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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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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