Judges 1

¹After the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel consulted the Lord, saying, “Who will ascend before us, against the Canaanite, and who will be the commander of the war?”

²And the Lord said: “Judah shall ascend. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.”

³And Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me to my lot, and fight against the Canaanite, so that I also may go forth with you to your lot.” And Simeon went with him.

⁴And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanite, as well as the Perizzite, into their hands. And they struck down ten thousand of the men at Bezek.

⁵And they found Adonibezek at Bezek, and they fought against him, and they struck down the Canaanite and the Perizzite.

⁶Then Adonibezek fled. And they pursued him and captured him, and they cut off the ends of his hands and feet.

⁷And Adonibezek said: “Seventy kings, with the ends of their hands and feet amputated, have been gathering the remnants of food under my table. Just as I have done, so has God repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸Then the sons of Judah, besieging Jerusalem, seized it. And they struck it with edge of the sword, delivering the entire city to be burned.

⁹And afterward, descending, they fought against the Canaanites who were living in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.

¹⁰And Judah, going forth against the Canaanites who were living at Hebron, (the name of which from antiquity was Kiriath-Arba) struck down Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

¹¹And continuing on from there, he went to the inhabitants of Debir, the old name of which was Kiriath-Sepher, that is, the City of Letters.

¹²And Caleb said, “Whoever will strike Kiriath-Sepher, and will lay waste to it, I will give to him my daughter Achsah as wife.”

¹³And when Othniel, the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb, had seized it, he gave his daughter Achsah to him in marriage.

¹⁴And as she was traveling on a journey, her husband admonished her, so that she would request a field from her father. And since she had sighed while sitting on her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What is it?”

¹⁵But she responded: “Give a blessing to me. For you have given me a dry land. Also give a watered land.” Therefore, Caleb gave to her the upper watered land and the lower watered land.

¹⁶Now the sons of the Kenite, the relative of Moses, ascended from the City of Palms, with the sons of Judah, into the wilderness of his lot, which is toward the south of Arad. And they lived with him.

¹⁷Then Judah went out with his brother Simeon, and together they struck the Canaanites who were living at Zephath, and they put them to death. And the name of the city was called Hormah, that is, Anathema.

¹⁸And Judah seized Gaza, with its parts, and Ashkelon as well as Ekron, with their borders.

¹⁹And the Lord was with Judah, and he possessed the mountains. But he was not able to wipe out the inhabitants of the valley. For they abounded with chariots armed with scythes.

²⁰And just as Moses had said, they gave Hebron to Caleb, who destroyed out of it the three sons of Anak.

²¹But the sons of Benjamin did not wipe out the Jebusite inhabitants of Jerusalem. And the Jebusite has lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem, even to the present day.

²²The house of Joseph also ascended against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

²³For when they were besieging the city, which was previously called Luz,

²⁴they saw a man departing from the city, and they said to him, “Reveal to us the entrance to the city, and we will act with mercy toward you.”

²⁵And when he had revealed it to them, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But that man, and all his relatives, they released.

²⁶And having been sent away, he went out to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city there, and he called it Luz. And so it is called, even to the present day.

²⁷Likewise, Manasseh did not destroy Bethshean and Taanach, with their villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and Ibleam and Megiddo, with their villages. And the Canaanite began to live with them.

²⁸Then, after Israel had grown strong, he made them tributaries, but he was not willing to destroy them.

²⁹And now Ephraim did not put to death the Canaanite, who was living at Gezer; instead, he lived with him.

³⁰Zebulun did not wipe out the inhabitants of Kitron and of Nahalal. Instead, the Canaanite lived in their midst and became their tributary.

³¹Likewise, Asher did not destroy the inhabitants of Acco and Sidon, Ahlab and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and Rehob.

³²And he lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of that land, for he did not put them to death.

³³Naphtali also did not wipe out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Bethanath. And he lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. And the Beth-shemeshites and Bethanathites were tributaries to him.

³⁴And the Amorite hemmed in the sons of Dan on the mountain, and did not give them a place, so that they might descend to the flatlands.

³⁵And he lived on the mountain at Har-heres, which is translated as ‘resembling brick,’ and at Aijalon and Sha-alabbin. But the hand of the house of Joseph was very heavy, and he became a tributary to him.

