People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead.

“南地的人必得以扫山；高原的人必得非利士地，也得以法莲地和撒玛利亚地；便雅悯人必得基列。

他们必得尼革夫和以扫山，得谢非拉，非利士人之地，他们必得以法莲地和撒玛利亚地，得便雅悯和基列；

他们必得尼革夫和以扫山，得谢非拉，非利士人之地，他们必得以法莲地和撒玛利亚地，得便雅悯和基列；

“南地的人将占领以扫山；丘陵的人将占领非利士，夺取以法莲和撒玛利亚；便雅悯人将占领基列。

南地的人必占有以扫山，低地的人必占有非利士人之地；他们必占有以法莲的田野和撒玛利亚的田野；便雅悯人必占有基列。

南地的人必得以掃山；高原的人必得非利士地，也得以法蓮地和撒馬利亞地；便雅憫人必得基列。

他們必得尼革夫和以掃山，得謝非拉，非利士人之地，他們必得以法蓮地和撒瑪利亞地，得便雅憫和基列；

他們必得尼革夫和以掃山，得謝非拉，非利士人之地，他們必得以法蓮地和撒瑪利亞地，得便雅憫和基列；

「南地的人將佔領以掃山；丘陵的人將佔領非利士，奪取以法蓮和撒瑪利亞；便雅憫人將佔領基列。

南地的人必佔有以掃山，低地的人必佔有非利士人之地；他們必佔有以法蓮的田野和撒瑪利亞的田野；便雅憫人必佔有基列。

南地之人必擁有以掃山以為業，低原的人必擁有非利士人之地；他們必擁有以法蓮鄉間之地，和撒瑪利亞鄉間之地；便雅憫人必擁有基列。

南土之人、將得以掃山、窪地之人、將得非利士地、其餘將得以法蓮、及撒瑪利亞之田疇、便雅憫將得基列、

南方之人、必得以掃山、平原之民、將據非利士人地、亦得以法蓮、撒馬利亞田疇、便雅憫人將得基列、

南方之人、將得以掃山、居窪地者、將得非利士地、亦得以法蓮地、地原文作田與撒瑪利亞地、地原文作田便雅憫人、將得基列、

People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

Israelites from the Negev Desert will take over Esau’s mountains. Israelites from the western hills will possess the land of the Philistines. They’ll take over the territories of Ephraim and Samaria. Israelites from the tribe of Benjamin will possess the land of Gilead.

Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

“ Then my people living in the Negev will occupy the mountains of Edom. Those living in the foothills of Judah will possess the Philistine plains and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. And the people of Benjamin will occupy the land of Gilead.

People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead.

Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; Also, they will possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin the territory of Gilead.

The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

And[ they of] the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and[ they of] the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin[ shall possess] Gilead.

The people of the Negev will take possession of Esau’s mountain, and the people of the Shephelah will take possession of the land of the Philistines. They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, and the people of Benjamin will take possession of Gilead.

Those of the South will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the lowland, the Philistines. They will possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria. Benjamin will possess Gilead.

For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast, nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you until there is no one left.The seacoast will become pasturelands with caves for shepherds and folds for sheep.The coastland will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the Lord their God will return to them and restore their fortunes.

so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that are called by My name— this is the Lord’s declaration— He will do this.

Fields will be purchased with silver, the transaction written on a scroll and sealed, and witnesses will be called on in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in Judah’s cities— the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, and the cities of the Negev— because I will restore their fortunes.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

Though Edom says:“ We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of Hosts says this:“ They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called a wicked country and the people the Lord has cursed forever.Your own eyes will see this, and you yourselves will say,‘ The Lord is great, even beyond the borders of Israel.’

tell them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances, and keep My statutes and obey them.“ They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.

Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing.You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim,“ Get up, let’s go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God!”

About the Ammonites, this is what the Lord says: Does Israel have no sons? Is he without an heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad and his people settled in their cities?

But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan— Ashtaroth and Edrei— are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans.

These were the cities of the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants by their clans: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba— 12 cities, with their villages;Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,Zela, Haeleph, Jebus( that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath— 14 cities, with their villages. This was the inheritance for Benjamin’s descendants by their clans.

therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am about to stretch out My hand against the Philistines, cutting off the Cherethites and wiping out what remains of the coastal peoples.

Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I speak in My burning zeal because you have endured the insults of the nations.Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I swear that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.“ You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near.Look! I am on your side; I will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.I will fill you with people and animals, and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you, and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.

This is what the Lord God says:“ This is the border you will use to divide the land as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.“ This is to be the border of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,Berothah, and Sibraim( which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.“ You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.

Ekron, with its towns and villages;from Ekron to the sea, all the cities near Ashdod, with their villages;

So the God of Israel put it into the mind of Pul( that is, Tiglath-pileser) king of Assyria to take the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan’s river, where they are until today.

Ephraim’s envy will cease; Judah’s harassment will end. Ephraim will no longer be envious of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim.But they will swoop down on the Philistine flank to the west. Together they will plunder the people of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

“ Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar-enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan— one portion.Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, will be Asher— one portion.Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, will be Naphtali— one portion.Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh— one portion.Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, will be Ephraim— one portion.Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben— one portion.Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah— one portion.“ Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the Lord, 8 1/3 miles wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.“ The special portion you donate to the Lord will be 8 1/3 miles long and 3 1/3 miles wide.

The king sent a reply to his chief deputy Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates River: Greetings.

The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.

Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant.One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors.

I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn My hand against Ekron, and the remainder of the Philistines will perish. The Lord God has spoken.

Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will become uninhabited.A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.I will remove the blood from their mouths and the detestable things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites.

In the Judean foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

These were the outermost cities of the tribe of the descendants of Judah toward the border of Edom in the Negev: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

for God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah. They will live there and possess it.

Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.The Lord was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people who were living in the valley because those people had iron chariots.

This is the land that remains: All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites:from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north( considered to be Canaanite territory)— the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites

this as their territory: Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah;

they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them,“ Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”

Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in place of the Israelites in the cities of Samaria. The settlers took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.

During the time of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:From Rehum the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues— the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa( that is, the people of Elam),and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, the flock that is Your possession. They live alone in a woodland surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in ancient times.