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?”

And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us first against the Chananites, to fight against them?

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

And the Lord said, Judas shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

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 Judas said to his brother Symeon, Come up with me into my lot, and let us array ourselves against the Chananites, and I also will go with you into your lot: and Symeon 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 Judas went up; and the Lord delivered the Chananite and the Pherezite into their hands, and they struck them in Bezek to [the number of] ten thousand men.

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

And they overtook Adonibezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they struck the Chananite 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 Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him, and took him, and cut off his thumbs and his great 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 Adonibezek said, Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their food] under my table: as I therefore have done, so God has recompensed 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 Judas fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck with the edge of the sword, and they burnt the city with 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 the children of Judas went down to fight with the Chananite dwelling in the hill country, and the south, and the plain country.

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 Judas went to the Chananite who lived in Chebron; and Chebron came out against him; [and the name of Chebron before was Cariatharbocsepher: ] and they struck Sessi, and Achiman, and Tholmi, children of Enac.

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

And they went up thence to the inhabitants of Dabir; but the name of Dabir was before Cariathsepher, 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 Chaleb said, Whosoever shall strike the city of Letters, and shall first take it, I will give to him Ascha my daughter 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 Gothoniel the younger son of Kenez the brother of Chaleb took it; and Chaleb gave him his daughter Ascha 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 it came to pass as she went in, that Gothoniel urged her to ask a field of her father; and she murmured and cried from off her ass, You have sent me forth into a south land: and Chaleb said to her, What is your request?

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.

And Ascha said to him, Give me, I pray you, a blessing, for you have sent me forth into a south land, and you shall give me the ransom of water: and Chaleb gave her according to her heart the ransom of the upper [springs] and the ransom of the low [springs].

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 Jothor the Kenite the father-in-law of Moses went up from the city of palm-trees with the children of Judas, to the wilderness that is in the south of Juda, which is at the descent of Arad, and they lived with the people.

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 Judas went with Symeon his brother, and struck the Chananite that inhabited Sepheth, and they utterly destroyed them; and they called the name of the city Anathema.

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

But Judas did not inherit Gaza nor her coasts, nor Ascalon nor her coasts, nor Accaron nor her coasts, [nor] Azotus nor the lands around it.

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 Judas, and he inherited the mountain; for they were not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, for Rechab prevented them.

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

And they gave Chebron to Chaleb, as Moses said; and thence he inherited the three cities of the children 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 children of Benjamin did not take the inheritance of the Jebusite who lived in Jerusalem; and the Jebusite lived with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this day.

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

And the sons of Joseph, they also went up to Baethel; 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),

And they encamped and surveyed Baethel: and the name of the city before was 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.”

And the spies looked, and behold, a man went out of the city, and they took him; and they said to him, Show us the way into the city, and we will deal mercifully with you.

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 he showed them the way into the city; and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and his family.

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.

And the man went into the land of Chettin, and built there a city, and called the name of it Luza; this [is] its name 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;

And Manasse did not drive out [the inhabitants of] Baethsan, which is a city of Scythians, nor her towns, nor her suburbs; nor Thanac, nor her towns; nor the inhabitants of Dor, nor her suburbs, nor her towns; nor the inhabitant of Balac, nor her suburbs, nor her towns; nor the inhabitants of Magedo, nor her suburbs, nor her towns; nor the inhabitants of Jeblaam, nor her suburbs, nor her towns; and the Chananite began to dwell in this land.

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.

And it came to pass when Israel was strong, that he made the Chananite tributary, but did not utterly drive them out.

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

And Ephraim did not drive out the Chananite that lived in Gazer; and the Chananite lived in the midst of him in Gazer, and became tributary.

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.

And Zabulon did not drive out the inhabitants of Kedron, nor the inhabitants of Domana: and the Chananite lived in the midst of them, and became tributary to them.

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

And Aser did not drive out the inhabitants of Accho, and [that people] became tributary to him, nor the inhabitants of Dor, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor the inhabitants of Dalaph, nor Aschazi, nor Chebda, nor Nai, nor Ereo.

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

And Aser lived in the midst of the Chananite who inhabited the land, for he could not drive him out.

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.

And Nephthali did not drive out the inhabitants of Baethsamys, nor the inhabitants of Baethanach; and Nephthali lived in the midst of the Chananite who inhabited the land: but the inhabitants of Bethsamys and of Baetheneth became tributary to them.

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 Amorite drove out the children of Dan into the mountains, for they did not suffer them to come down into the valley.

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 the Amorite began to dwell in the mountain of shells, in which [are] bears, and foxes, in Myrsinon, and in Thalabin; and the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy upon the Amorite, and he became tributary to them.

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

And the border of the Amorite [was] from the going up of Acrabin, from the rock and upwards.