Joshua 17

¹Then allotment was made to the tribe of Manasʹseh, for he was the first-born of Joseph. To Machir the first-born of Manasʹseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. ²And allotments were made to the rest of the tribe of Manasʹseh, by their families, Abi-eʹzer, Helek, Asʹri-el, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemiʹda; these were the male descendants of Manasʹseh the son of Joseph, by their families.

³Now Zeloʹphehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasʹseh, had no sons, but only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ⁴They came before Eleaʹzar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders, and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brethren.” So according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. ⁵Thus there fell to Manasʹseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan; ⁶because the daughters of Manasʹseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the Manasʹsites.

⁷The territory of Manasʹseh reached from Asher to Mich-meʹthath, which is east of Shechem; then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tapʹpuah. ⁸The land of Tapʹpuah belonged to Manasʹseh, but the town of Tapʹpuah on the boundary of Manasʹseh belonged to the sons of Eʹphraim. ⁹Then the boundary went down to the brook Kanah. The cities here, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasʹseh, belong to Eʹphraim. Then the boundary of Manasʹseh goes on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea; ¹⁰the land to the south being Eʹphraim’s and that to the north being Manasʹseh’s, with the sea forming its boundary; on the north Asher is reached, and on the east Isʹsachar. ¹¹Also in Isʹsachar and in Asher Manasʹseh had Beth-sheʹan and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taʹanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megidʹdo and its villages; the third is Naphath. ¹²Yet the sons of Manasʹseh could not take possession of those cities; but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. ¹³But when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out.

¹⁴And the tribe of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since hitherto the Lord has blessed me?” ¹⁵And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perʹizzites and the Rephʹaim, since the hill country of Eʹphraim is too narrow for you.” ¹⁶The tribe of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us; yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-sheʹan and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” ¹⁷Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Eʹphraim and Manasʹseh, “You are a numerous people, and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, ¹⁸but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”