Judges 1
1
The Tribes of Judah and Simeon Fight the Canaanites
1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Which of our tribes should attack the Canaanites first?”
2“Judah!” the Lord answered. “I'll help them take the land.”
3The people of Judah went to their relatives, the Simeon tribe, and said, “Canaanites live in the land God gave us. Help us fight them, and we will help you.”
Troops from Simeon came to help Judah. 4-5Together they attacked an army of 10,000 Canaanites and Perizzites at Bezek, and the Lord helped Judah defeat them. During the battle, Judah's army found out where the king of Bezek#1.4,5 king of Bezek: Or “Adoni-Bezek.” was, and they attacked there. 6The king tried to escape, but soldiers from Judah caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes, 7and he said, “I've cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings and made those kings crawl around under my table for scraps of food. Now God is paying me back.”
The army of Judah took the king of Bezek along with them to Jerusalem, where he died. 8They attacked Jerusalem,#1.8 Jerusalem: This probably refers to towns and villages belonging to Jerusalem but lying in Judah's territory south of the city wall. Jerusalem itself was just inside Benjamin's territory, but was not captured by Israel at this time (see verse 21; Joshua 15.5-9; 18.15-18). captured it, killed everyone who lived there, and then burned it to the ground.
9Judah's army fought the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Southern Desert, and the foothills to the west. 10After that, they attacked the Canaanites who lived at Hebron, defeating the three clans called#1.10 clans called: Or “warriors.” Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. At that time, Hebron was called Kiriath-Arba.
11From Hebron, Judah's army went to attack Debir, which at that time was called Kiriath-Sepher. 12Caleb#1.12 Caleb: One of the leaders of Judah; see Joshua 14.6-14 and Numbers 13.6,30; 14.6,10, 20-24. For verses 12-15, see Joshua 15.13-19. told his troops, “The man who captures Kiriath-Sepher can marry my daughter Achsah.”
13Caleb's nephew Othniel captured Kiriath-Sepher, so Caleb let him marry Achsah. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz.#1.13 Othniel was the son of … Kenaz: Or “Othniel and Caleb both belonged to the Kenaz clan, but Othniel was younger than Caleb.” 14Right after the wedding, Achsah started telling Othniel that he#1.14 Achsah … Othniel … he: Hebrew; two ancient translations “Othniel … Achsah … she.” ought to ask her father for a field. She went to see her father, and while she was getting down from#1.14 getting down from: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. her donkey, Caleb asked, “What's bothering you?”
15She answered, “I need your help. The land you gave me is in the Southern Desert, so please give me some spring-fed ponds for a water supply.”
Caleb gave her a couple of small ponds named Higher Pond and Lower Pond.#1.15 spring-fed ponds … small ponds … Higher Pond and Lower Pond: Or “wells … wells … Higher Well and Lower Well.”
16The people who belonged to the Kenite clan were the descendants of the father-in-law of Moses. They left Jericho#1.16 Jericho: The Hebrew text has “Town of Palm Trees,” another name for Jericho. with the people of Judah and settled near Arad in the Southern Desert of Judah not far from the Amalekites.#1.16 not far … Amalekites: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
17Judah's army helped Simeon's army attack the Canaanites who lived at Zephath. They completely destroyed#1.17 completely destroyed: The Hebrew word means that the town was given completely to the Lord, and since it could not be used for normal purposes anymore, it had to be destroyed. the town and renamed it Hormah.#1.17 Hormah: In Hebrew “Hormah” sounds like “completely destroyed.”
18-19The Lord helped the army of Judah capture Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the land near those towns. They also took the hill country. But the people who lived in the valleys had iron chariots, so Judah was not able to make them leave or to take their land.
20 #
Js 15.13,14. The tribe of Judah gave the town of Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had told them to do. Caleb defeated the three Anakim#1.20 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very tall people that lived in Palestine before the Israelites (see Numbers 13.33 and Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21). clans#1.20 clans: See the note at 1.10. and took over the town.
The Benjamin Tribe Does Not Capture Jerusalem
21 #
Js 15.63; 2 S 5.6; 1 Ch 11.4. The Jebusites were living in Jerusalem, and the Benjamin tribe did not defeat them or capture the town. That's why Jebusites still live in Jerusalem along with the people of Benjamin.
The Ephraim and Manasseh Tribes Capture Bethel
22-23The Ephraim and Manasseh tribes#1.22,23 The Ephraim and Manasseh tribes: The Hebrew text has “The Joseph family,” which was divided into these two tribes named after Joseph's sons. were getting ready to attack Bethel, which at that time was called Luz. And the Lord helped them when they sent spies to find out as much as they could about Bethel. 24While the spies were watching the town, a man came out, and they told him, “If you show us how our army can get into the town,#1.24 If you … town: Sometimes there were small doors in the town wall that could be opened from the inside even when the main town gates were shut and locked. we will make sure that you aren't harmed.” 25The man showed them, and the two Israelite tribes attacked Bethel, killing everyone except the man and his family. The two tribes made the man and his family leave, 26so they went to the land of the Hittites,#1.26 land of the Hittites: The Hittites had an empire centered in what is now Turkey. At one time their empire reached south into Syria, north of Israel. where he built a town. He named the town Luz, and that is still its name.
