1 A fter the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of Yahweh, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, 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 Y ahweh 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 J udah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your 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 J udah went up, and Yahweh delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek.

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

5 T hey found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him. They struck 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 B ut Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big 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 doni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

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 T he children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck 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 fter that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived 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 J udah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron before that was Kiriath Arba.) They struck 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 F rom there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.)

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

12 C aleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.”

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

13 O thniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife.

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

14 W hen she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She dismounted from off of her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”

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 S he said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then 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 T he children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went 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 lived 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 J udah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. 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 Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.

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

19 Y ahweh was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out 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 T hey gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove the three sons of Anak out of there.

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

21 T he children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited 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 T he house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them.

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

23 T he house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city before that was Luz.)

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

24 T he watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”

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 H e showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go.

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 T he man went into the land of the Hittites, 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 M anasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean 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 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 W hen Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and 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 E phraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived 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 Z ebulun didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor.

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 didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, 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 b ut the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of 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 aphtali didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor.

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 T he Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, 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 b ut 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 subject to forced labor.

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 T he border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

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