Joshua 13 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

The land that remained to be taken over

1 Joshua was now very old. The LORD said to him, ‘You are very old. And there are still very large areas of land that have not yet been taken over. 2 ‘Here is the land that remains to be taken over. ‘It includes all the areas of Philistia and Geshur. 3 Those areas begin at the River Shihor in the eastern part of Egypt. They go to the territory of Ekron in the north. All that land is considered Canaanite even though it is controlled by five Philistine rulers. They rule over Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. The Avvites 4 live south of them. The rest of the land of Canaan that remains to be taken over reaches from Arah all the way to Aphek. Arah belongs to the people of Sidon. The land that remains to be taken reaches the border of Amorite territory. 5 It includes the area of Byblos. It also includes all of Lebanon to the east. It reaches from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon all the way to Lebo Hamath. 6 ‘I myself will drive out all the people who live in the mountain areas. Those areas reach from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim. They include the area where all the people of Sidon live. I myself will drive out those people to make room for the Israelites. Make sure you set that land apart for Israel. Give it to them as their share, just as I have instructed you. 7 Divide it up among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Give each tribe its share.’

Land for the tribes east of the River Jordan

8 The other half of Manasseh’s tribe had already received the share of land Moses had given them. Their share was east of the River Jordan. The tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their share too. Moses, the servant of the LORD, had given it to them. 9 That land starts at Aroer on the rim of the River Arnon valley. It includes the town in the middle of the valley. It includes the high plains of Medeba all the way to Dibon. 10 It also includes all the towns of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. That area reaches to the border of Ammon. 11 It also includes Gilead. It includes the territory of Geshur and Maakah. It includes Mount Hermon and the whole land of Bashan all the way to Salekah. 12 So it includes the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan. Og had ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was the last of the Rephaites. Moses had won the battle over Sihon and Og. He had taken over their land. 13 But the Israelites didn’t drive out the people of Geshur and Maakah. So they continue to live among the Israelites to this day. 14 Moses hadn’t given any share of the land to the tribe of Levi. That’s because the food offerings are their share. Those offerings are presented to the LORD, the God of Israel. Moses gave the Levites what he had promised them. 15 Here is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, according to its family groups. 16 Their territory starts at Aroer on the rim of the River Arnon valley. It includes the town in the middle of the valley. It includes all of the high plains near Medeba. 17 It includes Heshbon and all its towns on those plains. Those towns include Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth and Mephaath. 19 They include Kiriathaim, Sibmah and Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley. 20 They also include Beth Peor, Beth Jeshimoth and the slopes of Pisgah. 21 All those towns are on the high plains. The territory includes the whole kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He had ruled in Heshbon. Moses had won the battle over him and over the chiefs of Midian. Those chiefs were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. They were princes who helped Sihon fight against Israel. They lived in that country. 22 The Israelites killed many of them in battle. They also killed Balaam with their swords. He was the son of Beor. Balaam had used evil magic to find out what was going to happen. 23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the bank of the River Jordan. All those towns and their villages were given to the tribe of Reuben as their very own. Each family group received its share. 24 Here is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, according to its family groups. 25 Their territory includes Jazer and all the towns of Gilead. It includes half of the country of Ammon all the way to Aroer, which was near Rabbah. 26 Their territory reaches from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim. It reaches from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 In the valley their land includes Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth and Zaphon. It also includes the rest of the kingdom of Sihon. He was the king of Heshbon. His kingdom included the east side of the River Jordan. It reached up to the south end of the Sea of Galilee. 28 All those towns and their villages were given to the tribe of Gad as their very own. Each family group received its share. 29 Here is what Moses had given to half of the tribe of Manasseh, according to its family groups. It’s what Moses had given to half of Manasseh’s family line. 30 Their territory starts at Mahanaim. It includes the whole land of Bashan. That was the entire kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan. Manasseh’s territory includes all the 60 towns of Jair in Bashan. 31 It includes half of the land of Gilead. It also includes Ashtaroth and Edrei. They were the royal cities of Og in Bashan. That land was given to half of the family line of Makir. He was the son of Manasseh. Each family group received its share. 32 Those were the shares of land Moses had given the eastern tribes when he was in the plains of Moab. The plains are across the River Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But Moses hadn’t given any share to the tribe of Levi. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their share. Moses gave the Levites what he had promised them.

