The Tribes of Judah and Simeon Fight the Canaanites
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Which of our tribes should attack the Canaanites first?”
2 “Judah!” the Lord answered. “I'll help them take the land.”
3 The people of Judah went to their relatives, the Simeon tribe, and said, “Canaanites live in the land God gave us. Help us fight them, and we will help you.”
Troops from Simeon came to help Judah. 4-5 Together they attacked an army of 10,000 Canaanites and Perizzites at Bezek, and the Lord helped Judah defeat them. During the battle, Judah's army found out where the king of Bezek was, and they attacked there. 6 The king tried to escape, but soldiers from Judah caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes, 7 and he said, “I've cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings and made those kings crawl around under my table for scraps of food. Now God is paying me back.”
The army of Judah took the king of Bezek along with them to Jerusalem, where he died. 8 They attacked Jerusalem, captured it, killed everyone who lived there, and then burned it to the ground.
9 Judah's army fought the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Southern Desert, and the foothills to the west. 10 After that, they attacked the Canaanites who lived at Hebron, defeating the three clans called Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. At that time, Hebron was called Kiriath-Arba.
11 From Hebron, Judah's army went to attack Debir, which at that time was called Kiriath-Sepher. 12 Caleb told his troops, “The man who captures Kiriath-Sepher can marry my daughter Achsah.”
13 Caleb's nephew Othniel captured Kiriath-Sepher, so Caleb let him marry Achsah. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 14 Right after the wedding, Achsah started telling Othniel that he ought to ask her father for a field. She went to see her father, and while she was getting down from her donkey, Caleb asked, “What's bothering you?”
15 She answered, “I need your help. The land you gave me is in the Southern Desert, so please give me some spring-fed ponds for a water supply.”
Caleb gave her a couple of small ponds named Higher Pond and Lower Pond.
16 The people who belonged to the Kenite clan were the descendants of the father-in-law of Moses. They left Jericho with the people of Judah and settled near Arad in the Southern Desert of Judah not far from the Amalekites.
17 Judah's army helped Simeon's army attack the Canaanites who lived at Zephath. They completely destroyed the town and renamed it Hormah.
18-19 The Lord helped the army of Judah capture Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the land near those towns. They also took the hill country. But the people who lived in the valleys had iron chariots, so Judah was not able to make them leave or to take their land.
20 The tribe of Judah gave the town of Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had told them to do. Caleb defeated the three Anakim clans and took over the town.
The Benjamin Tribe Does Not Capture Jerusalem
21 The Jebusites were living in Jerusalem, and the Benjamin tribe did not defeat them or capture the town. That's why Jebusites still live in Jerusalem along with the people of Benjamin.
The Ephraim and Manasseh Tribes Capture Bethel
22-23 The Ephraim and Manasseh tribes were getting ready to attack Bethel, which at that time was called Luz. And the Lord helped them when they sent spies to find out as much as they could about Bethel. 24 While the spies were watching the town, a man came out, and they told him, “If you show us how our army can get into the town, we will make sure that you aren't harmed.” 25 The man showed them, and the two Israelite tribes attacked Bethel, killing everyone except the man and his family. The two tribes made the man and his family leave, 26 so they went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a town. He named the town Luz, and that is still its name.
Israel Does Not Get Rid of All the Canaanites
27-28 Canaanites lived in the towns of Beth-Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all the villages nearby. The Canaanites were determined to stay, and the Manasseh tribe never did get rid of them. But later on, when the Israelites grew more powerful, they made slaves of the Canaanites.
29 The Ephraim tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived there with Israelites all around them.
30 The Zebulun tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Kitron and Nahalol, and the Canaanites stayed there with Israelites around them. But the people of Zebulun did force the Canaanites into slave labor.
31-32 The Asher tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob, and the Asher tribe lived with Canaanites all around them.
33 The Naphtali tribe did not get rid of the Canaanites who lived in Beth-Shemesh and Beth-Anath, but they did force the Canaanites into slave labor. The Naphtali tribe lived with Canaanites around them.
34 The Amorites were strong enough to keep the tribe of Dan from settling in the valleys, so Dan had to stay in the hill country.
35 The Amorites on Mount Heres and in Aijalon and Shaalbim were also determined to stay. Later on, as Ephraim and Manasseh grew more powerful, they forced those Amorites into slave labor.
