The Land West of the Jordan River
1-5 Nine and a half tribes still did not have any land, although two and a half tribes had already received land east of the Jordan River. Moses had divided that land among them, and he had also said that the Levi tribe would not receive a large region like the other tribes. Instead, the people of Levi would receive towns and the nearby pastures for their sheep, goats, and cattle. And since the descendants of Joseph had become the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, there were still nine and a half tribes that needed land. The Lord had told Moses that he would show those tribes how to divide up the land of Canaan.
When the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the families and tribes of Israel met to divide up the land of Canaan, the Lord showed them how to do it.
Joshua Gives Hebron to Caleb
6 One day while the Israelites were still camped at Gilgal, Caleb the son of Jephunneh went to talk with Joshua. Caleb belonged to the Kenaz clan, and many other people from the Judah tribe went with Caleb. He told Joshua:
You know that back in Kadesh-Barnea the Lord talked to his prophet Moses about you and me. 7 I was 40 years old at the time Moses sent me from Kadesh-Barnea into Canaan as a spy. When I came back and told him about the land, everything I said was true. 8 The other spies said things that made our people afraid, but I completely trusted the Lord God. 9 The same day I came back, Moses told me, “Since you were faithful to the Lord God, I promise that the places where you went as a spy will belong to you and your descendants forever.”
10 Joshua, it was 45 years ago that the Lord told Moses to make that promise, and now I am 85. Even though Israel has moved from place to place in the desert, the Lord has kept me alive all this time as he said he would. 11 I'm just as strong today as I was then, and I can still fight as well in battle.
12 So I'm asking you for the hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You were there. You heard the other spies talk about that part of the hill country and the large, walled towns where the Anakim live. But maybe the Lord will help me take their land, just as he promised.
13 Joshua prayed that God would help Caleb, then he gave Hebron to Caleb and his descendants. 14 And Hebron still belongs to Caleb's descendants, because he was faithful to the Lord God of Israel.
15 Hebron used to be called Arba's Town, because Arba had been one of the greatest of the Anakim.
There was peace in the land.
تقسيم أرض كنعان
1 وهذا ما امتَلكَهُ بَنو إِسرائيلَ في أرضِ كنعانَ. مَلَّكهُم إيَّاهُ ألعازَرُ الكاهنُ ويَشوعُ ابنُ نُونٍ ورُؤساءُ أسباطِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 2 فعَلوا ذلِكَ بالقُرعَةِ، كما أمرَ الرّبُّ على لِسانِ موسى، للتِّسعةِ الأسباطِ ونِصفِ السِّبْطِ. 3 لأنَّ موسى كانَ أعطى للسِّبطَينِ ونِصفِ السِّبْطِ حِصَّتَهُم في شرقيِّ الأردُنِّ، ولم يُعطِ لسِبْطِ لاوي حِصَّةً بـينَهُم. 4 وذلِكَ أنَّ بَني يوسُفَ انقَسَموا إلى سِبطَينِ: منَسَّى وأفرايِمَ، ولم يكُنْ لِبَني لاوي حِصَّةٌ في الأرضِ سِوى مُدُنٍ لِلسُّكْنى وضَواحيها لِمَواشيهِم ومُمتَلَكاتِهِم. 5 كما أمرَ الرّبُّ موسى، فعَلَ بَنو إِسرائيلَ وقَسَموا الأرضَ.
6 فتَقدَّمَ بَنو يَهوذا إلى يَشوعَ وقالوا لَه بِلِسانِ كالَبَ بنِ يَفُنّا القَنزيِّ: «أنتَ تعرِفُ ما قالَ الرّبُّ لِموسى رَجُلِ اللهِ في شأني وشأنِكَ في قادِشَ بَرنيعَ. 7 وكنتُ أنا ابنَ أربعينَ سنَةً، حينَ أرسَلَني موسى عبدُ الرّبِّ مِنْ قادِشَ بَرنيعَ لِتَفَحُّصِ الأرضِ وأعلَمتُهُ بِما كنتُ أعرِفُهُ. 8 أمَّا إخواني الّذينَ كانوا معي فأدَبُّوا اليَأسَ في قلوبِ الشَّعبِ. وبما أنِّي أحسَنتُ الانقيادَ للرّبِّ إلهي. 9 حلَفَ موسى في ذلِكَ اليومِ وقالَ: الأرضُ الّتي داسَتها قدَمُكَ تكونُ لكَ ولِبَنيكَ مُلْكا إلى الأبدِ، لأنَّكَ أحسَنتَ الانقيادَ للرّبِّ إلهِكَ. 10 والآنَ، ها إنَّ الرّبَّ أبقاني حيًّا مِنْ ذلِكَ الحينِ إلى اليومِ كما وعَدَ، أي مُنذُ خَمْسٍ وأربَعينَ سنَةً حينَ خاطَبَ الرّبُّ موسى بهذا الكلامِ وبَنو إِسرائيلَ سائرونَ في البرِّيَّةِ. فأنا اليومَ ابنُ خَمْسٍ وثمانينَ سنَةً، 11 ولم أزَلِ اليومَ قويًّا كما كنتُ يومَ أرسَلَني موسى، قويًّا لِلقِتالِ في الهُجومِ والرُّجوعِ سالِما. 12 فالآنَ أعطِني هذا الجبلَ الّذي وعَدَني بهِ الرّبُّ في ذلِكَ اليومِ. فأنتَ سَمِعتَ في ذلِكَ اليومِ أنَّ للعَناقيِّينَ هُناكَ مُدُنا عظيمةً حصينةً. فعَسى الرّبُّ يكونُ مَعي، فأطرُدَهُم كما وعَدَ الرّبُّ».
13 فباركَهُ يَشوعُ وأعطاهُ حَبرونَ مُلْكا. 14 فامْتَلكَها إلى هذا اليومِ، لأنَّهُ أحسَنَ الانقيادَ للرّبِّ إلهِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 15 وكانَ اسمُ حَبرونَ قَبلا قريَةَ أربَعَ، وهوَ اسمُ أعظَمِ رَجُلٍ في العَناقيِّينَ. واستراحَتِ الأرضُ مِنَ الحربِ.