Nuova Riveduta 2006

from Società Biblica di Ginevra

Territorio da conquistare

1 Giosuè era vecchio, ben avanti negli anni. Il Signore gli disse: «Tu sei vecchio, ben avanti negli anni e rimane ancora una grandissima parte del paese da conquistare. 2 Ecco ciò che rimane: tutti i distretti dei Filistei e tutto il territorio dei Ghesuriti, 3 dal Sior, che scorre a oriente dell’Egitto, sino al confine di Ecron, a settentrione, che è ritenuto territorio cananeo e appartiene ai cinque prìncipi filistei – quello di Gaza, quello di Asdod, quello di Ascalon, quello di Gat, quello di Ecron – e anche agli Avvei; 4 a mezzogiorno, tutto il paese dei Cananei e Meara che è dei Sidoni, fino ad Afec, sino al confine degli Amorei; 5 il paese di Ghibliti e tutto il Libano verso oriente, da Baal-Gad, ai piedi del monte Ermon, fino all’ingresso di Camat; 6 tutti gli abitanti della regione montuosa dal Libano fino a Misrefot-Maim, tutti i Sidoni. Io li scaccerò davanti ai figli d’Israele; e tu spartisci pure a sorte l’eredità di questo paese fra gli Israeliti, come ti ho comandato. 7 Spartisci dunque l’eredità di questo paese fra le nove tribù e la mezza tribù di Manasse».

Spartizione del paese a oriente del Giordano

8 I Rubeniti e i Gaditi, con l’altra metà della tribù di Manasse, hanno ricevuto la loro eredità che Mosè, servo del Signore, diede loro di là dal Giordano, a oriente: 9 da Aroer sulla sponda del torrente Arnon, e dalla città che è in mezzo alla valle, tutto l’altopiano di Medeba fino a Dibon; 10 tutte le città di Sicon re degli Amorei, che regnava a Chesbon, sino al confine dei figli di Ammon; 11 Galaad, il territorio dei Ghesuriti e dei Maacatiti, tutto il monte Ermon e tutto Basan fino a Salca; 12 tutto il regno di Og, in Basan, che regnava ad Astarot e a Edrei, ultimo superstite dei Refaim. Mosè sconfisse questi re e li scacciò. 13 Ma i figli d’Israele non scacciarono i Ghesuriti e i Maacatiti; e Ghesur e Maacat abitarono in mezzo a Israele fino a oggi. 14 Solo alla tribù di Levi Mosè non diede nessuna eredità; i sacrifici consumati dal fuoco per il Signore, Dio d’Israele, sono la sua eredità, com’egli disse. 15 Mosè dunque diede alla tribù dei figli di Ruben la loro parte, secondo le loro famiglie; 16 essi ebbero per territorio, partendo da Aroer sulle sponde del torrente Arnon e dalla città che sta in mezzo alla valle, tutto l’altopiano presso Medeba, 17 Chesbon e tutte le sue città che sono sull’altopiano: Dibon, Bamot-Baal, Bet-Baal-Meon, 18 Iaas, Chedemot, Mefaat, 19 Chiriataim, Sibma, Seret-Asaar sul monte della valle, 20 Bet-Peor, le pendici del Pisga e Bet-Iesimot; 21 tutte le città dell’altopiano, tutto il regno di Sicon, re degli Amorei che regnava a Chesbon, quello che Mosè sconfisse con i prìncipi di Madian, Evi, Rechem, Sur, Cur e Reba, prìncipi vassalli di Sicon, che abitavano il paese. 22 I figli d’Israele fecero morire di spada, insieme con gli altri, anche l’indovino Balaam, figlio di Beor. 23 Al territorio dei figli di Ruben serviva di confine il Giordano. Questa fu l’eredità dei figli di Ruben, secondo le loro famiglie, con le città e i villaggi annessi. 24 Mosè diede pure alla tribù di Gad, per i figli di Gad, la loro parte, secondo le loro famiglie. 25 Essi ebbero per territorio Iaezer, tutte le città di Galaad, la metà del paese dei figli di Ammon fino ad Aroer, che sta di fronte a Rabba, 26 da Chesbon fino a Ramat-Mispè e Betonim, da Maanaim sino al confine di Debir, 27 e, nella valle, Bet-Aram, Bet-Nimra, Succot e Safon, residuo del regno di Sicon re di Chesbon, avendo il Giordano per confine sino all’estremità del mare di Chinneret, di là dal Giordano, a oriente. 28 Questa fu l’eredità dei figli di Gad, secondo le loro famiglie, con le città e i villaggi annessi. 29 Mosè diede pure alla mezza tribù di Manasse, ai figli di Manasse, la loro parte, secondo le loro famiglie. 30 Il loro territorio comprendeva, da Maanaim, tutto Basan, tutto il regno di Og re di Basan, tutti i villaggi di Iair in Basan, in tutto sessanta città. 31 La metà di Galaad, Astarot e Edrei, città del regno di Og in Basan, toccarono ai figli di Machir, figlio di Manasse, cioè alla metà dei figli di Machir, secondo le loro famiglie. 32 Queste sono le parti che Mosè fece quando era nelle pianure di Moab, di là dal Giordano, di fronte a Gerico, a oriente. 33 Ma alla tribù di Levi Mosè non diede nessuna eredità: il Signore, il Dio d’Israele, è la sua eredità, com’egli aveva detto.