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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

Gaza will be deserted. Ashkelon will be destroyed. Ashdod will be emptied out at noon. Ekron will be pulled up by its roots.How terrible it will be for you Kerethites who live by the Mediterranean Sea! Philistia, the Lord has spoken against you. What happened to Canaan will happen to you. The Lord says,“ I will destroy you. No one will be left.”The land by the sea will become grasslands. It will have wells for shepherds and pens for flocks.That land will belong to those who are still left alive among the people of Judah. They will find grasslands there. They will take over the houses in Ashkelon and live in them. The Lord their God will take care of them. He will bless them with great success again.

Then my people will take control of those who are left alive in Edom. They will also possess all the nations that belong to me,” announces the Lord. He will do all these things.

Fields will be bought with silver. Deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed. That will be done in the territory of Benjamin. It will be done in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. It will also be done in the towns of the central hill country. And it will be done in the towns of the western hills and the Negev Desert. I will bless their people with great success again,” announces the Lord.

Edom might say,“ We have been crushed. But we’ll rebuild our cities.” The Lord who rules over all says,“ They might rebuild their cities. But I will destroy them. They will be called the Evil Land. My anger will always remain on them.You will see it with your own eyes. You will say,‘ The Lord is great! He rules even beyond the borders of Israel!’

Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them together from all around. I will bring them back to their own land.There I will make them one nation. They will live on the mountains of Israel. All of them will have one king. They will never be two nations again. They will never again be separated into two kingdoms.They will no longer make themselves‘ unclean’ by worshiping any of their evil gods. They will not do wrong things anymore. They always turn away from me. But I will save them from that sin. I will make them pure and‘ clean.’ They will be my people. And I will be their God.“‘ “A man who belongs to the family line of my servant David will be their king. All of them will have one shepherd. They will obey my laws. And they will be careful to keep my rules.They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. That is where your people of long ago lived. They, their children, their children’s children, and their children after them will live there forever. And my servant from David’s family line will be their prince forever.

Then you will live in the land I gave your people of long ago. You will be my people. And I will be your God.

I will build you up again. Nation of Israel, you will be rebuilt. Once again you will use your tambourines to celebrate. You will go out and dance with joy.Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria. Farmers will plant them. They will enjoy their fruit.There will be a day when those on guard duty will cry out. They will stand on the hills of Ephraim. And they will shout,‘ Come! Let’s go up to Zion. Let’s go up to where the Lord our God is.’ ”

Here is what the Lord says about the people of Ammon. He says,“ Doesn’t Israel have any sons? Doesn’t Israel have anyone to take over the family property? Then why has the god named Molek taken over Gad? Why do those who worship him live in its towns?

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.

Here is a list of towns given to the tribe of Benjamin, according to its family groups. Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba. The total number of towns and their villages was 12.Here is another list of towns given to Benjamin. Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,Zelah, Haeleph, Jerusalem, Gibeah and Kiriath. The total number of towns and their villages was 14. That was the share of land the family groups of Benjamin received.

The Lord continues,“ I am about to reach out my hand against the Philistines. I will wipe out the Kerethites. I will destroy those who remain along the coast.

Ezekiel, prophesy about the land of Israel. Speak to the mountains, hills, canyons and valleys. Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ I have a jealous anger against the nations. They have laughed at you.”So the Lord and King says,“ I raise my hand and make a promise. I promise that the nations around you will also be laughed at.“‘ “Mountains of Israel, you will produce branches and bear fruit for my people Israel. They will come home soon.I am concerned about you. I will do good things for you. Farmers will plow your ground. They will plant seeds in it.I will cause many people to live in Israel. The towns will no longer be empty. Their broken- down houses will be rebuilt.I will cause many people and animals to live in you, Israel. They will have many babies. I will cause people to make their homes in your towns, just as I did in the past. I will help you succeed more than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will let my people Israel live there again. They will possess you. They will receive you as their own. You will never take their children away from them again.” ’ ”

Here is what the Lord and King says.“ People of Israel, here are the borders of the land that you will divide up. You will divide up the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe will receive a share. But the family of Joseph will have two shares.Divide the land into equal parts. Long ago I raised my hand and made a promise. I promised to give the land to your people of long ago. So all of it will belong to you.“ Here are the borders of the land.“ On the north side the border will start at the Mediterranean Sea. It will go by the Hethlon road past Lebo Hamath. Then it will continue on to Zedad,Berothah and Sibraim. Sibraim is between Damascus and Hamath. The border will reach all the way to Hazer Hattikon. It is right next to Hauran.The border will go from the sea to Hazar Enan. It will run north of Damascus and south of Hamath. This will be the northern border.On the east side the border will run between Hauran and Damascus. It will continue along the Jordan River between Gilead and the land of Israel. It will reach to the Dead Sea and all the way to Tamar. This will be the eastern border.On the south side the border will start at Tamar. It will reach all the way to the waters of Meribah Kadesh. Then it will run along the Wadi of Egypt. It will end at the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern border.On the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the border. It will go to a point across from Lebo Hamath. This will be the western border.“ You must divide up this land among yourselves. Do this based on the number of men in your tribes.

