Your territory will extend from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do.

Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: "Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho." They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there.

But the woman hid the two men and replied, "Yes, these men were clients of mine, but I didn't know where they came from.

that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us from death."

She told them, "Head to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don't find you. Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you to return. Then you can be on your way."

Then the two men returned -- they came down from the hills, crossed the river, came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered.

Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe.

"Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe.

Instruct them, 'Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.'"

Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe.

The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there.

"Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws to come up from the Jordan."

So Joshua instructed the priests, "Come up from the Jordan!"

The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land, the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage.

The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have taken away the disgrace of Egypt from you." So that place is called Gilgal even to this day.

The commander of the Lord's army answered Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy." Joshua did so.

When you hear the signal from the ram's horn, have the whole army give a loud battle cry. Then the city wall will collapse and the warriors should charge straight ahead."

But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city's riches. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. The Lord was furious with the Israelites.

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel) and instructed them, "Go up and spy on the land." So the men went up and spied on Ai.

So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai.

The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures and defeated them on the steep slope. The people's courage melted away like water.

When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?"

He then made Zabdi's family approach man by man and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected.

So Joshua said to Achan, "My son, honor the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don't hide anything from me!"

I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, two hundred silver pieces, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath."

They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed it before the Lord.

He told them, "Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from the city; all of you be ready!

I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.

They will attack us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, 'They are retreating from us like before.' We will retreat from them.

Then you rise up from your hiding place and seize the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you.

All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city.

When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.

When the men of Ai turned around, they saw the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers.

He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day).

They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us."

But they said to Joshua, "We are willing to be your subjects." So Joshua said to them, "Who are you and where do you come from?"

They told him, "Your subjects have come from a very distant land because of the reputation of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt

Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby.

Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, "Why did you trick us by saying, 'We live far away from you,' when you really live nearby?

They said to Joshua, "It was carefully reported to your subjects how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.

Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them

So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from Gilgal.

Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal.

As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, all the way to Azekah. They died -- in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees. They threw them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth of the cave. (They remain to this very day.)

Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against it.

Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish. He deployed his troops and fought against it.

Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon. They deployed troops and fought against it.

Joshua and all Israel marched up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.

Canaanites came from the east and west; Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites from the hill country; and Hivites from below Hermon in the area of Mizpah.

from Mount Halak on up to Seir, as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and executed them.

At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country -- from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and Israel. Joshua annihilated them and their cities.

Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated and drove from their land on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern Arabah:

King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) -- including the city in the middle of the valley and half of Gilead -- all the way to the Jabbok Valley bordering Ammonite territory.

His kingdom included the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), including the route to Beth Jeshimoth and the area southward below the slopes of Pisgah.

These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley to Mount Halak on up to Seir. Joshua assigned this territory to the Israelite tribes,

from the Shihor River east of Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory), including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land

to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory;

the territory of Byblos and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you."

Their territory started from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon,

Their territory ran from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.

I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord's servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.

extended south of the Scorpion Ascent, crossed to Zin, went up from the south to Kadesh Barnea, crossed to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka.

It then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning northward to Gilgal (which is opposite the Pass of Adummim south of the valley), crossed to the waters of En Shemesh and extended to En Rogel.

It then went from the top of the hill to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, extended to the cities of Mount Ephron, and went to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim).

It then turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, crossed to the slope of Mount Jearim on the north (that is Kesalon), descended to Beth Shemesh, and crossed to Timnah.

Caleb drove out from there three Anakites -- Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak.

From there he attacked the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.)

One time Acsah came and charmed her father so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What would you like?"

from Ekron westward, all those in the vicinity of Ashdod and their towns;

The land allotted to Joseph's descendants extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.

The southern border extended from Bethel to Luz, and crossed to Arkite territory at Ataroth.

It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and extended to the Jordan River.

From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim by its clans.

The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Micmethath which is near Shechem. It then went south toward those who live in Tappuah.

Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them out to walk through the land and make a map of it for me.

It then crossed from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south (that is, Bethel), and descended to Ataroth Addar located on the hill that is south of lower Beth Horon.

It then turned on the west side southward from the hill near Beth Horon on the south and extended to Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city belonging to the tribe of Judah. This is the western border.

Simeon's assigned land was taken from Judah's allotted portion, for Judah's territory was too large for them; so Simeon was assigned land within Judah.

From Sarid it turned eastward to the territory of Kisloth Tabor, extended to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.

From there it crossed eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin and extended to Rimmon, turning toward Neah.

It turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, extended from there to Hukok, touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan on the east.

Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.

He must remain in that city until his case is decided by the assembly and the high priest dies. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped."

So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites from their own holdings, as the Lord had instructed.

The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten cities from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Gershon's descendants were allotted thirteen cities from the clans of the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

Merari's descendants by their clans were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.

Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each -- a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes.

From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba,

The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.

The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted cities from the tribe of Ephraim.

From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh, Gibbethon,

From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon, along with the grazing areas of each -- a total of two cities.