New Heart English Bible

Judges

Judges 1

1 It happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, "Who should go up first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"

2 The LORD said, "Judah should go up. Look, I have delivered the land into his hand."

3 Judah 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.

4 Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

5 They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-Bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

7 Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, scavenged under my table: as I have done, so God has requited me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

9 Afterward the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the Negev, and in the lowland.

10 And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron, and Hebron came out in opposition (now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba), and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.)

12 Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

13 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

14 It happened, when she came to him, that she got him to ask her father for a field. And she got off from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What would you like?"

15 She said to him, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her according to her heart the upper springs and the lower springs.

16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the people of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

17 Judah 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.

18 Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory, and Ashdod with its surrounding lands.

19 The LORD 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.

20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken. And from there he possessed the three cities, and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

21 The people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and the LORD was with them.

23 And the house of Joseph sent out spies to Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they captured him, and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy."

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

26 The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 Manasseh 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.

28 It happened, when Israel had grown strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out.

29 Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30 Zebulun 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.

31 Asher did not 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;

32 but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33 Naphtali 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.

34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan into the hill country; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

35 but 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.

36 The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.