Joshua 17

1This was the land that came by lot to the tribe of Manasseh, for he was Joseph’s firstborn. Machir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, had Gilead and Bashan, because he was a warrior. 2The lot was also for the rest of Manasseh’s descendants, clan by clan: the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, listed by their clans. 3But Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. His daughters were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 4They came forward before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the leaders. “The LORD commanded Moses,” they said, “to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, as the LORD had commanded. 5So ten shares fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan, 6because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of Manasseh’s descendants. 7The border of Manasseh ran from Asher to Michmethath, east of Shechem. From there the border goes south toward the people of En-tappuah. 8The land around Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on Manasseh’s border, belonged to the descendants of Ephraim. 9Then the border goes down to the Wadi Kanah. South of the wadi there were towns that belonged to Ephraim, though they lay among the towns of Manasseh. Manasseh’s border runs along the north side of the wadi and ends at the sea. 10The land to the south belonged to Ephraim and the land to the north to Manasseh, with the sea as its border. Manasseh reaches Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. 11In the land of Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth-shean, Ibleam, and the people of Dor, En-dor, Taanach and Megiddo, each with its villages: the three hill districts. 12But the descendants of Manasseh could not take over these towns, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that land. 13Later, when the Israelites had grown stronger, they made the Canaanites do forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.

14Joseph’s descendants asked Joshua, “Why have you given us just one allotment, a single share, as our inheritance? We are a large people, because the LORD has blessed us until now.” 15Joshua answered them, “If you are so many, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there, in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” 16The descendants of Joseph replied, “The hill country is too small for us, and the Canaanites who live down in the valley all have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17Then Joshua answered the house of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh: “You are a large people and you have great strength. You will not have just one allotment, 18but the hill country will be yours as well. It is forest, but you will clear it, and it will be yours to its farthest edges. You will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”