Judges 1

1After Joshua's death, the sons of Israel asked Yahweh, saying, "Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight them?"

2Yahweh said, “Judah shall go up—see, I have given the land into his hand.”

3Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Go up with me into my lot, and we will fight the Canaanites; I also will go with you into your lot." Simeon went with him.

4Judah advanced, and Yahweh handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them, and they struck down ten thousand of their men in Bezek.

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

6Adonibezek fled, but they pursued him, seized him, and cut off the thumbs of his hands and his feet.

7Adonibezek said, "Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes were cut off gleaned under my table—as I have done, so God has repaid me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8The sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem, captured it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire.

9Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight the Canaanites dwelling in the hill country, the Negev, and the Shephelah.

10Judah advanced against the Canaanites inhabiting Hebron (the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11From there he went against Debir's dwellers; Debir's name before was Kiriath-sepher.

12Caleb said, "Whoever strikes Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife."

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

14When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field; she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

15She said to him, "Grant me a blessing, for you have given me land in the south; give me springs of water too." Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16The sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev of Arad, and they went and lived among the people.

17Judah and Simeon his brother went and struck the Canaanites dwelling in Zephath, completely destroyed it, and called the city's name Hormah.

18Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.

19Yahweh was with Judah, and he dispossessed the hill country, for he could not dispossess the valley's residents because they had iron chariots.

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

21The sons of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, but the Jebusites lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them.

23The house of Joseph sent scouts to Bethel, and the name of the city formerly was Luz.

24The watchers saw a man coming out from the city, and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you kindness."

25He showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but sent the man and all his family away.

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

27Manasseh did not dispossess 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 were determined to dwell in that land.

28When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

29Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanites dwelling in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and the inhabitants of Nahalol, but the Canaanites dwelt among them and became subject to forced labor.

31Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor Ahlab, nor Achzib, nor Helbah, nor Aphik, nor Rehob.

32The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who dwelt in the land, because they did not dispossess them.

33Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath, but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, and the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced labor for them.

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

35The Amorites insisted on dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy, so they became forced labor.

36The Amorites' border ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.