Shared Word Translation
Joshua 17
The Allotment of Manasseh
The lot was for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was Joseph’s firstborn. Machir, firstborn of Manasseh and father of Gilead, received Gilead and Bashan because he was a man of war. The lot was also for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their clans: for the children of Abiezer, the children of Helek, the children of Asriel, the children of Shechem, the children of Hepher, and the children of Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph according to their clans.
The Daughters of Zelophehad
But Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They came near before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers. Thus ten portions fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan that is beyond the Jordan, because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the children of Manasseh.
The Boundary of Manasseh
The border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. The border went southward to the inhabitants of En-Tappuah. The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim. The border went down to the Wadi Kanah. South of the wadi, cities belonging to Ephraim were among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was north of the wadi, and it ended at the sea. Southward belonged to Ephraim and northward to Manasseh, with the sea as its border. They reached Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. In Issachar and Asher Manasseh had Beth-Shean and its villages, Ibleam and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of En-Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages—the three heights. Yet the children of Manasseh were not able to possess these cities, and the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. When the children of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.
The Children of Joseph Ask for More Land
The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion as an inheritance, since I am a numerous people, because the LORD has blessed me until now?” Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up for yourself to the forest and clear land for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” The children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have iron chariots, both those in Beth-Shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great strength. You shall not have only one lot. But the hill country shall be yours. Though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and its farthest limits shall be yours. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and though they are strong.”