Judges 1

Judah and Simeon Lead the Conquest

1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of Yahweh, “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. I have given the land into his hand.” 3Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come up with me into my allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites together; then I will go with you into your territory.” So Simeon went with him. 4Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5There they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. 8The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it; they struck it down with the sword and set the city on fire. 9Afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the lowlands. 10Judah marched against the Canaanites living in Hebron — Hebron was formerly called Kiriath-arba — and struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

Othniel Wins Achsah as His Wife

11From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir — Debir was formerly called Kiriath-sepher. 12Caleb said, “Whoever strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as wife.” 13Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. 14When she came to him, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. As she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water too.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

Settling the Land

16The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms into the wilderness of Judah, in the Negev near Arad; they went and settled among the people there. 17Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck down the Canaanites living in Zephath and devoted the city to destruction; so it was named Hormah. 18Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. 19Yahweh was with Judah, and Judah took possession of the hill country; but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had promised, and he drove out from it the three sons of Anak. 21But the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day. 22The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23The house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel — the city was formerly called Luz. 24The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 25He showed them the way into the city, and they struck the city down with the sword, but they let the man and his whole family go free. 26The man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, naming it Luz; that is still its name today.

The Failures to Drive Out the Canaanites

27Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, nor Taanach and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the Canaanites were determined to stay in that land. 28When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor instead of driving them out completely. 29Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, and so the Canaanites went on living in their midst, in Gezer. 30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; the Canaanites remained among them, reduced to forced labor. 31Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco or Sidon, nor those of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. 32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, because they had not driven them out. 33Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or Beth-anath; instead he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land — though the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were reduced to forced labor. 34The Amorites pressed the Danites into the hill country, never letting them come down into the valley. 35The Amorites were determined to stay on in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy against them, and they were reduced to forced labor. 36The territory of the Amorites ran from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.