joshua son of Nun a part of the land as his own.
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As the LORD had commanded, they gave him the city he asked for: Timnath Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and settled there.
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Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the families of the tribes of Israel assigned these parts of the land by drawing lots to consult the LORD at Shiloh, at the entrance of the Tent of the LORD's presence. In this way they finished dividing the land.
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Then the LORD told Joshua
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to say to the people of Israel, "Choose the cities of refuge that I had Moses tell you about.
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If any of you accidentally kills someone, you can go there and escape the one who is looking for revenge.
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You can run away to one of these cities, go to the place of judgment at the entrance to the city, and explain to the leaders what happened. Then they will let you into the city and give you a place to live in, so that you can stay there.
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If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger.
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You may stay in the city until you have received a public trial and until the death of the man who is then the High Priest. Then you may go back home to your own town, from which you had run away."
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So, on the west side of the Jordan they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.
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East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh.
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These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge; they could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.
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Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord?
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Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.
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When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself:
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Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work?
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Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips?
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Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living?
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What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?
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I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing.
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We read in the Law of Moses, "Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain." Now, is God concerned about oxen?
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Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop.
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We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?
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If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right? But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ.
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Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices.
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In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.
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But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words!
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I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel!
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If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task.
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What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.
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I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible.
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While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them.
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In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law.
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Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
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All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings.
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Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize.
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Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.
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That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches.
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I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
