Judges 1

1 It happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of YHWH, saying, "Who should go up first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"

After the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel consulted the Lord, saying, “Who will ascend before us, against the Canaanite, and who will be the commander of the war?”

2 YHWH said, "Judah should go up. Look, I have delivered the land into his hand."

And the Lord said: “Judah shall ascend. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.”

3 Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot." So Simeon went with him.

And Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me to my lot, and fight against the Canaanite, so that I also may go forth with you to your lot.” And Simeon went with him.

4 Judah went up; and YHWH delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanite, as well as the Perizzite, into their hands. And they struck down ten thousand of the men at Bezek.

5 They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

And they found Adonibezek at Bezek, and they fought against him, and they struck down the Canaanite and the Perizzite.

6 But Adoni-Bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

Then Adonibezek fled. And they pursued him and captured him, and they cut off the ends of his hands and feet.

7 Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, scavenged under my table: as I have done, so God has requited me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

And Adonibezek said: “Seventy kings, with the ends of their hands and feet amputated, have been gathering the remnants of food under my table. Just as I have done, so has God repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

Then the sons of Judah, besieging Jerusalem, seized it. And they struck it with edge of the sword, delivering the entire city to be burned.

9 Afterward the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the Negev, and in the lowland.

And afterward, descending, they fought against the Canaanites who were living in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.

10 And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron, and Hebron came out in opposition (now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba), and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

And Judah, going forth against the Canaanites who were living at Hebron, (the name of which from antiquity was Kiriath-Arba) struck down Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.)

And continuing on from there, he went to the inhabitants of Debir, the old name of which was Kiriath-Sepher, that is, the City of Letters.

12 Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

And Caleb said, “Whoever will strike Kiriath-Sepher, and will lay waste to it, I will give to him my daughter Achsah as wife.”

13 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

And when Othniel, the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb, had seized it, he gave his daughter Achsah to him in marriage.

14 It happened, when she came to him, that she got him to ask her father for a field. And she got off from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What would you like?"

And as she was traveling on a journey, her husband admonished her, so that she would request a field from her father. And since she had sighed while sitting on her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What is it?”

15 She said to him, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her according to her heart the upper springs and the lower springs.

But she responded: “Give a blessing to me. For you have given me a dry land. Also give a watered land.” Therefore, Caleb gave to her the upper watered land and the lower watered land.

16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the people of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

Now the sons of the Kenite, the relative of Moses, ascended from the City of Palms, with the sons of Judah, into the wilderness of his lot, which is toward the south of Arad. And they lived with him.

17 Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.

Then Judah went out with his brother Simeon, and together they struck the Canaanites who were living at Zephath, and they put them to death. And the name of the city was called Hormah, that is, Anathema.

18 Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory, and Ashdod with its surrounding lands.

And Judah seized Gaza, with its parts, and Ashkelon as well as Ekron, with their borders.

19 YHWH was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

And the Lord was with Judah, and he possessed the mountains. But he was not able to wipe out the inhabitants of the valley. For they abounded with chariots armed with scythes.

20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken. And from there he possessed the three cities, and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

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

21 The people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

But the sons of Benjamin did not wipe out the Jebusite inhabitants of Jerusalem. And the Jebusite has lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem, even to the present day.

22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and YHWH was with them.

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

23 And the house of Joseph sent out spies to Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

For when they were besieging the city, which was previously called Luz,

24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they captured him, and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy."

they saw a man departing from the city, and they said to him, “Reveal to us the entrance to the city, and we will act with mercy toward you.”

25 He showed them the entrance into the city; and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family.

And when he had revealed it to them, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But that man, and all his relatives, they released.

26 The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

And having been sent away, he went out to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city there, and he called it Luz. And so it is called, even to the present day.

27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

Likewise, Manasseh did not destroy Bethshean and Taanach, with their villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and Ibleam and Megiddo, with their villages. And the Canaanite began to live with them.

28 It happened, when Israel had grown strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out.

Then, after Israel had grown strong, he made them tributaries, but he was not willing to destroy them.

29 Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

And now Ephraim did not put to death the Canaanite, who was living at Gezer; instead, he lived with him.

30 Zebulun didn't drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor.

Zebulun did not wipe out the inhabitants of Kitron and of Nahalal. Instead, the Canaanite lived in their midst and became their tributary.

31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob;

Likewise, Asher did not destroy the inhabitants of Acco and Sidon, Ahlab and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and Rehob.

32 but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

And he lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of that land, for he did not put them to death.

33 Naphtali didn't drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor.

Naphtali also did not wipe out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Bethanath. And he lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. And the Beth-shemeshites and Bethanathites were tributaries to him.

34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan into the hill country; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

And the Amorite hemmed in the sons of Dan on the mountain, and did not give them a place, so that they might descend to the flatlands.

35 but the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subject to forced labor.

And he lived on the mountain at Har-heres, which is translated as ‘resembling brick,’ and at Aijalon and Sha-alabbin. But the hand of the house of Joseph was very heavy, and he became a tributary to him.

36 The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

Now the border of the Amorite was from the Ascent of the Scorpion, to the Rock and the higher places.