³⁶Now the border of the Amorite was from the Ascent of the Scorpion, to the Rock and the higher places.

Judges 1

¹After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel consulted the Lord, saying: Who shall go up before us against the Chanaanite, and shall be the leader of the war?

²And the Lord said: Juda shall go up: behold I have delivered the land into his hands.

³And Juda said to Simeon, his brother: Come up with me into my lot, and fight against the Chanaanite, that I also may go along with thee into thy lot. And Simeon went with him.

⁴And Juda went up, and the Lord delivered the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite into their hands: and they slew of them in Bezec ten thousand men.

⁵And they found Adonibezec in Bezec, and fought against him, and they defeated the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite.

⁶And Adonibezec fled: and they pursued after him and took him, and cut off his fingers and toes.

⁷And Adonibezec said: Seventy kings, having their fingers and toes cut off, gathered up the leavings of the meat under my table: as I have done, so hath God requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸And the children of Juda besieging Jerusalem, took it, and put it to the sword, and set the whole city on fire.

⁹And afterwards they went down and fought against the Chanaanite, who dwelt in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.

¹⁰And Juda going forward against the Chanaanite, that dwelt in Hebron, (the name whereof was in former times Cariath-Arbe) slew Sesai, and Ahiman, and Tholmai:

¹¹And departing from thence, he went to the inhabitants of Dabir, the ancient name of which was Cariath-Sepher, that is, the city of letters.

¹²And Caleb said: He that shall take Cariath-Sepher, and lay it waste, to him will I give my daughter Axa to wife.

¹³And Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb, having taken it, he gave him Axa his daughter to wife.

¹⁴And as she was going on her way, her husband admonished her to ask a field of her father. And as she sighed sitting on her ass, Caleb said to her: What aileth thee?

¹⁵But she answered: Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry land: give me also a watery land So Caleb gave her the upper and the nether watery ground.

¹⁶And the children of the Cinite, the kinsman of Moses, went up from the city of palms, with the children of Juda, into the wilderness of his lot, which is at the south side of Arad, and they dwelt with him.

¹⁷And Juda went with Simeon, his brother, and they together defeated the Chanaanites that dwelt in Sephaath, and slew them. And the name of the city was called Horma, that is, Anathema.

¹⁸And Juda took Gaza, with its confines, and Ascalon, and Accaron, with their confines.

¹⁹And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes.

²⁰And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, who destroyed out of it the three sons of Enac.

²¹But the sons of Benjamin did not destroy the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem: and the Jebusite hath dwelt with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this present day.

²²The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

²³For when they were besieging the city, which before was called Luza,

²⁴They saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him: Shew us the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.

²⁵And when he had shewed them, they smote the city with the edge of the sword: but that man, and all his kindred, they let go:

²⁶Who being sent away, went into the land of Hetthim, and built there a city, and called it Luza: which is so called until this day.

²⁷Manasses also did not destroy Bethsan, and Thanac, with their villages; nor the inhabitants of Dor, and Jeblaam, and Mageddo, with their villages. And the Chanaanite began to dwell with them.

²⁸But after Israel was grown strong, he made them tributaries, and would not destroy them.

²⁹Ephraim also did not slay the Chanaanite that dwelt in Gazer, bnt dwelt with him.

³⁰Zabulon destroyed not the inhabitants of Cetron, and Naalol: but the Chanaanite dwelt among them, and became their tributary.

³¹Aser also destroyed not the inhabitants of Accho, and of Sidon, of Ahalab, and of Achazib, and of Helba, and of Aphec, and of Rohob:

³²And he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites, the inhabitants of that land, and did not slay them.

³³Nephthali also destroyed not the inhabitants of Bethsames, and of Bethanath: and he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites, the inhabitants of the land, and the Bethsamites and Bethanites were tributaries to him.

³⁴And the Amorrhite straitened the children of Dan in the mountain, and gave them not a place to go down to the plain:

³⁵And he dwelt in the mountain Hares, that is, of potsherds, in Aialon and Salebim. And the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy upon him, and he became tributary to him.

³⁶And the border of the Amorrhite was from the ascent of the scorpion, the rock, and the higher places.