Judges 1

The AIT Bible

Judah and Simeon's Conquests

1After the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Who will go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?”

2And Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. Behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

3And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him.

4So Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they struck them down at Bezek—ten thousand men.

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

6But Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued after him and seized him, and they cut off the thumbs of his hands and his big toes.

7And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

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

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

10Judah went against the Canaanites living in Hebron (the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher).

12And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as a wife.”

13And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife.

14Now when she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. Then she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What is it with you?”

15And she said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16The descendants 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 settled with the people.

17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck down the Canaanites living in Zephath and put it under the ban; and they called the name of the city Hormah.

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

19And Yahweh was with Judah, so he took possession of the hill country; but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

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

Israel's Incomplete Conquest

21But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

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

23And the house of Joseph reconnoitered Bethel (the name of the city was formerly Luz).

24And the watchmen saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will deal loyally with you.”

25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but the man and all his clan they let go.

26And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, and he called its name Luz—that is its name to this day.

27But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its dependent towns, nor Taanach and its dependent towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its dependent towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its dependent towns; so the Canaanites were determined to remain in this land.

28And it came about, when Israel grew strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not actually drive them out.

29Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in their midst in Gezer.

30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived in their midst and became subject to forced labor.

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

32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, because they did not dispossess them.

33Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; yet the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced laborers for them.

34The Amorites pressed the Danites back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley.

35The Amorites persisted in living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; but the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy, and they became forced laborers.

36The border of the Amorites ran from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

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