Judges 1
New International Reader's Version
The Israelites Fight Against the Remaining Canaanites
1 Joshua died. After that, the Israelites spoke to the Lord. They asked him, “Who of us will go up first and fight against the Canaanites?”
2 The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah will go up. I have handed the land over to them.”
3 Then the men of Judah spoke to their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They said, “Come up with us. Come into the territory Joshua gave us. Help us fight against the Canaanites. Then we’ll go with you into your territory.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
4 When the men of Judah attacked, the Lord helped them. He handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They struck down 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 The men of Judah found Adoni-Bezek there. They fought against him. They struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him and caught him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 Adoni-Bezek said, “I cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings. I made them pick up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” The men of Judah brought Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem. That’s where he died.
8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They set the city on fire. They killed its people with their swords.
9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against some Canaanites. Those Canaanites were living in the central hill country. They also fought against those living in the Negev Desert and the western hills. 10 Then the men of Judah marched out against the Canaanites living in Hebron. Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. The men of Judah won the battle over Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From Hebron they marched out against the people living in Debir. It used to be called Kiriath Sepher.
12 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah to be married. I’ll give her to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him to be his wife. Othniel was the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother.
14 One day Aksah came to Othniel. She begged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”
15 She replied, “Do me a special favor. You have given me some land in the Negev Desert. Give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 Moses’ father-in-law was a Kenite. His family went up from Jericho. Jericho was also known as the City of Palm Trees. His family went up with the people of Judah to the Desert of Judah. They went there to live among its people. Those people were living in the Negev Desert near Arad.
17 The men of Judah marched out with their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They attacked the people of Canaan living in Zephath. They set the city apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. That’s why the city was called Hormah. 18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. They also captured the territory around each of those cities.
19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took over the central hill country. But they weren’t able to drive the people out of the plains. That’s because those people used chariots that had some iron parts. 20 Moses had promised to give Hebron to Caleb. So Hebron was given to Caleb. He drove the three sons of Anak out of it. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day they live there with the people of Benjamin.
22 The tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel. The Lord was with them. 23 They sent men to Bethel to check it out. It used to be called Luz. 24 Those who were sent saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us how to get into the city. If you do, we’ll see that you are treated well.” 25 So he showed them how to get in. The men of Joseph killed the people in the city with their swords. But they spared the man from Bethel. They also spared his whole family. 26 Then he went to the land of the Hittites. He built a city there. He called it Luz. That’s still its name to this day.
27 But the tribe of Manasseh didn’t drive out the people of Beth Shan. They didn’t drive out the people of Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo. And they didn’t drive out the people of the settlements that are around those cities either. That’s because the Canaanites had made up their minds to continue living in that land. 28 Later, Israel became stronger. Then they forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. But Israel never drove them out completely. 29 The tribe of Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 The tribe of Zebulun didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron and Nahalol. So these Canaanites lived among them. But the people of Zebulun forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. 31 The tribe of Asher didn’t drive out the people living in Akko and Sidon. They didn’t drive out the people of Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek and Rehob. 32 So the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. 33 The tribe of Naphtali didn’t drive out the people living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath. So the people of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. The people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to work hard for them. 34 The Amorites made the people of Dan stay in the central hill country. They didn’t let them come down into the plain. 35 The Amorites made up their minds to stay in Mount Heres. They also stayed in Aijalon and Shaalbim. But the power of the tribes of Joseph grew. Then the Amorites were forced to work hard for them. 36 The border of the Amorites started at Scorpion Pass. It went to Sela and even past it.
Judges 1
Complete Jewish Bible
1 After the death of Y’hoshua, the people of Isra’el asked Adonai, “Who will go up for us first to fight against the Kena‘ani?” 2 Adonai said: “Y’hudah will go up; here, I have handed the land over to him.” 3 Y’hudah said to his brother Shim‘on, “Come up with me into my assigned territory, so that we can fight against the Kena‘ani; and I likewise will go with you into your territory.” So Shim‘on went with him. 4 Y’hudah went up; and Adonai gave the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi into their hands; of those in Bezek they killed ten thousand men. 5 They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him. They killed the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi, 6 but Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said: “Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their big toes cut off, gathered food under my table; God has paid me back in accordance with what I did.” They brought him to Yerushalayim, and he died there.
8 Then the people of Y’hudah fought against Yerushalayim, captured it, overpowered it with the sword, and set the city on fire. 9 Afterwards, the people of Y’hudah went down to fight against the Kena‘ani who lived in the hill-country, in the Negev, and in the Sh’felah. 10 Y’hudah also attacked the Kena‘ani living in Hevron (formerly called Kiryat-Arba), and they overpowered Sheshai, Achiman and Talmai.
11 From there they attacked the inhabitants of D’vir (D’vir was formerly called Kiryat-Sefer). 12 Kalev said: “To whoever overpowers Kiryat-Sefer and captures it I will give my daughter ‘Akhsah as his wife.” 13 ‘Otni’el the son of K’naz, Kalev’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him ‘Akhsah his daughter as his wife. 14 After becoming his wife, she persuaded him to ask her father to give them a field; when she got off her donkey, Kalev asked her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him: “Give me a blessing: since you gave me land in the Negev, also give me sources of water.” So Kalev gave her the Upper Springs and the Lower Springs.
16 Next, the descendants of the Keini, Moshe’s father-in-law, went up out of the City of Date-Palms with the people of Y’hudah into the Y’hudah Desert south of ‘Arad; and they came and settled with the people.
17 Y’hudah went with Shim‘on his brother; they overpowered the Kena‘ani who inhabited Tz’fat, and completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Y’hudah also took ‘Azah with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory and ‘Ekron with its territory. 19 Adonai was with Y’hudah, and they took possession of the hill-country, because they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, since they had iron chariots.
20 They gave Hevron to Kalev, as Moshe had said to do; and he drove out from there the three sons of ‘Anak.
21 The people of Binyamin did not drive out the Y’vusi who inhabited Yerushalayim; rather, the Y’vusi continued living with the people of Binyamin in Yerushalayim, as they do to this day.
22 The house of Yosef likewise attacked Beit-El; and Adonai was with them. 23 The house of Yosef sent spies to Beit-El (the city was formerly called Luz). 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him: “Please show us the way to enter the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 25 So he showed them the way into the city, and they overpowered the city with the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. 26 He went into the land of the Hittim, built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27 M’nasheh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beit-Sh’an and its villages, Ta‘anakh and its villages, Dor and its villages, Yivle‘am and its villages or Megiddo and its villages; so that the Kena‘ani managed to keep on living in that land. 28 In time, when Isra’el had grown strong, they did put the Kena‘ani to forced labor but failed to drive them out completely.
29 Efrayim did not drive out the Kena‘ani living in Gezer; so the Kena‘ani continued living in Gezer along with them.
30 Z’vulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol; so the Kena‘ani continued to live among them but became subject to forced labor.
31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of ‘Akko, Tzidon, Achlav, Akhziv, Helbah, Afik or Rechov; 32 so the Asheri lived among the Kena‘ani who were living in the land, because they didn’t drive them out.
33 Naftali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh or Beit-‘Anat but lived among the Kena‘ani living in the land; however, the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh and Beit-‘Anat became forced labor for them.
34 The Emori forced the people of Dan into the hills; for they would not let them come down to the valley. 35 The Emori had resolved to live in the Heres Hills, in Ayalon and in Sha‘alvim; but when the power of the house of Yosef grew greater, they became subject to forced labor. 36 So the territory of the Emori was from the Scorpion Ascent and the Rock upward.
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