1 A nd it cometh to pass, after the death of Joshua, that the sons of Israel ask at Jehovah, saying, `Who doth go up for us unto the Canaanite, at the commencement, to fight against it?'

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 saith, `Judah doth go up; lo, I have given 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 saith to Simeon his brother, `Go up with me into my lot, and we fight against the Canaanite -- and I have gone, even I, with thee into thy lot;' and Simeon goeth 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 goeth up, and Jehovah giveth the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand, and they smite 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 find Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fight against him, and smite 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 A nd Adoni-Bezek fleeth, and they pursue after him, and seize 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 saith, `Seventy kings -- their thumbs and their great toes cut off -- have been gathering under my table; as I have done so hath God repaid to me;' and they bring him in to Jerusalem, and he dieth 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 A nd the sons of Judah fight against Jerusalem, and capture it, and smite it by the mouth of the sword, and the city they have sent into 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 have the sons of Judah gone down to fight against the Canaanite, inhabiting the hill-country, and the south, and the low country;

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 goeth unto the Canaanite who is dwelling in Hebron (and the name of Hebron formerly Kirjath-Arba), and they smite 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 he goeth thence unto the inhabitants of Debir (and the name of Debir formerly Kirjath-Sepher),

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

12 a nd Caleb saith, `He who smiteth Kirjath-Sepher -- and hath captured it -- then I have given to him Achsah my daughter for a 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 son of Kenaz, younger brother of Caleb, doth capture it, and he giveth to him Achsah his daughter for a 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 cometh to pass in her coming in, that she persuadeth him to ask from her father the field, and she lighteth from off the ass, and Caleb saith to her, `What -- to thee?'

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 saith to him, `Give to me a blessing; when the south land thou hast given me -- then thou hast given to me springs of water; and Caleb giveth to 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, father-in-law of Moses, have gone up out of the city of palms with the sons of Judah the wilderness of Judah, which in the south of Arad, and they go and dwell 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 goeth with Simeon his brother, and they smite the Canaanite inhabiting Zephath, and devote it; and calleth 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 captureth Gaza and its border, and Askelon 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 is with Judah, and he occupieth the hill-country, but not to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they have 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 give to Caleb Hebron, as Moses hath spoken, and he dispossesseth 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 Jebusite, inhabiting Jerusalem, the sons of Benjamin have not dispossessed; and the Jebusite dwelleth with the sons of Benjamin, in Jerusalem, till 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 go up -- even they -- to Beth-El, and Jehovah 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 cause to spy about Beth-El (and the name of the city formerly is Luz),

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

24 a nd the watchers see a man coming out from the city, and say to him, `Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance of the city, and we have done with 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 sheweth them the entrance of the city, and they smite the city by the mouth of the sword, and the man and all his family they have sent away;

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 goeth to the land of the Hittites, and buildeth a city, and calleth its name Luz -- it 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 A nd Manasseh hath not occupied Beth-Shean and its towns, and Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Iblaim and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, and the Canaanite is desirous 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 cometh to pass, when Israel hath been strong, that he setteth the Canaanite to tribute, and hath not utterly dispossessed it.

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

29 A nd Ephraim hath not dispossessed the Canaanite who is dwelling in Gezer, and the Canaanite dwelleth in its midst, 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 hath not dispossessed the inhabitants of Kitron, and the inhabitants of Nahalol, and the Canaanite dwelleth in its midst, and they become tributary.

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 hath not dispossessed the inhabitants of Accho, and the inhabitants of Zidon, and Ahlab, and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and 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 Asherite dwelleth in the midst of the Canaanite, the inhabitants of the land, for it hath not dispossessed them.

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

33 N aphtali hath not dispossessed the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh, and the inhabitants of Beth-Anath, and he dwelleth in the midst of the Canaanite, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh and of Beth-Anath have become tributary 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 press the sons of Dan to the mountain, for they have not suffered them to go 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 Amorite is desirous to dwell in mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, and the hand of the house of Joseph is heavy, and they become tributary;

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 Amorite 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.