Beginning

1 After the death of Joshua the sons of Israel counselled with the Lord, and said, Who shall go up before us against Canaanites, and shall be duke of the battle? (After Joshua’s death the Israelites counselled with the Lord, and asked, Who shall go out first against the Canaanites, and shall be our leader in the battle?)

² And the Lord said, Judah shall go up (in the lead); lo! I have given the land into his hands.

³ And Judah said to Simeon, his brother, Go thou up with me in(to) my lot, and fight thou against Canaanites, that I go with thee in thy lot (and then I shall go with thee into thy lot). And (so) Simeon went with him;

⁴ and Judah went up (in the lead). And the Lord betook (the) Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they killed in Bezek ten thousand men.

⁵ And they found Adonibezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they overcame Canaanites, and Perizzites.

⁶ And Adonibezek fled, whom they pursued, and took (hold of), and they cut off the ends of his hands and of his feet.

⁷ And Adonibezek said, Seventy kings, when the ends of their hands and of their feet were cut away, gathered remnants of meats under my board (gathered scraps of food under my table); as I have done, so God hath yielded to me. And they brought him into Jerusalem, and there he died.

⁸ Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they took it, and they smote it by the sharpness of sword, and they betook all the city to burning. (Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they took it, and they struck down the people of Jerusalem with their sharp swords, and they burned down all the city.)

⁹ And afterward they went down, and fought against Canaanites, that dwelled in the hilly places (who lived in the hill country), and at the south, (and) in [the] wild fields.

¹⁰ And Judah went against Canaanites, that dwelled in Hebron, whose name was by eld time Kiriatharba (And Judah went out against the Canaanites, who lived in Hebron, whose name in olden times was Kiriatharba); and Judah killed Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

¹¹ And from thence he went forth, and he came to the dwellers of Debir, whose eld name was Kiriathsepher, that is, the city of letters. (And from there he went forth, and he came to the inhabitants of Debir, whose old name was Kiriathsepher, that is, the City of Letters.)

¹² And Caleb said, I shall give Achsah, my daughter, (for a) wife to him that shall smite Kiriathsepher, and shall waste it.

¹³ And when Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, had taken it, Caleb gave Achsah, his daughter, (for a) wife to him.

¹⁴ And her husband stirred her, going in the way, that she should ask of her father a field; and when she had sighed, sitting on the ass, Caleb said to her, What hast thou? (And her husband stirred her up, going on the way, to ask for a field from her father; and when she sighed, sitting on the donkey, Caleb said to her, What is the matter?)

¹⁵ And she answered, Give thou [a] blessing to me, for thou hast given a dry land to me; give thou to me also a moist land with waters (now give thou also to me some land with abundant water). And (so) Caleb gave to her the moist land above, and the moist land beneath.

¹⁶ Forsooth the sons of (the) Kenite, the father of Moses’ wife, ascended from the city of Palms with the sons of Judah, into the desert of his lot, which desert is at the south of Arad; and [they] dwelled with him. (And the sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the sons of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which wilderness is south of Arad; and they lived among the people there.)

¹⁷ And Judah went with Simeon, his brother; and they smote altogether Canaanites, that dwelled in Zephath, and they killed him; and the name of that city was called Hormah, that is, cursing, either perfect destroying, for that city was destroyed utterly. (And Judah went with his brother Simeon; and they struck down the Canaanites who lived in Zephath, and they killed them all; and the name of that city was called Hormah, that is, Cursed, or Completely Destroyed, for that city was utterly destroyed.)

¹⁸ And Judah took Gaza with his coasts, and Askelon (with his terms), and Ekron with his terms. (And Judah took Gaza, and Askelon, and Ekron, along with their land.)

¹⁹ And the Lord was with Judah, and he had in possession the hilly places; and he might not do away the dwellers of the valley, for they were plenteous in iron chariots, (full of weapons,) sharp as scythes. (And the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not do away the inhabitants in the valley, for they had plentiful iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes.)

²⁰ And the sons of Israel gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and Caleb did away from it (the) three sons of Anak. (And the Israelites gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and Caleb did away from it the three sons of the Anakim, or of the giants.)

