Boundaries of the Promised Land

1The LORD spoke to Moses, 2“Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritancea with these borders:

3Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea. 4Your border will turn south of the Ascent of Akrabbim,b proceed to Zin, and end south of Kadesh-barnea. It will go to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon.c 5The border will turn from Azmond to the Brook of Egypt,e where it will end at the Mediterranean Sea.

6Your western border will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea; this will be your western border.

7This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea draw a line to Mount Hor;f, g 8from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath,h, i and the border will reach Zedad.j 9Then the border will go to Ziphron and end at Hazar-enan.k This will be your northern border.

10For your eastern border, draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 11The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah east of Ain.l It will continue down and reach the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinnereth.m, n 12Then the border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land defined by its borders on all sides.”

13So Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the LORD commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14For the tribe of the Reubenites and the tribe of the Gadites have received their inheritance according to their ancestral houses, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15The two and a half tribes have received their inheritanceo across the Jordan from Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise.”

Leaders for Distributing the Land

16The LORD spoke to Moses, 17“These are the names of the men who are to distribute the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18Take one leader from each tribe to distribute the land. 19These are the names of the men:

Calebp son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;

20Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon;

21Elidad son of Chislon from the tribe of Benjamin;

22Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe of Dan;

23from the sons of Joseph:

Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh,

24Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader from the tribe of Ephraim;

25Eli-zaphan son of Parnach, a leader from the tribe of Zebulun;

26Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader from the tribe of Issachar;

27Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader from the tribe of Asher;

28Pedahel son of Ammihud, a leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”

29These are the ones the LORD commanded to distribute the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.