Israel Does Not Get Rid of All the Canaanites
27-28 #
Js 17.11-13. Canaanites lived in the towns of Beth-Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all the villages nearby. The Canaanites were determined to stay, and the Manasseh tribe never did get rid of them. But later on, when the Israelites grew more powerful, they made slaves of the Canaanites.
29 #
Js 16.10. The Ephraim tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived there with Israelites all around them.
30The Zebulun tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Kitron and Nahalol, and the Canaanites stayed there with Israelites around them. But the people of Zebulun did force the Canaanites into slave labor.
31-32The Asher tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob, and the Asher tribe lived with Canaanites all around them.
33The Naphtali tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Beth-Shemesh and Beth-Anath, but they did force the Canaanites into slave labor. The Naphtali tribe lived with Canaanites around them.
34The Amorites#1.34 Amorites: Used in the general sense of nations that lived in Canaan before the Israelites. were strong enough to keep the tribe of Dan from settling in the valleys, so Dan had to stay in the hill country.
35The Amorites on Mount Heres and in Aijalon and Shaalbim were also determined to stay. Later on, as Ephraim and Manasseh grew more powerful, they forced those Amorites into slave labor.
The Amorite-Edomite Border
36The old Amorite-Edomite border used to go from Sela through Scorpion Pass#1.36 Scorpion Pass: Or “Akrabbim Pass.” into the hill country.#1.36 country: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 36.
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Judges 1: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Judges 1
1
Israel Continues Its Conquest
1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” to fight against them?” 2And Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand.” 3And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotment, and let us fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into your allotment.” And Simeon went with him. 4And Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” and the Perizzites#Hebrew “Perizzite” into their hand, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5At Bezek they came upon Adoni-bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” and the Perizzites.#Hebrew “Perizzite” 6And Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued after him; they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.#Literally “the thumbs of his hands and feet” 7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes#Literally “the thumbs of their hands and feet” cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; just as I have done, so God has repaid to me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8The descendants#Or “sons/children” of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they captured it, put it to the sword,#Literally “they struck it with the mouth of the sword” and set the city on fire.#Literally “the city they sent away with fire” 9Afterward the descendants#Or “sons/children” of Judah pursued to fight against the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” who were living in the hill country, the Negev,#An arid region south of the Judean hills and the Shephelah.#A geographical region associated with an area of low country on the western edge of the Judaean hills. 10And Judah went against the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” living in Hebron (the former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11And from there they went to the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher). 12And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him Acsah my daughter as a wife.” 13Othniel son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife. 14When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from the donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”#Literally “What is for you?” 15And she said to him, “Give me a gift;#Literally “blessing” you have given me the land of the Negev,#An arid region south of the Judaean hills and give me also a spring of water.” And Caleb gave to her the upper and lower spring.#Judges 1:11–15 is almost identical to Joshua 15:13–19
16The descendants#Or “sons/children” of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the descendants#Or “sons/children” of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev#An arid region south of the Judaean hills near Arad. And they went#Hebrew “he went” and settled with the people. 17And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” inhabiting Zephath; they utterly destroyed it, so he called the name of the city Hormah. 18Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. 19And Yahweh was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. 20They gave Hebron to Caleb just as Moses said, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. 21But the descendants#Or “sons/children” of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites#Hebrew “Jebusite” who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived among the descendants#Or “sons/children” of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22Likewise, the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23And the house of Joseph spied out Bethel (the former name of the city was Luz). 24And when the spies saw a man leaving the city,#Or “going out from the city” they said to him, “Please show us the entrance of the city, and we will deal kindly#Or “do a loyal love” with you.” 25So he showed them the entrance of the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword,#Literally “the mouth of the sword” but they let go the man and all his family. 26And the man went to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city and named it Luz; this is its name to this day.
27Manasseh did not drive out Beth-Sean and its towns, or Taanach and its towns, or the inhabitants#Hebrew “inhabitant” of Dor and its towns, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” were determined to live in this land. 28And it happened, when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” to forced labor, but they never totally drove them out. 29Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” living in Gezer, so the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” lived in their midst in Gezer. 30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol, so the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” lived in their midst and became subjected to forced labor. 31Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob, 32so the Asherites#Hebrew “Asherite” lived in the midst of the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.
33Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or Beth-anath, but lived in the midst of the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” the inhabitants of the land; the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.
34The Amorites pressed#Or “forced” the descendants#Or “sons/children” of Dan to the hill country, and they did not allow them to come down to the plain; 35the Amorites were determined to live in Har-heres,#Or “Mount Heres” in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy on them, and they became subjected to forced labor. 36The border of the Amorites#Hebrew “Amorite” ran from the ascent of Akrabbim from Sela and upward.
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