Judah was also given Ekron and the settlements and villages around it.West of Ekron, Judah was given all the settlements and villages near Ashdod.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul. He was king of Assyria. He was also called Tiglath- Pileser. He took the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh to other countries as his prisoners. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan. And that’s where they still are to this day.

Ephraim’s people won’t be jealous anymore. Judah’s attackers will be destroyed. Ephraim won’t be jealous of Judah. And Judah won’t attack Ephraim.Together they will rush down the slopes of Philistia to the west. They’ll take what belongs to the people of the east. They’ll take over Edom and Moab. The people of Ammon will be under their control.

“ Here are the tribes. They are listed by their names.“ Dan will receive one share of land. It will be at the northern border of Israel. The border will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath. Hazar Enan will be part of the border. So will the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath. Dan’s northern border will run from east to west.Asher will receive one share. It will border the territory of Dan from east to west.Naphtali will receive one share. It will border the territory of Asher from east to west.Manasseh will receive one share. It will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.Ephraim will receive one share. It will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.Reuben will receive one share. It will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.Judah will receive one share. It will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.“ You must give one share as a special gift to me. It will border the territory of Judah from east to west. It will be eight miles wide. It will be as long as the border of each of the territories of the tribes. Its border will run from east to west. The temple will be in the center of that strip of land.“ Give that special share of land to me. It will be eight miles long and three and a third miles wide.

The king replied, I am writing this letter to Rehum, the commanding officer. I am also writing it to Shimshai the secretary. And I am writing it to your friends living in Samaria and in other places west of the Euphrates River. I give you my greetings.

The Lord says,“ The people of Ammon have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead. They wanted to add land to their territory.

He’ll win the battle over Edom. He’ll win the battle over his enemy Seir. But Israel will grow strong.A ruler will come from among the people of Jacob. He’ll destroy those from the city who are still alive.”

I will kill the king of Ashdod. He holds the ruler’s scepter in Ashkelon. I will use my power against Ekron. Every single Philistine will die,” says the Lord and King.

Ashkelon will see it and become afraid. Gaza will groan with pain. So will Ekron. Its hope will vanish. Gaza will no longer have a king. Ashkelon will be deserted.A people who come from several nations will take over Ashdod. The Lord says,“ I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.They will no longer drink the blood of their animal sacrifices. I will remove the‘ unclean’ food from between their teeth. The Philistines who are left will belong to our God. They will become a family group in Judah. And Ekron will be like the Jebusites. So the Philistines will become part of Israel.

Towns were also given to Judah in the western hills. Here is a list of those towns. Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

The towns farthest south that were given to Judah were in the Negev Desert. They were near the border of Edom. Here is a list of those towns. Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

God will save Zion. He will build the cities of Judah again. Then people will live in them and own the land.

The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. They also captured the territory around each of those cities.The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took over the central hill country. But they weren’t able to drive the people out of the plains. That’s because those people used chariots that had some iron parts.

“ Here is the land that remains to be taken over.“ It includes all the areas of Philistia and Geshur.Those areas begin at the Shihor River 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

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.

Then those enemies came to Zerubbabel. The family leaders of Israel were with him. The enemies said,“ We want to help you build. We’re just like you. We worship your God. We offer sacrifices to him. We’ve been doing that ever since the time of Esarhaddon. He was king of Assyria. He brought our people here.”

The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim. He made all of them live in the towns of Samaria. They took the place of the people of Israel. They lived in all the towns of Samaria.

Then Artaxerxes became king of Persia. During his rule, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in the Aramaic language. And it used the Aramaic alphabet.Rehum and Shimshai also wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes. Rehum was the commanding officer. Shimshai was the secretary. Their letter was against the people of Jerusalem. It said,We, Rehum and Shimshai, are writing this letter. Rehum is the commanding officer. Shimshai is the secretary. Our friends join us in writing. They include the judges, officials and managers in charge of the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon. They are also over the Elamites from Susa.And they are over those who were forced to leave their countries. The great King Ashurbanipal, who is worthy of honor, forced them to leave. He moved them to the city of Samaria. He also moved them to other places west of the Euphrates River.

Lord, be like a shepherd to your people. Take good care of them. They are your flock. They live by themselves in the safety of a forest. Rich grasslands are all around them. Let them eat grass in Bashan and Gilead just as they did long ago.