The Amorite-Edomite Border
36 The old Amorite-Edomite border used to go from Sela through Scorpion Pass into the hill country.
1 After that Ioshua was dead, the children of Israel asked ye Lord, saying, Who shall goe vp for vs against the Canaanites, to fight first against them? 2 And the Lord said, Iudah shall goe vp: behold, I haue giuen the land into his hande. 3 And Iudah said vnto Simeon his brother, Come vp with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites: and I likewise will goe with thee into thy lot: so Simeon went with him. 4 Then Iudah went vp, and the Lord deliuered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 5 And they founde Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and slewe the Canaanites, and the Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-bezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off the thumbes of his hands and of his feete. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, Seuentie Kings hauing the thumbes of their hands and of their feete cut off, gathered bread vnder my table: as I haue done, so God hath rewarded me. so they brought him to Ierusalem, and there he died. 8 (Nowe the children of Iudah had fought against Ierusalem, and had taken it and smitten it with the edge of the sworde, and had set the citie on fire.) 9 Afterwarde also the children of Iudah went downe to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountaine, and towarde the South, and in the lowe countrey. 10 And Iudah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron, which Hebron beforetime was called Kiriath-arba: and they slewe Sheshai, and Ahiman and Talmai. 11 And from thence hee went to the inhabitantes of Debir, and the name of Debir in olde time was Kiriath-sepher. 12 And Caleb saide, He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, euen to him wil I giue Achsah my daughter to wife. 13 And Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs yonger brother tooke it, to whome hee gaue Achsah his daughter to wife. 14 And when shee came to him, shee mooued him to aske of her father a field, and shee lighted off her asse, and Caleb saide vnto her, What wilt thou? 15 And shee answered him, Giue mee a blessing: for thou hast giuen me a South countrey, giue me also springs of water: and Caleb gaue her the springs aboue and the springs beneath. 16 And the childre of Keni Moses father in law went vp out of the citie of the palme trees with the children of Iudah, into the wildernesse of Iudah, that lieth in the South of Arad, and went and dwelt among the people. 17 But Iudah went with Simeon his brother, and they slewe the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and vtterly destroied it, and called the name of the citie Hormah. 18 Also Iudah tooke Azzah with the coasts thereof, and Askelon with the coasts thereof, and Ekron with the coastes thereof. 19 And the Lord was with Iudah, and he possessed the mountaines: for he could not driue out the inhabitantes of the valleis, because they had charrets of yron. 20 And they gaue Hebron vnto Caleb, as Moses had saide, and hee expelled thence the three sonnes of Anak. 21 But the children of Beniamin did not cast out the Iebusites, that inhabited Ierusalem: therefore the Iebusites dwell with the children of Beniamin in Ierusalem vnto this day. 22 They also that were of the house of Ioseph, went vp to Beth-el, and the Lord was with them, 23 And the house of Ioseph caused to viewe Beth-el (and the name of the citie beforetime was Luz) 24 And the spies sawe a man come out of the citie, and they saide vnto him, Shewe vs, we praie thee, the way into the citie, and we will shewe thee mercie. 25 And when hee had shewed them the waie into the citie, they smote the citie with the edge of the sworde, but they let the man and all his housholde depart. 26 Then the man went into the lande of the Hittites, and built a citie, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof vnto this daie. 27 Neither did Manasseh destroie Bethshean with her townes, nor Taanach with her townes, nor the inhabitantes of Dor with her townes, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam with her townes, neither the inhabitants of Megiddo with her townes: but the Canaanites dwelled still in that lande. 28 Neuerthelesse when Israel was strong, they put the Canaanites to tribute, and expelled them not wholly. 29 Likewise Ephraim expelled not the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun expell the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol, but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. 31 Neither did Asher cast out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob, 32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites the inhabitantes of the lande: for they did not driue them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali driue out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but dwelt among the Canaanites the inhabitants of the lande: neuerthelesse the inhabitantes of Beth-shemesh, and of Beth-anath became tributaries vnto them. 34 And the Amorites droue the children of Dan into the mountaine: so that they suffered them not to come downe to the valley. 35 And the Ammonites dwelt still in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, and when the hand of Iosephs familie preuailed, they became tributaries: 36 And the coast of the Amorites was from Maaleh-akrabbim, euen from Selah and vpward.