The Lord’s Faithfulness Endures Forever

1 Then allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was ^tthe firstborn of Joseph. To ^uMachir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, ^vwere allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. 2 And allotments were made ^wto the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.

3 Now ^xZelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: ^xMahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They approached ^yEleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, ^z“The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers.” So according to the mouth of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. 5 Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides ^athe land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.

7 The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to ^bMichmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8 The land of ^cTappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim. 9 ^cThen the boundary went down to the brook Kanah. These cities, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasseh, belong to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea, 10 the land to the south being Ephraim’s and that to the north being Manasseh’s, with the sea forming its boundary. On the north Asher is reached, and on the east Issachar. 11 Also in Issachar and in Asher ^dManasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of ^dDor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of ^dTaanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of ^dMegiddo and its villages; ^ethe third is Naphath.¹ 12 ^fYet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. 13 Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites ^gto forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.

14 Then ^hthe people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but ⁱone lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am ^ja numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?” 15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and ^kthe Rephaim, since ^lthe hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 The people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have ^mchariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in ⁿthe Valley of Jezreel.” 17 Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, 18 but 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, ^othough they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”