Judges 1:1-36
1 After the death of Joshua,+ the Israelites* inquired of Jehovah:+ “Who of us will go up first to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites?”
2 Jehovah replied: “Judah will go up.+ Look! I am giving* the land into his hand.”
3 Then Judah said to his brother Simʹe·on: “Come up with me into my assigned territory*+ to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites. Then I will go with you into your assigned territory.” So Simʹe·on went with him.
4 When Judah went up, Jehovah gave the Caʹnaan·ites and the Perʹiz·zites into their hands,+ and they defeated 10,000 men in Beʹzek.
5 They found A·doʹni-beʹzek in Beʹzek, and there they fought against him and defeated the Caʹnaan·ites+ and the Perʹiz·zites.+
6 When A·doʹni-beʹzek fled, they chased him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
7 Then A·doʹni-beʹzek said: “There are 70 kings whose thumbs and big toes were cut off and who are picking up food under my table. Just as I have done, so God has repaid me.” After that they brought him to Jerusalem,+ and he died there.
8 Furthermore, the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem+ and captured it; they struck it with the sword and set the city on fire.
9 Afterward, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the mountainous region and the Negʹeb and the She·pheʹlah.+
10 So Judah marched against the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in Hebʹron (the name of Hebʹron was previously Kirʹi·ath-arʹba), and they struck down Sheʹshai, A·hiʹman, and Talʹmai.+
11 They marched from there against the inhabitants of Deʹbir.+ (The name of Deʹbir was previously Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher.)+
12 Then Caʹleb+ said: “To the man who strikes Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher and captures it, I will give my daughter Achʹsah as a wife.”+
13 And Othʹni·el+ the son of Keʹnaz,+ Caʹleb’s younger brother, captured it. So he gave him his daughter Achʹsah as a wife.
14 While she was going home, she urged him to ask her father for a field. Then she dismounted from her donkey.* Caʹleb asked her: “What do you want?”
15 She said to him: “Please grant me a blessing, for you have given me a piece of land in the south;* give me also Gulʹloth-maʹim.”* So Caʹleb gave her Upper Gulʹloth and Lower Gulʹloth.
16 And the descendants of the Kenʹite,+ Moses’ father-in-law,+ came up from the city of palm trees+ with the people of Judah to the wilderness of Judah south of Aʹrad.+ They went there and settled among the people.+
17 But Judah marched on with his brother Simʹe·on, and they attacked the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting Zeʹphath and devoted it to destruction.+ So they named the city Horʹmah.*+
18 Then Judah captured Gazʹa+ and its territory, Ashʹke·lon+ and its territory, and Ekʹron+ and its territory.
19 Jehovah was with Judah, and they took possession of the mountainous region, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain,* because they had war chariots with iron scythes.*+
20 They gave Hebʹron to Caʹleb, just as Moses had promised,+ and he drove out from there the three sons of Aʹnak.+
21 But the Benʹja·min·ites did not drive out the Jebʹu·sites inhabiting Jerusalem, so the Jebʹu·sites continue dwelling with the Benʹja·min·ites in Jerusalem down to this day.+
22 Meantime, the house of Joseph+ went up against Bethʹel, and Jehovah was with them.+
23 The house of Joseph was spying on Bethʹel (incidentally, the name of the city was previously Luz),+
24 and the spies saw a man going out of the city. So they said to him: “Show us, please, the way into the city, and we will treat you kindly.”*
25 So the man showed them the way into the city, and they struck the city with the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free.+
26 The man went to the land of the Hitʹtites and built a city and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27 Ma·nasʹseh did not take possession of Beth-sheʹan and its dependent* towns, Taʹa·nach+ and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Ibʹle·am and its dependent towns, and the inhabitants of Me·gidʹdo and its dependent towns.+ The Caʹnaan·ites persisted in dwelling in this land.
28 When Israel grew stronger, they subjected the Caʹnaan·ites to forced labor,+ but they did not drive them out completely.+
29 Nor did Eʹphra·im drive out the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in Geʹzer. The Caʹnaan·ites continued to dwell among them in Geʹzer.+
30 Zebʹu·lun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitʹron and the inhabitants of Naʹha·lol.+ The Caʹnaan·ites continued to dwell among them and were subjected to forced labor.+
31 Ashʹer did not drive out the inhabitants of Acʹco and the inhabitants of Siʹdon,+ Ahʹlab, Achʹzib,+ Helʹbah, Aʹphik,+ and Reʹhob.+
32 So the Ashʹer·ites continued to dwell among the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the land, because they did not drive them out.
33 Naphʹta·li did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-sheʹmesh and the inhabitants of Beth-aʹnath,+ but they continued to dwell among the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the land.+ The inhabitants of Beth-sheʹmesh and Beth-aʹnath became forced laborers for them.
34 The Amʹor·ites confined the Danʹites to the mountainous region, for they would not let them come down into the plain.*+
35 So the Amʹor·ites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heʹres, Aiʹja·lon,+ and Sha·alʹbim.+ But when the power* of the house of Joseph increased,* they were forced into hard labor.
36 The territory of the Amʹor·ites was from the ascent of A·krabʹbim,+ from Seʹla upward.
Footnotes
^ Lit., “sons of Israel.”
^ Or “have given.”
^ Lit., “my lot.”
^ Or possibly, “she clapped her hands while on the donkey.”
^ Or “the Negeb.”
^ Meaning “Basins (Bowls) of Water.”
^ Meaning “A Devoting to Destruction.”
^ Or “low plain.”
^ Lit., “chariots of iron.”
^ Lit., “show you loyal love.”
^ Or “surrounding.”
^ Or “low plain.”
^ Lit., “hand.”
^ Lit., “became heavy.”
