1 ¶ Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the sons of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us 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 the LORD said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.

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

3 A nd Judah said unto Simeon, his brother, Come up with me into my lot that we may fight against the Canaanite; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So 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 the LORD delivered the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hands, and they slew of 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 Adonibezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanite and the Perizzite.

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

6 B ut Adonibezek 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 Adonibezek said, Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered crumbs under my table; as I have done, so God has recompensed me. And they put him into 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 N ow the sons 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.

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

9 ¶ And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanite that dwelt in the mountains and in the Negev and in the plains.

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 (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba), and they slew Sheshai, 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 (and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher).

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 Kirjathsepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to 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 to 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 when he took her that he persuaded her to ask her father for land to cultivate. And she lighted from off her ass, and Caleb said unto her, What wilt 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 unto him, Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry 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 sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah which is towards the Negev of Arad; and they went and dwelt among 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 Canaanite that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called 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 lso Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.

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

19 A nd the LORD was with Judah, who drove out the inhabitants of the mountains, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains, 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 Hebron unto Caleb as Moses had said, and he expelled from there the three sons of Anak.

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

21 ¶ And the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; thus the Jebusites dwell with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto 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 also those of the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

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

23 A nd those of the house of Joseph put spies in 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 spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy.

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 when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man go 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 the name of it Luz, which is its name unto 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 N either did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean 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 Canaanite desired to 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 was strong that they put the Canaanites under tribute but did not utterly drive them out.

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

29 N either did Ephraim drive out the Canaanite that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanite dwelt in Gezer among them.

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

30 N either did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron nor the inhabitants of Nahalol, but the Canaanite 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 N either 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;

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

32 t o the contrary Asher dwelt among the Canaanites that inhabited the land, for they did not drive them out.

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

33 N either did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh nor the inhabitants of Bethanath, but he dwelt among the Canaanites that inhabited the land; nevertheless, the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto 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 sons of Dan into the mountain, for they would not allow 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 desired to dwell in Mount Heres in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; yet when the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, they made them 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 to Akrabbim from the rock and upward.

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