Joshua 17 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

This was the land allotted to the tribe of Manasseh, since he was Joseph's firstborn. Makir, Manasseh's firstborn and the father of Gilead, had received Gilead and Bashan because he was a warrior.

So allotments were also given to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh, by their clans: the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, listed by their clans.

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons — only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.

They came before Eleazar the priest, before Joshua son of Nun, and before the leaders, and said, "Yahweh commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives." So, following Yahweh's command, they were given an inheritance among their father's brothers.

Manasseh's share came to ten portions, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan on the other side of the Jordan,

because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance alongside his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

Manasseh's boundary ran from Asher to Mikmetath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary went south to include the people living at En Tappuah.

The land around Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah itself, on Manasseh's border, belonged to the descendants of Ephraim.

Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. Some of the towns south of the ravine belonged to Ephraim among Manasseh's towns. Manasseh's boundary was along the north side of the ravine, ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north belonged to Manasseh, with the sea as the western boundary. They touched Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.

Within the territory of Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also held Beth Shan and its surrounding villages, Ibleam and its surrounding villages, the people of Dor and its surrounding villages, the people of En Dor and its surrounding villages, the people of Taanach and its surrounding villages, and the people of Megiddo and its surrounding villages — the three hill regions.

But the people of Manasseh couldn't take control of these towns. The Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.

When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites into labor crews, but they never completely drove them out.

The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment, one portion as our inheritance? We're a large people — Yahweh has kept on giving us increase all along."

Joshua replied, "If you're such a large people, go up into the forest region and clear land for yourselves there, in the territory of the Perizzites and Rephaim — since Ephraim's hill country is too small for you."

The descendants of Joseph replied, "The hill country isn't enough for us. And all the Canaanites living in the valley floor have iron chariots — both those in Beth Shan and its villages and those in the Jezreel Valley."

Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph — to Ephraim and Manasseh — "You are a large people with great strength. You won't have just one allotment.

The hill country will be yours too. Yes, it's forest, but you'll clear it, and it will be yours from one end to the other. You will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and even though they are strong."