²¹ But the sons of Benjamin did not (do) away Jebusites, the dweller(s) of Jerusalem; and Jebusites dwelled with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this present day. (But the Benjaminites did not do away the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and so the Jebusites lived with the Benjaminites in Jerusalem unto this present day.)

²² Also the house of Joseph went up into Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

²³ For when they besieged the city (And when they besieged Bethel), that was called Luz before,

²⁴ they saw a man going out of the city, and they said to him, Show thou to us the entering of the city (Show us how to enter the city), and we shall do mercy with thee.

²⁵ And when he had showed to them, they smote the city by sharpness of sword; and they delivered that man and all his kindred. (And when he had shown them, they struck down the people of that city with their sharp swords; and they saved that man and all his family.)

²⁶ And when he was delivered, he went into the land of Hittites, and builded there a city, and called it Luz; which is called so till into this present day (which it is still called unto this present day).

²⁷ Also Manasseh did not away Bethshean and Taanach with their towns, and the dwellers of Dor, and Ibleam, and Megiddo, with their towns; and Canaanites began to dwell with them. (And Manasseh did not do away Bethshean and Taanach with their towns, and the inhabitants of Dor, and Ibleam, and Megiddo, with their towns; and so the Canaanites began to live with them.)

²⁸ Soothly after that Israel was strengthened, he made them tributaries, either to pay tribute, and would not do away them. (And after that Israel was made strong, they made them all tributaries, that is, they forced them to pay tribute, or taxes, and did not do them away.)

²⁹ Soothly Ephraim killed not Canaanites that dwelled in Gezer, but dwelled with him. (And Ephraim did not kill the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but they lived with them.)

³⁰ Zebulun did not away the dwellers of Kitron, and of Nahalol; but Canaanites dwelled in the midst of him, and was made tributary to him. (Zebulun did not do away the inhabitants of Kitron, and of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived in their midst, and were made to pay tribute, or taxes, to them.)

³¹ Also Asher did not away the dwellers of Accho (And Asher did not do away the inhabitants of Accho), and of Sidon, of Ahlab, and of Achzib, and of Helbah, and of Aphik, and of Rehob;

³² and Asher dwelled in the midst of Canaanites, the dweller(s) of that land, and Asher killed not him. (and so the Asherites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of that land, and they did not kill them.)

³³ Naphtali did not away the dwellers of Bethshemesh, and of Bethanath; and he dwelled among Canaanites, the dweller(s) of the land; and Bethshemesh and Bethanath were (made) tributaries to him. (And the Naphtalites did not do away the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, and of Bethanath; and they lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land; and the people of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath were made to pay tribute, or taxes, to them.)

³⁴ And Amorites held strait the sons of Dan in the hill, and he gave not place to them to go down to [the] plainer places; (And the Amorites held back the Danites in the hill country, and would not allow them to come down into the valley;)

³⁵ and he dwelled in the hill of Heres, which is interpreted, Witnessing, (and) in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. And the hand of the house of Joseph was made heavy, and he was made tributary to him. (and they lived on Mount Heres, which is translated, Witnessing, and in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. But then the hand of the house of Joseph was made heavy upon them, and the Amorites were made to pay tribute, or taxes, to them.)

³⁶ And the term of Amorites was from the ascending of Scorpion, and from the stone, and [the] higher places. (And the border of the Amorites was from the going up of Akrabbim, and from Sela, up to the higher places.)

2 And the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to the place of Weepers (And the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim), and said, I led you out of Egypt, and I brought you into the land, for which I swore to your fathers, and promised, that I should not make void my covenant with you into without end;

² so only that ye should not smite (a) bond of peace with the dwellers of this land, and that ye destroy their altars; and you would not hear my voice. Why did ye (do) these things? (so only that ye should not make a covenant with the people of this land, and that ye destroy their altars; but you would not listen to me. Why did ye do this?)

³ Wherefore I would not do them away from your face (And so I shall not take them away from you), (so) that ye have them (as) enemies, and that their gods be to you into falling.

