Judges 1

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who will go up for us first against the Canaanites to fight them?” The LORD said, “Judah will go up. Look, I have given the land into his hand.” Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my allotment, and let us fight the Canaanites. I too will go with you into your allotment.” So Simeon went with him. Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hand. They struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him. They struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites. Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. The descendants of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. Afterward the descendants of Judah went down to fight the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowland. Judah went against the Canaanites living in Hebron, formerly called Kiriath-arba, and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir, formerly called Kiriath-sepher. Caleb said, “To the man who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Achsah as his wife.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. When she arrived, she urged him to ask her father for the field. She dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water too.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the descendants of Judah into the wilderness of Judah south of Arad. They went and settled among the people. Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck down the Canaanites living in Zephath and devoted it to destruction. The city was called Hormah. Judah captured Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. The LORD was with Judah, and Judah took possession of the hill country. But he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots. They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. But the descendants of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. The house of Joseph spied out Bethel. The city was formerly called Luz. The scouts saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you kindness.” He showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But they let the man and all his family go. The man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz. That is its name to this day. Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, or of Taanach and its towns, or the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns. The Canaanites persisted in living in this land. When Israel grew strong, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out. Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer. Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol. The Canaanites lived among them and were subjected to forced labor. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. The Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or Beth-anath. He lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to forced labor for them. The Amorites pressed the descendants of Dan into the hill country, for they would not let them come down into the valley. The Amorites persisted in living on Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. But the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy upon them, and they were subjected to forced labor. The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock upward.

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