1. Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the leaders of all the tribes of Israel decided what land to give to the people.
2. The Lord had commanded Moses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine-and-a-half tribes threw lots to decide which land they would receive.
3. Moses had already given the two-and-a-half tribes their land east of the Jordan River. But the tribe of Levi was not given any land like the others.
4. The sons of Joseph had divided into two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was not given any land. It was given only some towns in which to live. It was also given pastures for its animals.
5. The Lord had told Moses how to give the land to the tribes of Israel. The Israelites divided the land as the Lord had commanded.
6. One day some men from the tribe of Judah went to Joshua at Gilgal. One of those men was Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. He said to Joshua, “You remember what the Lord said at Kadesh Barnea. He was speaking to the prophet Moses about you and me.
7. Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me to look at the land where we were going. I was 40 years old then. When I came back, I told Moses what I thought about the land.
8. The other men who went with me told the people things that made them afraid. But I fully believed the Lord would allow us to take the land.