Joshua Chapter 15
Boundaries of the tribe of Judah

1 The land given to the tribe of Judah according to their clans was near the border of Edom from the wilderness of Zin to Kadesh southwestward.

2 Their southern border began at the end of the Dead Sea;

3 went south from the Ascent of Akrabbim and crossed through Zin. It went south of Kadesh-barnea, passed Hezron, went up to Addar and from there turned toward Karka,

4 skirted Azmon, came out at the stream on the border of Egypt and ended at the Mediterranean.

5 On the east, the border was formed by the Dead Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.

6 On the north the border began at the Sea Tongue at the mouth of the Jordan. This border went up to Beth-hoglah, pass ed through the north of Beth-arabah and reached the Stone of Bohan of Re uben.

7 The border then went up to Debir from Acor Valley and turned toward the circle of stones opposite the Ascent of Adummim, south of the valley; the border went on to the waters of En-shemesh and ended at Enrogel.

8 Then it went on up the Benhinnom Valley on the south side of the hill where the Jebusite city, that is to say, Jerusalem, was located. The border then climbed to the top of the mountain on the west side of Hin nom Valley and at the northern end of the plain of Rephaim.

9 From the mountain the bor der bent toward the source of the waters of Nephtoah, passed from there toward Mount Ephron and then turned toward Baalah, that is to say, Kiriath-jearim.

10 From Baalah the border bent westward to the mountain country of Seir, went on the northern slope of Mount Jea rim, that is to say, Chesalon, went down to Beth-she mesh and through Tim nah,

11 reached the north side of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed by the Hill of Baalah, then on to Jabneel, and ended at the Big Sea, that is, the Mediterranean.

12 The western border was the Big Sea itself. This was the border that enclosed the lands given to the clans of the tribe of Judah.

13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was given part of the territory of Judah, as Yahweh had commanded Joshua to do. Joshua gave him Kiriath-arba, the chief city of the Anakim, which is now Hebron.

14 Ca leb drove the descendants of Anak out of it: the clans of She shai, Ahiman and Talmai.

15 From there he marched up to attack the people living in Debir, the name of which was once Kiriath-sepher.

16 Then Caleb said, “To the man who conquers and cap tures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.”

17 Othniel, son of Ke naz, Caleb’s brother conquered the city; Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

18 When she came to her husband, he urged her to ask her father for a field. When she jumped down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”

19 She answered, “Grant me a favor; since you have sent me away to the wilderness of the Negeb, at least grant me some springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.


List of the cities of Judah

20 This was the land given to the tribe of Judah according to their clans.

21 These are the furthermost towns of the tribe of Judah, toward the boundary of Edom in the Negeb: Kabzeel, Eder, Ja gur,

22 Kinah, Dimon, Adadah,

23 Ke desh, Ha zor, Ithnan,

24 Ziph, Telem, Bea loth,

25 Hazor-hadattah, Ke rioth-hezron (that is to say, Hazor),

26 A mam, Shema, Mo la dah,

27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pe let,

28 Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Bizio thiah,

29 Baalah, Lim, Ezem,

30 El tolad, Che sil, Hormah,

31 Ziklag, Mad man nah, Sansannah,

32 Lebaoth, Shil him, En-rimmon. In all, twenty-nine towns, with their outlying vil lages.

33 In the lowlands there were fourteen towns with their villages: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ash nah,

34 Za noah, En-gan nim, Tappuah, Enam,

35 Jar muth, Adul lam, So coh, Azekah,

36 Sha a raim, Adi thaim, Gederah.

37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdalgad,

38 Di le an, Mizpah, Joktheel,

39 Lachish, Boz kath, Eglon,

40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,

41 Ge de roth, Beth-dagon, Naa mah, Mak kedah, altogether sixteen towns with their villages.

42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

43 Iphtah, Ash nah, Nezib,

44 Keilah, Achzib, Mare shah, altogether nine towns with their villages.

45 Ekron with its towns and villages near Ashdod.

46 From Ekron to the sea,

47 Ashdod and Gaza with their towns and villages as far as the stream on the border of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

48 In the highlands: Shamir, Jattir, So coh,

49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah, which is now Debir,

50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

51 Go shen, Holon, Giloh—eleven towns with their villages.

52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

53 Janum, Beth- tappuah, Aphekah,

54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba, which is now Hebron, Zior—nine towns with their villages.

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

56 Jez reel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

57 Kain, Gibeah, Timnah—ten towns with their villages.

58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon—six towns with their villages.

59 Tekoa, Ephrathah, which is now Beth lehem, Peor, Etam, Kulon, Tatam, Sores, Carem, Gallim, Bether, Manach—eleven towns with their villages.

60 Kiriath-baal, which is now Kiriath-jearim, and Rabbah—two towns with their villages.

61 In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Mid din, Secacah,

62 Nibshan, the City of Salt and En gedi—six towns with their villages.

63 But the people of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; the Jebusites lived there side by side with the sons of Judah, as they still do today.