The Book of
Judges
1
1 After
the death of
Joshua, the
children of Israel
asked of the
LORD,
saying, “Who should
go up for
us first against
the Canaanites, to
fight against
them?”
2 The
LORD said, “Judah
shall go up.
Behold,
I have delivered
the land into his
hand.”
3 Judah said
to Simeon
his brother, “Come
up with me
into my lot,
that we may
fight against the
Canaanites; and I
likewise will go
with you into
your lot.” So
Simeon went with
him.
4 Judah
went up, and
the LORD delivered
the Canaanites and
the Perizzites
into their hand.
They struck
ten thousand men in Bezek.
5 They
found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek,
and they fought
against him. They
struck the
Canaanites and the
Perizzites.
6 But Adoni-Bezek fled.
They pursued him,
caught him, and
cut off his thumbs
and his big toes.
7 Adoni-Bezek
said, “Seventy
kings, having
their thumbs and
their big toes cut
off, scavenged under
my table. As
I have done,
so God
has done to
me.” They brought
him to Jerusalem,
and he died
there.
8 The
children of Judah
fought against
Jerusalem, took it,
struck it with
the edge of
the sword, and
set the city
on fire.
9 After
that, the children
of Judah went
down to fight
against the
Canaanites who
lived in the
hill country, and
in the South,
and in the
lowland.
10 Judah
went against the
Canaanites who
lived in Hebron.
(The name of
Hebron before that
was Kiriath Arba.) They
struck Sheshai, Ahiman,
and Talmai.
11 From
there he went
against the
inhabitants of
Debir. (The name
of Debir before
that was Kiriath Sepher.)
12 Caleb said,
“I will give
Achsah my daughter
as wife to the man
who strikes Kiriath Sepher,
and takes it.”
13 Othniel
the son of
Kenaz, Caleb’s
younger brother, took
it, so he
gave him Achsah
his daughter as
his wife.
14 When
she came, she got
him to ask
her father for a
field. She got off
her donkey; and
Caleb said to her,
“What would you
like?”
15 She said
to him, “Give
me a blessing;
because you have
set me in
the land of the
South, give me
also springs of
water.” Then Caleb
gave her the
upper springs and
the lower springs.
16 The
children of the
Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law,
went up out
of the city
of palm trees
with the children
of Judah into
the wilderness of
Judah, which is
in the south
of Arad; and
they went and
lived with the
people.
17 Judah
went with Simeon
his brother, and
they struck the
Canaanites who
inhabited Zephath,
and utterly
destroyed it. The
name of the
city was called
Hormah.
18 Also
Judah took Gaza
with its border,
and Ashkelon with
its border, and
Ekron with its
border.
19 The
LORD was with
Judah, and drove
out the
inhabitants of the
hill country; for
he could not drive
out the
inhabitants of the
valley, because
they had chariots
of iron.
20 They
gave Hebron to
Caleb, as Moses
had said, and
he drove the
three sons of Anak
out of there.
21 The
children of
Benjamin didn’t drive
out the Jebusites
who inhabited
Jerusalem, but the
Jebusites dwell
with the children
of Benjamin in
Jerusalem to this
day.
22 The
house of Joseph
also went up
against Bethel,
and the LORD
was with them.
23 The
house of
Joseph sent to spy
out Bethel. (The
name of the
city before that
was Luz.)
24 The watchers
saw a man
come out of
the city, and
they said to
him, “Please show
us the entrance
into the city,
and we will
deal kindly with
you.”
25 He
showed them the
entrance into the
city, and they
struck the city
with the edge
of the sword;
but they let
the man and
all his family
go.
26 The
man went into
the land of the
Hittites, built a
city, and called
its name Luz,
which is its
name to this
day.
27 Manasseh didn’t drive
out the
inhabitants of Beth Shean
and its towns,
nor Taanach and
its towns, nor
the inhabitants of
Dor and its
towns, nor the
inhabitants of
Ibleam and its
towns, nor the
inhabitants of
Megiddo and its
towns; but the
Canaanites would
dwell in that land.
28 When
Israel had grown
strong, they put
the Canaanites to
forced labor,
and didn’t utterly
drive them out.
29 Ephraim didn’t
drive out the
Canaanites who
lived in Gezer,
but the Canaanites
lived in Gezer
among them.
30 Zebulun didn’t drive
out the
inhabitants of
Kitron, nor the
inhabitants of
Nahalol; but the
Canaanites lived
among them, and
became subject to
forced labor.
31 Asher didn’t
drive out the
inhabitants of
Acco, nor the
inhabitants of
Sidon, nor
of Ahlab, nor
of Achzib, nor of
Helbah, nor
of Aphik, nor of
Rehob;
32 but
the Asherites lived
among the
Canaanites, the
inhabitants of the
land, for
they didn’t drive
them out.
33 Naphtali didn’t drive
out the
inhabitants of Beth Shemesh,
nor the
inhabitants of Beth Anath;
but he lived
among the
Canaanites, the
inhabitants of the
land. Nevertheless the
inhabitants of Beth Shemesh
and of Beth Anath
became subject to
forced labor.
34 The Amorites
forced the
children of Dan
into the hill
country, for
they would not
allow them to
come down to
the valley;
35 but
the Amorites would
dwell in Mount
Heres, in Aijalon,
and in Shaalbim.
Yet the hand of
the house of
Joseph prevailed,
so that they
became subject to
forced labor.
36 The
border of
the Amorites was
from the ascent
of Akrabbim, from
the rock, and
upward.