⁴ And when the angel of the Lord spake these words to all the sons of Israel, they raised [up] their voice, and wept; (And when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the Israelites, they raised up their voice, and wept;)

⁵ and the name of the place was called, the place of Weepers, either of tears; and they offered there sacrifices to the Lord. (and so the name of that place was called Bochim, or Tears; and they made sacrifices, or offerings, there to the Lord.)

⁶ Then Joshua let go the people; and the sons of Israel went forth, each man into his possession, that they should get it. (Then Joshua let the people go; and the Israelites went forth, each man to get, or to take, his possession.)

⁷ And they served the Lord in all the days of Joshua, and of the elder men that lived after him long time, and knew all the great works of the Lord, which he had done with Israel. (And they served the Lord in all the days of Joshua, and of the elders who lived a long time after him, and who knew of all the great works of the Lord, which he had done for Israel.)

⁸ Forsooth Joshua, [the] son of Nun, [the] servant of the Lord, was dead of an hundred years and ten; (But then Joshua, the son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died, when he was a hundred and ten years old;)

⁹ and they buried him in the ends of his possession, in Timnath of Heres, in the hill (country) of Ephraim, at the north coast of the hill Gaash (on the north side of Mount Gaash).

¹⁰ And all that generation was gathered to their fathers; and other men of Israel rose up, that knew not the Lord, and the works which he had done with Israel. (And all that generation died; and other men rose up, who did not know the Lord, and the works which he had done for Israel.)

¹¹ And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they served Baalim and Ashtaroth; (And the Israelites did evil before the Lord, and they served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth;)

¹² and forsook the Lord God of their fathers, that led them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed alien gods, the gods of peoples, that dwelled in the compass of them, and worshipped those gods, and they stirred the Lord to great wrath, (and deserted the Lord God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed foreign, or other, gods, the gods of the peoples, who lived all around them, and they worshipped those gods, and they stirred the Lord to great anger,)

¹³ and they forsook him, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

¹⁴ And the Lord was wroth against Israel, and he betook them into the hands of ravishers, the which took them, and sold them to enemies, that dwelled by compass (who lived all around them); and they might not against-stand their adversaries;

¹⁵ but whither ever they would go, the hand of the Lord was on them, that is, to torment them, as he spake and swore to them; and they were tormented greatly. (but wherever they went, the Lord’s hand was against them, to torment them, as he had said, and had sworn to them, that he would do; and they were greatly tormented.)

¹⁶ And the Lord raised judges, that delivered them from the hands of destroyers, (And then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them from the hands of their destroyers,)

¹⁷ but they would not hear them, and they did fornication, that is, idolatry, with alien gods, and worshipped them. Soon they forsook the way, by which their fathers entered; and they heard the commandments of the Lord, and did all things contrary. (but they would not listen to them, and they did fornication, that is, idolatry, with foreign, or other, gods, and worshipped them. And soon they deserted the way, by which their fathers went; and they heard the commandments of the Lord, but they did all things to the contrary.)

¹⁸ And when the Lord raised up judges in their days, he was bowed by mercy, and he heard the wailings of them that were tormented, and he delivered them from the slaying of their destroyers.

¹⁹ Soothly after that the judge was dead, they turned again, and did many things greater in evil than their fathers did; and they followed alien gods, and served them, and worshipped them; they left not their own findings, and the hardest way by which they were wont to go. (But after that the judge died, they returned to their old ways, and did many things even greater in evil than what their fathers did; and they followed foreign, or other, gods, and served them, and worshipped them; they did not cease from doing whatever they wanted to do, and the stubborn, or willful, ways by which they were wont to go.)

²⁰ And the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth against Israel, and he said, For this people hath made void my covenant which I covenanted with their fathers, and (for they) have despised to hear my voice;

²¹ also I shall not do away the folks, which Joshua left, and was dead; (yea, I shall not do away the nations, which Joshua left alive, when he died;)

²² that in them I assay Israel (so that through them I can test Israel), (to see) whether they keep the way of the Lord, and go therein, as their fathers kept it, either nay.

²³ Therefore the Lord left alive all these nations, and he would not destroy them soon (and he would not soon destroy them), neither he betook them into the hands of Joshua.