Joshua 17

1 And the borders of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh — for he was Joseph's firstborn — went to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, since he was a fighting man; they were in the land of Gilead and in the land of Bashan. 2 And the rest of the sons of Manasseh had their borders too, by their clans: for the sons of Iezer, and for the sons of Helek, and for the sons of Asriel, and for the sons of Shechem, and for the sons of Shemida, and for the sons of Hepher. These are the males, by their clans. [a]

3 And Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of Zelophehad's daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 And they stood before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua, and before the rulers, and said, “God gave a charge by the hand of Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” And a portion was given to them among the brothers of their father, by the decree of the Lord. 5 And their measured line fell from Anassa, and the plain of Labek, out of Gilead, which is beyond the Jordan; [b] 6 for the daughters of the sons of Manasseh inherited a portion among their brothers, and the land of Gilead went to the sons of Manasseh who were left.

7 And the borders of the sons of Manasseh were Delanath, which lies opposite the sons of Anath, and the line goes on to the borders, to Jamin and Jassib, to the spring of Tappuah. 8 It will belong to Manasseh; and Tappuah, on the borders of Manasseh, belongs to the sons of Ephraim. 9 And the borders will go down to the valley of Karana, southward along the valley of Jariel — the terebinth belongs to Ephraim, in the midst of the town of Manasseh — and the borders of Manasseh run northward to the brook, and its outlet will be the sea. 10 Southward the land belongs to Ephraim, and northward to Manasseh, and the sea will be their borders; and on the north they meet Asher, and Issachar on the east. [c]

11 And Manasseh will have, inside Issachar and inside Asher: Beth-shan and their villages, and those living in Dor and its villages, and those living in Megiddo and its villages, and the third part of Naphath and its villages. [d] 12 And the sons of Manasseh were not able to destroy these towns, and the Canaanite began to live in that land. 13 And when the children of Israel grew strong, they made the Canaanites subject to them; but destroy them they did not.

14 But the sons of Joseph answered Joshua back and said, “Why have you given us one portion and one measured line as our inheritance, when I am a numerous people and God has blessed me?” 15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up into the forest and clear it for yourself, if Mount Ephraim is too cramped for you.” 16 And they said, “Mount Ephraim will not be enough for us, and the Canaanite who lives in it — in Beth-shan and its villages, in the valley of Jezreel — has choice cavalry and iron.” [e]

17 And Joshua said to the sons of Joseph, “If you are a numerous people and have great strength, you will not have one portion only. 18 For the forest will be yours; it is forest, and you will clear it, and it will be yours. And when you destroy the Canaanite — for he has choice cavalry — you are stronger than he is.”