約書亞記17:1-18

17:1 瑪拿西是約瑟的長子，他的支派拈鬮所得之地記在下面。至於瑪拿西的長子基列之父（或譯：主）瑪吉，因為是勇士就得了基列和巴珊。
17:2 瑪拿西其餘的子孫，按著宗族拈鬮分地，就是亞比以謝子孫，希勒子孫，亞斯列子孫，示劍子孫，希弗子孫，示米大子孫；這些按著宗族，都是約瑟兒子瑪拿西子孫的男丁。
17:3 瑪拿西的玄孫，瑪吉的曾孫，基列的孫子，希弗的兒子西羅非哈沒有兒子，只有女兒。他的女兒名叫瑪拉、挪阿、曷拉、密迦、得撒；
17:4 她們來到祭司以利亞撒和嫩的兒子約書亞並眾首領面前，說：「耶和華曾吩咐摩西在我們弟兄中分給我們產業。」於是約書亞照耶和華所吩咐的，在她們伯叔中，把產業分給她們。
17:5 除了約旦河東的基列和巴珊地之外，還有十分地歸瑪拿西，
17:6 因為瑪拿西的孫女們在瑪拿西的孫子中得了產業。基列地是屬瑪拿西其餘的子孫。
17:7 瑪拿西的境界：從亞設起，到示劍前的密米他，往北到隱‧他普亞居民之地。
17:8 他普亞地歸瑪拿西，只是瑪拿西境界上的他普亞城歸以法蓮子孫。
17:9 其界下到加拿河的南邊。在瑪拿西城邑中的這些城邑都歸以法蓮。瑪拿西的地界是在河北直通到海為止；
17:10 南歸以法蓮，北歸瑪拿西，以海為界；北邊到亞設，東邊到以薩迦。
17:11 瑪拿西在以薩迦和亞設境內，有伯‧善和屬伯‧善的鎮市，以伯蓮和屬以伯蓮的鎮市，多珥的居民和屬多珥的鎮市；又有三處山岡，就是隱‧多珥和屬隱‧多珥的鎮市；他納的居民和屬他納的鎮市，米吉多的居民和屬米吉多的鎮市。
17:12 只是瑪拿西子孫不能趕出這些城的居民，迦南人偏要住在那地。
17:13 及至以色列人強盛了，就使迦南人做苦工，沒有把他們全然趕出。
17:14 約瑟的子孫對約書亞說：「耶和華到如今既然賜福與我們，我們也族大人多，你為甚麼僅將一鬮一段之地分給我們為業呢？」
17:15 約書亞說：「你們如果族大人多，嫌以法蓮山地窄小，就可以上比利洗人、利乏音人之地，在樹林中砍伐樹木。」
17:16 約瑟的子孫說：「那山地容不下我們，並且住平原的迦南人，就是住伯‧善和屬伯‧善的鎮市，並住耶斯列平原的人，都有鐵車。」
17:17 約書亞對約瑟家，就是以法蓮和瑪拿西人，說：「你是族大人多，並且強盛，不可僅有一鬮之地，
17:18 山地也要歸你，雖是樹林，你也可以砍伐；靠近之地必歸你。迦南人雖有鐵車，雖是強盛，你也能把他們趕出去。」

 

 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers. ² So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.

³ Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. ⁴ They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord’s command. ⁵ Manasseh’s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, ⁶ because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

⁷ The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Mikmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. ⁸ (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) ⁹ Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. ¹⁰ On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

¹¹ Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth^[a]).

¹² Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. ¹³ However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

¹⁴ The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.”

¹⁵ “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.”

¹⁶ The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”

¹⁷ But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment ¹⁸ but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

 

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    雖然約書亞是以法蓮支派，他並沒有偏袒以法蓮，多分點土地給他們，反倒鼓勵他們去趕走迦南人好得更多的土地。可是這些約瑟的子孫，雖然人多反而是懦弱的！約書亞說：「你們如果族大人多，嫌以法蓮山地窄小，就可以上比利洗人、利乏音人之地，在樹林中砍伐樹木。」 約瑟的子孫說：「那山地容不下我們，並且住平原的迦南人，就是住伯‧善和屬伯‧善的鎮市，並住耶斯列平原的人，都有鐵車。」

 

    瑪拿西支派也好不到哪裡去，還留了一些迦南人在他們當中當僕役，正如經文中所說：「瑪拿西在以薩迦和亞設境內，有伯‧善和屬伯‧善的鎮市，以伯蓮和屬以伯蓮的鎮市，多珥的居民和屬多珥的鎮市；又有三處山岡，就是隱‧多珥和屬隱‧多珥的鎮市；他納的居民和屬他納的鎮市，米吉多的居民和屬米吉多的鎮市。只是瑪拿西子孫不能趕出這些城的居民，迦南人偏要住在那地。及至以色列人強盛了，就使迦南人做苦工，沒有把他們全然趕出。」

 

    雖然如此，上帝仍然一步一步帶領這兩個約瑟子孫的支派，正如我們也是軟弱的，上帝並不因為我們軟弱而放棄我們，反而不斷的陶造我們，使我們的生命越來越成熟，越來越有上帝兒子的樣式！