Judges 1:1-18
Evangelical Heritage Version
Military and Political Conditions During the Time of the Judges
1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Who should go up against the Canaanites for us? Who of us should be the first to wage war against them?”
2 The Lord said, “Judah should go up. I have handed over the land to them.”
3 So the tribe of Judah said to the tribe of Simeon, their brothers, “Go up with us to the territory that has been allotted to us, and together we will wage war against the Canaanites. We also will come with you into your allotment.” So Simeon went with Judah.
4 When Judah went up, the Lord delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hand. At Bezek the Israelites struck down ten thousand men. 5 They encountered Adoni-Bezek at Bezek, and they waged war against him and struck down the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
7 So Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their big toes cut off, had to scrounge for scraps of food under my table. God has repaid me with exactly what I did to them.” Israel brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 The men of Judah waged war against Jerusalem and captured it. They struck the city with the edge[a] of the sword and set it on fire.
9 After that, the men of Judah went down to wage war against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the Shephelah.[b] 10 Judah went up against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron before this was Kiriath Arba). There they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 From there they went up against those who lived at Debir (the name of Debir before this was Kiriath Sepher). 12 Then Caleb said, “To the one who attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I will give my daughter Aksah as his wife.”
13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother,[c] captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him as his wife.
14 She came to Othniel and pressured him to ask her father for pastureland.[d] As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me this blessing: Since you gave me land in the dry Negev, give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16 The descendants of the Kenite father-in-law of Moses went up with the people of Judah from the City of Palms[e] to the part of the Wilderness of Judah that was in the Negev near Arad. They went and lived there among the people.
17 The tribe of Judah went along with the tribe of Simeon, its brother tribe. Together they struck down the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They devoted the city to destruction and named the city Hormah.[f] 18 Judah also captured Gaza with its border region, Ashkelon with its border region, and Ekron with its border region.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 1:8 Literally mouth
- Judges 1:9 The hill country is the central mountain ridge of Israel. The Negev is the arid southern wilderness. The Shephelah is the western foothills.
- Judges 1:13 It is not certain whether Othniel or Kenaz was Caleb’s brother. It seems more likely that it was Kenaz.
- Judges 1:14 As the text is translated here, Aksah urged her husband to ask her father for the land, but he apparently did not do so, which would account for her making the request herself. See Joshua 15:18-19.
- Judges 1:16 Probably the area of Jericho
- Judges 1:17 Hormah means devoted to destruction.
Judges 1:1-18
Lexham English Bible
Israel Continues Its Conquest
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites[a] inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites[b] to fight against them?” 2 And Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand.” 3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotment, and let us fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into your allotment.” And Simeon went with him. 4 And Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites[c] and the Perizzites[d] into their hand, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 At Bezek they came upon Adoni-bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites[e] and the Perizzites.[f] 6 And Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued after him; they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.[g] 7 Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes[h] cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; just as I have done, so God has repaid to me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 The descendants[i] of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they captured it, put it to the sword,[j] and set the city on fire.[k] 9 Afterward the descendants[l] of Judah pursued to fight against the Canaanites[m] who were living in the hill country, the Negev,[n] and the Shephelah.[o] 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites[p] living in Hebron (the former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 And from there they went to the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him Acsah my daughter as a wife.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife. 14 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from the donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”[q] 15 And she said to him, “Give me a gift;[r] you have given me the land of the Negev,[s] and give me also a spring of water.” And Caleb gave to her the upper and lower spring.[t]
16 The descendants[u] of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the descendants[v] of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev[w] near Arad. And they went[x] and settled with the people. 17 And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites[y] inhabiting Zephath; they utterly destroyed it, so he called the name of the city Hormah. 18 Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.
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- Judges 1:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 1:1 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Judges 1:4 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Judges 1:4 Hebrew “Perizzite”
- Judges 1:5 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Judges 1:5 Hebrew “Perizzite”
- Judges 1:6 Literally “the thumbs of his hands and feet”
- Judges 1:7 Literally “the thumbs of their hands and feet”
- Judges 1:8 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 1:8 Literally “they struck it with the mouth of the sword”
- Judges 1:8 Literally “the city they sent away with fire”
- Judges 1:9 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 1:9 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Judges 1:9 An arid region south of the Judean hills
- Judges 1:9 A geographical region associated with an area of low country on the western edge of the Judaean hills.
- Judges 1:10 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Judges 1:14 Literally “What is for you?”
- Judges 1:15 Literally “blessing”
- Judges 1:15 An arid region south of the Judaean hills
- Judges 1:15 Judges 1:11–15 is almost identical to Joshua 15:13–19
- Judges 1:16 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 1:16 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 1:16 An arid region south of the Judaean hills
- Judges 1:16 Hebrew “he went”
- Judges 1:17 Hebrew “Canaanite”
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