1 A nd it came to pass after the death of Joshua that the children of Israel asked Jehovah, saying, Which of us shall go up against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Who will be first to go up and fight against the Canaanites for us?”

2 A nd Jehovah said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

The Lord said, “Judah will go up. See, I have given the land into his hand.”

3 A nd Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, and let us fight against the Canaanites, and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot; and Simeon went with him.

Then Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me into the land which is given to me. Let us fight against the Canaanites together. Then I will go with you into the land which is given to you.” So Simeon went with him.

4 A nd Judah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they smote them in Bezek, ten thousand men.

Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. They killed 10, 000 men at Bezek.

5 A nd they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they won the war against the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 A nd Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

Adoni-bezek tried to run away, but they went after him and caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 A nd Adoni-Bezek said, Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gleaned under my table: as I have done, so God has requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. Now God has paid me for what I have done.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and there he died.

8 A nd the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it. They destroyed it with the sword and set the city on fire.

9 A nd afterwards the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the south, and in the lowland.

After this the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev and in the plains.

10 A nd Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron—the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-Arba; and they slew Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron was Kiriath-arba before.) They won the war against Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

11 A nd from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.

From there Judah went against the people of Debir. (The name of Debir was Kiriath-sepher before.)

12 A nd Caleb said, He that smites Kirjath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.

Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who fights against Kiriath-sepher and takes it.”

13 A nd Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took the city. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife.

14 A nd it came to pass as she came, that she urged him to ask of her father the field; and she sprang down from the ass. And Caleb said to her, What wouldest thou?

When she came to Othniel, she talked him into asking her father for a field. As she came down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”

15 A nd she said to him, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a southern land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

She said to him, “Give me a special gift. You have given me the land of the Negev. Give me the wells of water also.” So Caleb gave her the wells in the high land and in the valley.

16 A nd the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, had gone 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 dwelt with the people.

The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went with the people of Judah from Jericho to the desert of Judah south of Arad. They went and lived with the people.

17 A nd Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it; and they called the name of the city Hormah.

Then Judah went with his brother Simeon. They killed the Canaanites living in Zephath and destroyed the whole city. The name of the city was called Hormah.

18 A nd Judah took Gazah and its border, and Ashkelon and its border, and Ekron and its border.

Judah took Gaza with its land, Ashkelon with its land, and Ekron with its land.

19 A nd Jehovah was with Judah; and he took possession of the hill-country, for he did not dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

The Lord was with Judah. They took the hill country for their own. They could not drive out the people living in the valley, because they had iron war-wagons.

20 A nd they gave to Caleb Hebron, as Moses had said; and he dispossessed from thence the three sons of Anak.

They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak.

21 A nd the children of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 A nd the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel; and Jehovah was with them.

The men of the family of Joseph went up against Bethel. And the Lord was with them.

23 A nd the house of Joseph sent to search out Bethel; now the name of the city before was Luz.

Those of the family of Joseph spied out Bethel. (The name of the city was Luz before.)

24 A nd the guards saw a man come forth out of the city, and said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, how may enter into the city, and we will shew thee kindness.

The men who were spying out Bethel saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us the way into the city, and we will be kind to you.”

25 A nd he shewed them how to enter into the city. And they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.

So he showed them the way into the city. They destroyed the city with the sword. But they let the man and all his family go free.

26 A nd the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

The man went into the land of the Hittites. He built a city there and gave it the name of Luz. That is its name to this day. Some of the People Were Not Driven Out of the Land

27 A nd Manasseh did not dispossess Beth-shean and its dependent villages, nor Taanach and its dependent villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent villages, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its dependent villages, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its dependent villages; and the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

But the men of Manasseh did not take for their own Bethshean and its towns or Taanach and its towns. They did not drive out the people of Dor and its towns, or of Ibleam and its towns, or of Megiddo and its towns. So the Canaanites stayed in that land.

28 A nd it came to pass when Israel became strong, that they made the Canaanites tributary; but they did not utterly dispossess them.

When Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites work for them. But they did not drive all of them out.

29 A nd Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt among them in Gezer.

Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. So the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30 Z ebulun did not dispossess the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

Zebulun did not drive out the people of Kitron or the people of Nahalol. So the Canaanites lived among them and were made to work.

31 A sher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor Ahlab, nor Achzib, nor Helbah, nor Aphik, nor Rehob;

Asher did not drive out the people of Acco, or the people of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

32 a nd the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not dispossess them.

So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. For they did not drive them out.

33 N aphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; and he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries to them.

Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or the people of Beth-anath. But they lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. The people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were made to work for them.

34 A nd the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill-country, for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley.

The Amorites drove the people of Dan into the hill country. They did not let them come down to the valley.

35 A nd the Amorites would dwell on mount Heres, in Ajalon and in Shaalbim; but the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, and they became tributaries.

The Amorites would not leave Mount Heres, Aijalon or Shaalbim. But when the family of Joseph became strong, they made the Amorites work for them.

36 A nd the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upwards.

The land of the Amorites was from the hill-side of Akrabbim, up from Sela.