Judges Chapter 1

Jerusalem Is Captured

1Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel 1inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us 2against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2The Lord said, “3Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into 4the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and 5I in turn will go with you into 6the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him. 4Judah went up, and 7the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they 8defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they 9defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his 10thumbs and big toes. 7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; 11as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.

8Then the sons of Judah fought against 12Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the 13Negev and in the lowland. 1014So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

Capture of Other Cities

11Then 15from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher). 12And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife.” 1316Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. 14Then 17it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from 18her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What 19do you want?” 15She said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the 20Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16The 21descendants of 22the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the 23city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of 24Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called 25Hormah. 18And Judah took 26Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory. 19Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not 27drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had 28iron chariots. 20Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, 29as Moses had 30promised; and he drove out from there 31the three sons of Anak. 2132But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the 33Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23The house of Joseph spied out Bethel (34now the name of the city was formerly Luz). 24The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city and 35we will treat you kindly.” 25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, 36but they let the man and all his family go free. 26The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz 37which is its name to this day.

Places Not Conquered

2738But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so 39the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. 28It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

2940Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of 41Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

31Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob. 32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

34Then the Amorites 42forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley; 35yet the Amorites persisted in 43living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; but when the 44power of the house of Joseph 45grew strong, they became forced labor. 36The border of the Amorites ran from the 46ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.