1:1 | After Joshua died, the Israelites asked* the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?”* |
1:2 | The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead.* Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.”* |
1:3 | The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon,* “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites.* Then we* will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them. |
1:4 | The men of Judah attacked,* and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. |
1:5 | They met* Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. |
1:6 | When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. |
1:7 | Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up* food scraps* under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.”* They brought him to Jerusalem,* where he died. |
1:8 | The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire. |
1:9 | Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands.* |
1:10 | The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. |
1:11 | From there they attacked the people of Debir.* (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) |
1:12 | Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” |
1:13 | When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother,* captured it, Caleb* gave him his daughter Acsah as a wife. |
1:14 | One time Acsah* came and charmed her father* so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” |
1:15 | She answered, “Please give me a special present.* Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.* |
1:16 | Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah,* located in the Negev.* They went and lived with the people of Judah.* |
1:17 | The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon* and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath.* So people now call the city Hormah.* |
1:18 | The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities.* |
1:19 | The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered* the hill country, but they could not* conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.* |
1:20 | Caleb received* Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. |
1:21 | The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem.* The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day.* |
1:22 | When the men* of Joseph attacked* Bethel,* the Lord was with them. |
1:23 | When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), |
1:24 | the spies spotted* a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” |
1:25 | He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. |
1:26 | He* moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day. |
1:27 | The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo* or their surrounding towns.* The Canaanites managed* to remain in those areas.* |
1:28 | Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them. |
1:29 | The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer. |
1:30 | The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol.* The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor. |
1:31 | The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon,* nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.* |
1:32 | The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them. |
1:33 | The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath.* They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites* living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them. |
1:34 | The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in* the coastal plain. |
1:35 | The Amorites managed* to remain in Har Heres,* Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily,* the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. |
1:36 | The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent* to Sela and on up.* |