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The Book of Judges

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- Chapter 1 -

(Joshua 13:1–7)
1
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
2
“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
3
Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them.
4
When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.
5
And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
6
As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7
Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

The Capture of Jerusalem and Hebron

(Joshua 15:13–19)
8
Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.
9
Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills.(a)
10
Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11
From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
12
And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”
13
So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.
14
One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him (b) to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
15
“Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
16
Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms (c) to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.
17
Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction.(d) So it was called Hormah.(e)
18
And Judah also captured (f) Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory.
19
The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
20
Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.
21
The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
22
The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
23
They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz),
24
and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.”
25
So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family.
26
And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

The Failure to Complete the Conquest

27
At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
28
When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.
29
Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
30
Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers.
31
Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.
32
So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.
33
Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.
34
The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain.
35
And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.
36
And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim (g) to Sela and beyond.

Footnotes

(a)1:9 Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands; that is, the western foothills of Judea
(b)1:14 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate and he urged her; see Joshua 15:18.
(c)1:16 That is, Jericho
(d)1:17 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
(e)1:17 Hormah means destruction.
(f)1:18 Hebrew; LXX But Judah did not capture
(g)1:36 Or the Ascent of Scorpions or Scorpion Pass
(Joshua 13:1–7)
1
After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD,(a) saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
2
The LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Behold,(b) I have delivered the land into his hand.”
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.
4
Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek.
5
They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him. They struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6
But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
7
Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God (c) has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The Capture of Jerusalem and Hebron

(Joshua 15:13–19)
8
The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9
After that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the South, and in the lowland.
10
Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron before that was Kiriath Arba.) They struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11
From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.)
12
Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.”
13
Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife.
14
When she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”
15
She said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16
The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
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.
18
Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.
19
The LORD 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.
20
They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove the three sons of Anak out of there.
21
The children of Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22
The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
23
The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city before that was Luz.)
24
The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with 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 and all his family go.
26
The man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

The Failure to Complete the Conquest

27
Manasseh didn’t 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.
28
When Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.
29
Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
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.
31
Asher didn’t 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;
32
but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they didn’t drive them out.
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.
34
The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;
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.
36
The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name.
(b)1:2 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
(c)1:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
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