Judges 1

1 And it comes to pass after the death of Joshua, that the sons of Israel ask of YHWH, saying, “Who goes up for us to the Canaanite, at the commencement, to fight against it?”

After the death of Josue the children of Israel consulted the Lord, saying: Who shall go up before us against the Chanaanite, and shall be the leader of the war?

2 And YHWH says, “Judah goes up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

And the Lord said: Juda shall go up: behold I have delivered the land into his hands.

3 And Judah says to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me into my lot, and we fight against the Canaanite—and I have gone, even I, with you into your lot”; and Simeon goes with him.

And Juda said to Simeon his brother: Come up with me into my lot, and fight against the Chanaanite, that I also may go along with thee into thy lot. And Simeon went with him.

4 And Judah goes up, and YHWH gives the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand, and they strike them in Bezek—ten thousand men;

And Juda went up, and the Lord delivered the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite into their hands: and they slew of them in Bezec ten thousand men.

5 and they find Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fight against him, and strike the Canaanite and the Perizzite.

And they found Adonibezec in Bezec, and fought against him, and they defeated the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite.

6 And Adoni-Bezek flees, and they pursue after him, and seize him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes,

And Adonibezec fled: and they pursued after him and took him, and cut off his fingers and toes.

7 and Adoni-Bezek says, “Seventy kings—their thumbs and their great toes cut off—have been gathering under my table; as I have done so God has repaid to me”; and they bring him to Jerusalem, and he dies there.

And Adonibezec said: Seventy kings having their fingers and toes cut off, gathered up the leavings of the meat under my table: as I have done, so hath God requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 And the sons of Judah fight against Jerusalem, and capture it, and strike it by the mouth of the sword, and they have sent the city into fire;

And the children of Juda besieging Jerusalem, took it, and put it to the sword, and set the whole city on fire.

9 and afterward the sons of Judah have gone down to fight against the Canaanite inhabiting the hill-country, and the south, and the low country;

And afterwards they went down and fought against the Chanaanite, who dwelt in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.

10 and Judah goes to the Canaanite who is dwelling in Hebron (and the name of Hebron [was] formerly Kirjath-Arba), and they strike Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

And Juda going forward against the Chanaanite, that dwelt in Hebron (the name whereof was in former times Cariath-Arbe) slew Sesai, and Ahiman, and Tholmai:

11 And he goes there to the inhabitants of Debir (and the name of Debir [was] formerly Kirjath-Sepher),

And departing from thence he went to the inhabitants of Dabir, the ancient name of which was Cariath-Sepher, that is, the city of letters.

12 and Caleb says, “He who strikes Kirjath-Sepher and has captured it—then I have given my daughter Achsah to him for a wife.”

And Caleb said: He that shall take Cariath-Sepher, and lay it waste, to him will I give my daughter Axa to wife.

13 And Othniel son of Kenaz, younger brother of Caleb, captures it, and he gives his daughter Achsah to him for a wife.

And Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb, having taken it, he gave him Axa his daughter to wife.

14 And it comes to pass in her coming in, that she persuades him to ask from her father the field, and she comes down off the donkey, and Caleb says to her, “What do you [want]?”

And as she was going on her way her husband admonished her to ask a field of her father. And as she sighed sitting on her ass, Caleb said to her: What aileth thee?

15 And she says to him, “Give a blessing to me; when you have given me the south land—then you have given springs of water to me”; and Caleb gives the upper springs and the lower springs to her.

But she answered: Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry land: give me also a watery land. So Caleb gave her the upper and the nether watery ground.

16 And the sons of the Kenite, father-in-law of Moses, have gone up out of the city of palms with the sons of Judah [to] the wilderness of Judah, which [is] in the south of Arad, and they go and dwell with the people.

And the children of the Cinite, the kinsman of Moses, went up from the city of palms, with the children of Juda into the wilderness of his lot, which is at the south side of Arad, and they dwelt with him.

17 And Judah goes with his brother Simeon, and they strike the Canaanite inhabiting Zephath, and devote it; and [one] calls the name of the city Hormah.

