Joshua 19: The last six lots, and Joshua's own town

In plain English: The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon, family by family. Their inheritance was inside the inheritance of the children of Judah.

Good to know: Simeon's towns lie inside Judah's land (verse 9 gives the reason). In Genesis 49:7 Jacob had said of Simeon and Levi: "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." The book of Joshua does not link the two.

In plain English: For their inheritance they had Beersheba and Sheba (this Bible: Beersheba, or Sheba), Moladah,

The Hebrew words: The Hebrew says "Beersheba and Sheba". The dictionary lists Sheba as its own name, "the name of a place".

What changes: Read as two towns, Sheba is a town next to Beersheba. Read as one town with two names, as this Bible gives it ("Beersheba, or Sheba"), Sheba is another name for Beersheba. 1 Chronicles 4:28 lists Simeon's towns as "Beersheba, Moladah", with no Sheba.

In plain English: Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,

In plain English: Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

In plain English: Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,

In plain English: Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen: thirteen towns with their villages;

In plain English: Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan: four towns with their villages;

In plain English: and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon, family by family.

In plain English: The inheritance of the children of Simeon was taken out of the portion (literally: measuring line) of the children of Judah, because Judah's portion was too large for them. So the children of Simeon received their inheritance inside Judah's inheritance.

In plain English: The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun, family by family. The border of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid.

In plain English: Their border went up westward to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and touched the brook that faces Jokneam.

In plain English: From Sarid it turned back eastward, toward the sunrise, to the border of Chisloth Tabor. It went out to Daberath and went up to Japhia.

In plain English: From there it passed eastward to Gath Hepher and to Ethkazin, and went out at Rimmon, which stretches to Neah.

In plain English: The border went around it on the north to Hannathon, and it ended at the valley of Iphtah El;

In plain English: Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem: twelve towns with their villages.

Good to know: This Bethlehem is one of Zebulun's towns. The Bethlehem where Jesus was born is called "Bethlehem of Judea" in Matthew 2:1, and "Bethlehem Ephrathah" in Micah 5:2.

In plain English: This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun, family by family: these towns with their villages.

In plain English: The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the children of Issachar, family by family.

In plain English: Their border was toward Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

In plain English: Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

In plain English: Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

In plain English: Remeth, Engannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.

In plain English: The border touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and their border ended at the Jordan: sixteen towns with their villages.

In plain English: This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar, family by family: the towns with their villages.

In plain English: The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher, family by family.

In plain English: Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

In plain English: Allammelech, Amad and Mishal. It touched Carmel on the west, and Shihorlibnath.

In plain English: It turned back toward the sunrise to Beth Dagon, and touched Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah El on the north, at Beth Emek and Neiel. It went out to Cabul on the left (that is, the north),

In plain English: and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon.

In plain English: The border turned back to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre, and the border turned back to Hosah. It ended at the sea, in the region of Achzib;

In plain English: also Ummah, Aphek and Rehob: twenty-two towns with their villages.

In plain English: This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher, family by family: these towns with their villages.

In plain English: The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, for the children of Naphtali, family by family.

In plain English: Their border ran from Heleph, from the oak (or: from Allon) in Zaanannim, Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, to Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan.

In plain English: The border turned back westward to Aznoth Tabor, and went out from there to Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan toward the sunrise.

Good to know: Judah's land is far to the south (chapter 15), yet this verse names Judah at the Jordan as one of Naphtali's borders. The text does not explain it.

In plain English: The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

In plain English: Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

In plain English: Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,

In plain English: Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh: nineteen towns with their villages.

In plain English: This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, family by family: the towns with their villages.

In plain English: The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan, family by family.

In plain English: The territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,

In plain English: Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

In plain English: Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

In plain English: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

In plain English: Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,

In plain English: Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa.

In plain English: The territory of the children of Dan went out beyond them (or: was lost to them; literally: went out from them). The children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem. They took it, struck it with the edge (literally: the mouth) of the sword, took possession of it and lived there, and they called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather.

The Hebrew words: The Hebrew says the territory of Dan "went out from them".

What changes: Read as "went out beyond them", Dan's land reached further, out to Leshem in the north. Read as "went out from them", the land given to Dan slipped out of their hands, and the verse goes on to tell how they took Leshem. Judges 18:1 says the Danites later "sought an inheritance to dwell in", because it "had not fallen to them".

Good to know: Judges 18:29 tells the same naming: "They called the name of the city Dan ... however the name of the city used to be Laish."

In plain English: This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan, family by family: these towns with their villages.

In plain English: So they finished dividing the land as an inheritance by its borders. The children of Israel gave Joshua the son of Nun an inheritance among them.

In plain English: As Yahweh had commanded (literally: by the mouth of Yahweh), they gave him the town he asked for, Timnathserah in the hill country of Ephraim. He built the town and lived there.

Good to know: In Numbers 14:30 Yahweh named Caleb and Joshua as the two who would come into the land. Caleb received Hebron in 14:13; here Joshua is the last to receive his town. Joshua is buried there in 24:30. Judges 2:9 calls the town Timnath Heres: in Hebrew the two names use the same three letters in the opposite order.

In plain English: These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel gave out by lot in Shiloh before Yahweh, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

Good to know: This closes the dividing of the land that began in 14:1, which names the same three: Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses.