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Judges 1

New International Reader’s Version



1 Joshua died. After that, the Israelites spoke to the LORD. They asked him, ‘Who of us will go up first and fight against the Canaanites?’ 2 The LORD answered, ‘The tribe of Judah will go up. I have handed the land over to them.’ 3 Then the men of Judah spoke to their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They said, ‘Come up with us. Come into the territory Joshua gave us. Help us fight against the Canaanites. Then we’ll go with you into your territory.’ So the men of Simeon went with them. 4 When the men of Judah attacked, the LORD helped them. He handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They struck down 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 The men of Judah found Adoni-Bezek there. They fought against him. They struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him and caught him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said, ‘I cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings. I made them pick up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.’ The men of Judah brought Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem. That’s where he died. 8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They set the city on fire. They killed its people with their swords. 9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against some Canaanites. Those Canaanites were living in the central hill country. They also fought against those living in the Negev Desert and the western hills. 10 Then the men of Judah marched out against the Canaanites living in Hebron. Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. The men of Judah won the battle over Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From Hebron they marched out against the people living in Debir. It used to be called Kiriath Sepher. 12 Caleb said, ‘I will give my daughter Aksah to be married. I’ll give her to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.’ 13 Othniel captured it. So Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him to be his wife. Othniel was the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother. 14 One day Aksah came to Othniel. She begged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, ‘What can I do for you?’ 15 She replied, ‘Do me a special favour. You have given me some land in the Negev Desert. Give me springs of water also.’ So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. 16 Moses’ father-in-law was a Kenite. His family went up from Jericho. Jericho was also known as the City of Palm Trees. His family went up with the people of Judah to the Desert of Judah. They went there to live among its people. Those people were living in the Negev Desert near Arad. 17 The men of Judah marched out with their fellow Israelites, the men of Simeon. They attacked the people of Canaan living in Zephath. They set the city apart to the LORD in a special way to be destroyed. That’s why the city was called Hormah. 18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. They also captured the territory around each of those cities. 19 The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took over the central hill country. But they weren’t able to drive the people out of the plains. That’s because those people used chariots that had some iron parts. 20 Moses had promised to give Hebron to Caleb. So Hebron was given to Caleb. He drove the three sons of Anak out of it. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day they live there with the people of Benjamin. 22 The tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel. The LORD was with them. 23 They sent men to Bethel to check it out. It used to be called Luz. 24 Those who were sent saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, ‘Show us how to get into the city. If you do, we’ll see that you are treated well.’ 25 So he showed them how to get in. The men of Joseph killed the people in the city with their swords. But they spared the man from Bethel. They also spared his whole family. 26 Then he went to the land of the Hittites. He built a city there. He called it Luz. That’s still its name to this day. 27 But the tribe of Manasseh didn’t drive out the people of Beth Shan. They didn’t drive out the people of Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo. And they didn’t drive out the people of the settlements that are around those cities either. That’s because the Canaanites had made up their minds to continue living in that land. 28 Later, Israel became stronger. Then they forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. But Israel never drove them out completely. 29 The tribe of Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 The tribe of Zebulun didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron and Nahalol. So these Canaanites lived among them. But the people of Zebulun forced the Canaanites to work hard for them. 31 The tribe of Asher didn’t drive out the people living in Akko and Sidon. They didn’t drive out the people of Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek and Rehob. 32 So the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. 33 The tribe of Naphtali didn’t drive out the people living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath. So the people of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites who were in the land. The people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to work hard for them. 34 The Amorites made the people of Dan stay in the central hill country. They didn’t let them come down into the plain. 35 The Amorites made up their minds to stay in Mount Heres. They also stayed in Aijalon and Shaalbim. But the power of the tribes of Joseph grew. Then the Amorites were forced to work hard for them. 36 The border of the Amorites started at Scorpion Pass. It went to Sela and even past it. 

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Judges 1

English Standard Version



1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” (Nu 27:21; Jud 20:18; 1Sa 22:10; 2Sa 2:1) 2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him. (Jud 1:17) 4 Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek. 5 They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. (Le 24:19; 1Sa 15:33; Lu 16:21) 8 And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. (Jos 15:63) 9 And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland. (Jos 9:1; Jos 11:2; Jos 11:16; Jos 12:8) 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai. (Nu 13:22; Jos 14:15; Jos 15:13; Jos 15:14) 11 From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher. 12 And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.” 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. (Jud 3:9) 14 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people. (Nu 10:29; Nu 21:1; De 34:3; Jud 4:11; Jud 4:17; 1Sa 15:6) 17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah.[1] (Nu 21:3; Jud 1:3) 18 Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. (Jos 11:22; Jud 3:3) 19 And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. (Jos 17:16; Jos 17:18; Jud 1:9; Jud 1:17) 20 And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak. (Nu 14:24; De 1:36; Jos 14:9; Jos 14:13; Jos 15:13; Jud 1:10) 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. (Jos 15:63) 22 The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. (Jud 1:19) 23 And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.) (Ge 28:19; Ge 35:6; Ge 48:3; Jos 18:13) 24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” (Jos 2:12; Jos 2:14) 25 And he showed them the way 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 And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day. (Jos 1:4) 



27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. (Jos 17:11) 28 When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely. 29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. (Jos 16:10; 1Ki 9:16) 30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor. (Jos 19:15; Jos 21:35) 31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, (Jos 19:24) 32 so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out. 33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them. (Jos 19:32) 34 The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain. (Jos 19:47) 35 The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor. (Jos 19:42) 36 And the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward. (Nu 34:4; Jos 15:3) 

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