And Juda went with Simeon his brother, and they together defeated the Chanaanites that dwelt in Sephaath, and slew them. And the name of the city was called Horma, that is, Anathema.

18 And Judah captures Gaza and its border, and Askelon and its border, and Ekron and its border;

And Juda took Gaza with its confines, and Ascalon and Accaron with their confines.

19 and YHWH is with Judah, and he occupies the hill-country, but not to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they have chariots of iron.

And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes.

20 And they give Hebron to Caleb, as Moses has spoken, and he dispossesses the three sons of Anak there.

And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, who destroyed out of it the three sons of Enac.

21 And the sons of Benjamin have not dispossessed the Jebusite inhabiting Jerusalem; and the Jebusite dwells with the sons of Benjamin, in Jerusalem, until this day.

But the sons of Benjamin did not destroy the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem: and the Jebusite hath dwelt with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this present day.

22 And the house of Joseph goes up—even they—to Beth-El, and YHWH [is] with them;

The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

23 and the house of Joseph causes [men] to spy out Beth-El (and the name of the city [was] formerly Luz),

For when they were besieging the city, which before was called Luza,

24 and the watchers see a man coming out from the city, and say to him, “Please show us the entrance of the city, and we have done kindness with you.”

They saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him: Shew us the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.

25 And he shows them the entrance of the city, and they strike the city by the mouth of the sword, and they have sent the man and all his family away;

And when he had shewn them, they smote the city with the edge of the sword: but that man and all his kindred they let go:

26 and the man goes to the land of the Hittites, and builds a city, and calls its name Luz—it [is] its name to this day.

Who being sent away, went into the land of Hethim, and built there a city, and called it Luza: which is so called until this day.

27 And Manasseh has not occupied Beth-Shean and its towns, and Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Iblaim and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, and the Canaanite is desirous to dwell in that land;

Manasses also did not destroy Bethsan, and Thanac with their villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor, and Jeblaam, and Mageddo with their villages. And the Chanaanite began to dwell with them.

28 and it comes to pass, when Israel has been strong, that he sets the Canaanite to forced labor, and has not utterly dispossessed it.

But after Israel was grown strong he made them tributaries, and would not destroy them.

29 And Ephraim has not dispossessed the Canaanite who is dwelling in Gezer, and the Canaanite dwells in its midst, in Gezer.

Ephraim also did not slay the Chanaanite that dwelt in Gazer, but dwelt with him.

30 Zebulun has not dispossessed the inhabitants of Kitron, and the inhabitants of Nahalol, and the Canaanite dwells in its midst, and they become forced labor.

Zabulon destroyed not the inhabitants of Cetron, and Naalol: but the Chanaanite dwelt among them, and became their tributaries.

31 Asher has not dispossessed the inhabitants of Accho, and the inhabitants of Sidon, and Ahlab, and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and Rehob;

Aser also destroyed not the inhabitants of Accho, and of Sidon, of Ahalab, and of Achazib, and of Helba, and of Aphec, and of Rohob:

32 and the Asherite dwells in the midst of the Canaanite, the inhabitants of the land, for it has not dispossessed them.

And he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites the inhabitants of that land, and did not slay them.

33 Naphtali has not dispossessed the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh, and the inhabitants of Beth-Anath, and he dwells in the midst of the Canaanite, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh and of Beth-Anath were for forced labor for them.

Nephtali also destroyed not the inhabitants of Bethsames, and of Bethanath: and he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites the inhabitants of the land, and the Bethsamites and Bethanites were tributaries to him.

34 And the Amorites press the sons of Dan to the mountain, for they have not permitted them to go down to the valley;

And the Amorrhite straitened the children of Dan in the mountain, and gave them not place to go down to the plain:

35 and the Amorite is desirous to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, and the hand of the house of Joseph is heavy, and they are for forced labor;

And he dwelt in the mountain Hares, that is, of potsherds, in Aialon and Salebim. And the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy upon him, and he became tributary to him.

36 and the border of the Amorite [is] from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock and upward.

And the border of the Amorrhite was from the ascent of the scorpion, the rock, and the higher places.