Instruction for Apportioning Canaan

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the Israelites, ‘When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall be yours as an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries, 3your southern region shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern boundary from the end of the Salt (Dead) Sea eastward. 4Your boundary shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and continue on to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar and pass on to Azmon. 5Then the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt (Wadi el-arish), and its limit shall be at the [Mediterranean] Sea.

6‘As the western boundary you shall have the Great [Mediterranean] Sea and its coastline. This shall be your western boundary.

7‘And this shall be your north border: from the Great [Mediterranean] Sea mark out your boundary line to [a]Mount Hor; 8from Mount Hor you shall mark out your boundary to the entrance of Hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad; 9then the [northern] boundary shall go on to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern boundary.

10‘You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham; 11the [eastern] boundary shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and shall descend and reach to the [b]slope on the east of the Sea of Chinnereth [the Sea of Galilee]; 12and the [eastern] boundary shall go down to the Jordan [River], and its limit shall be at the Salt (Dead) Sea. This shall be your land according to its boundaries all around.’”

13So Moses commanded the Israelites, saying, “This is the land you are to inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to be given to the nine tribes and the half-tribe [of Manasseh], 14for the tribe of the sons of Reuben and the tribe of the sons of Gad have received their inheritance by their fathers’ households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession. 15The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan [River] opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise.”

16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17“These are the names of the men who shall divide the land among you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18You shall take one leader from every tribe to divide the land for the inheritance. 19These are the names of the men: From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 20from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud; 21from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon; 22from the tribe of the sons of Dan a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli; 23of the sons of Joseph: from the tribe of the sons of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod; 24from the tribe of the sons of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan; 25from the tribe of the sons of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach; 26from the tribe of the sons of Issachar a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan; 27from the tribe of the sons of Asher a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi; 28from the tribe of the sons of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29These are the [twelve] men whom the LORD commanded [to work with Joshua and Eleazar] to divide the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.