Judges 1
1
Judah’s Leadership against the Canaanites
1After the death of Joshua,#Jos 1:1; 24:29–31 the Israelites inquired of the Lord,#Jdg 20:23,27; 1Sm 10:22; 23:2,4; 28:6 “Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?”
2The Lord answered, “Judah#Gn 29:35; 49:8–12 is to go.#Jdg 20:18 I have handed the land over to him.”#Gn 35:12; Ex 6:8
3Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me to my allotted territory, and let’s fight against the Canaanites. I will also go with you to your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him.
4When Judah attacked, the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites#Gn 13:7; Dt 7:1; Jos 3:10; Ezr 9:1 over to them. They struck down ten thousand men in Bezek.#1Sm 11:8 5They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought against him, and struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
6When Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.#2Sm 4:12 7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps#1:7 Lit toes cut off are gathering under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem, captured it, put it to the sword, and set the city on fire. 9Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.#1:9 Or the Shephelah 10Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron#Gn 13:18; 23:2 (Hebron was formerly named Kiriath-arba#Gn 23:2; 35:27; Jos 14:15). They struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.#Nm 13:22; Jos 15:13–14 11From there they marched against the residents of Debir#Jos 10:38–39; 11:21; 15:7; 21:15; 1Ch 6:58 (Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher).
12Caleb#Nm 13:6,13; 14:6,24,30,38; 26:65; 32:12 said, “Whoever attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah#1Ch 2:49 to him as a wife.” 13So Othniel#Jdg 3:9,11; 1Ch 4:13 son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as his wife.
14When she arrived, she persuaded Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?” 15She answered him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev,#Gn 12:9; 13:1,3; Nm 13:17,22,29; 2Sm 24:7; Ps 126:4 give me springs also.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.#Jos 15:15–19
16The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’s father-in-law,#Ex 2:18; 3:1; 4:18; 18:1–12; Nm 10:29 had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms#1:16 = Jericho; Dt 34:3; Jdg 3:13; 2Ch 28:15#Dt 34:3; Jdg 3:13; 2Ch 28:15 to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad.#Nm 21:1; 33:40; Jos 12:14 They went to live among the people.
17Judah went with his brother Simeon, struck the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and completely destroyed the town. So they named the town Hormah.#Nm 21:3; Dt 1:44 18Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. 19The Lord was with#Gn 39:2,21; Jos 6:27; Jdg 2:18; 1Sm 18:12 Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out#Jos 15:63 the people who were living in the plain because those people had iron chariots.#Jos 17:16,18; Jdg 4:3,13
20Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised.#Dt 1:36; Jos 14:9 Then Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak#Nm 13:22 who lived there.
Benjamin’s Failure
21At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.#Jos 15:63
Success of the House of Joseph
22The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with#Gn 39:2,21; Jos 6:27; Jdg 2:18; 1Sm 18:12 them. 23They sent spies to Bethel (the town was formerly named Luz#Gn 28:19; 35:6; 48:3). 24The spies saw a man coming out of the town and said to him, “Please show us how to get into town, and we will show you kindness.”#Jos 2:12,14; 2Sm 9:1,3,7 25When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but released the man and his entire family. 26Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name still today.
Failure of the Other Tribes
27At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-shean#Jos 17:11,16; 1Sm 31:10,12; 2Sm 21:12 and Taanach#Jos 21:25; Jdg 5:19 and their surrounding villages, or the residents of Dor,#Jos 11:2; 12:23; 17:11; 1Kg 4:11 Ibleam,#Jos 17:11; 2Kg 9:27 and Megiddo#Jdg 5:19; 1Kg 9:15; 2Kg 23:29–30 and their surrounding villages; the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.#Jdg 1:35; Hs 5:11 28When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.#Jos 17:12–13
29At that time Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among them in Gezer.#Jos 16:10
30Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron or the residents of Nahalol,#Jos 19:15; 21:35 so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced labor.
31Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.
33Naphtali did not drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh or the residents of Beth-anath. They lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served as their forced labor.
34The Amorites#Ex 3:8; Nm 13:29; 21:31; Jos 2:10 forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley. 35The Amorites were determined to stay in Har-heres, Aijalon,#Jos 10:12; 1Sm 14:31; 1Ch 8:13; 2Ch 28:18 and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand, the Amorites were made to serve as forced labor. 36The territory of the Amorites extended from the Scorpions’ Ascent,#Nm 34:4; Jos 15:3 that is from Sela#2Kg 14:7; Is 16:1 upward.
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Judges 1
1
Tribal Conquests
1Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? 2And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. 3And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. 4And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 5And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
8Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 10And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
11And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher: 12and Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 13And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? 15And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
16And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. 19And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. 21And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
22And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the LORD was with them. 23And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) 24And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. 25And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. 26And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.
27Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 28And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
29Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
31Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: 32but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.
33Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them.
34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: 35but 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 tributaries. 36And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.
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