New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Which tribe should go first to attack the Canaanites?”

1Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?"

2The LORD answered, “Judah, for I have given them victory over the land.”

2The LORD said, "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand."

3The men of Judah said to their relatives from the tribe of Simeon, “Join with us to fight against the Canaanites living in the territory allotted to us. Then we will help you conquer your territory.” So the men of Simeon went with Judah.

3Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you." So Simeon went with him.

4When the men of Judah attacked, the LORD gave them victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites, and they killed 10,000 enemy warriors at the town of Bezek.

4Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.

5While at Bezek they encountered King Adoni-bezek and fought against him, and the Canaanites and Perizzites were defeated.

5They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6Adoni-bezek escaped, but the Israelites soon captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7Adoni-bezek said, “I once had seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off, eating scraps from under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They took him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

7Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me." So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.

8The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it, killing all its people and setting the city on fire.

8Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

9Then they went down to fight the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the western foothills.

9Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the Negev and in the lowland.

10Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath-arba), defeating the forces of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

10So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

11From there they went to fight against the people living in the town of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).

11Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher).

12Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.”

12And Caleb said, "The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife."

13Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz, was the one who conquered it, so Acsah became Othniel’s wife.

13Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife.

14When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What’s the matter?”

14Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

15She said, “Let me have another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

15She said to him, "Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16When the tribe of Judah left Jericho—the city of palms—the Kenites, who were descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, traveled with them into the wilderness of Judah. They settled among the people there, near the town of Arad in the Negev.

16The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

17Then Judah joined with Simeon to fight against the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they completely destroyed the town. So the town was named Hormah.

17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah.

18In addition, Judah captured the towns of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, along with their surrounding territories. Israel Fails to Conquer the Land

18And Judah took Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory.

19The LORD was with the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots.

19Now the LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots.

20The town of Hebron was given to Caleb as Moses had promised. And Caleb drove out the people living there, who were descendants of the three sons of Anak.

20Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

21The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.

21But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22The descendants of Joseph attacked the town of Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

22Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

23They sent men to scout out Bethel (formerly known as Luz).

23The house of Joseph spied out Bethel (now the name of the city was formerly Luz).

24They confronted a man coming out of the town and said to him, “Show us a way into the town, and we will have mercy on you.”

24The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly."

25So he showed them a way in, and they killed everyone in the town except that man and his family.

25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free.

26Later the man moved to the land of the Hittites, where he built a town. He named it Luz, which is its name to this day.

26The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz which is its name to this day.

27The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all their surrounding settlements, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.

27But Manasseh did not take possession 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; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.

28When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they never did drive them completely out of the land.

28It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

29The tribe of Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

29Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30The tribe of Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron and Nahalol, so the Canaanites continued to live among them. But the Canaanites were forced to work as slaves for the people of Zebulun.

30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

31The tribe of Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.

31Asher 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.

32Instead, the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land, for they failed to drive them out.

32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33Likewise, the tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. Instead, they moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land. Nevertheless, the people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were forced to work as slaves for the people of Naphtali.

33Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

34As for the tribe of Dan, the Amorites forced them back into the hill country and would not let them come down into the plains.

34Then the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley;

35The Amorites were determined to stay in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but when the descendants of Joseph became stronger, they forced the Amorites to work as slaves.

35yet the Amorites persisted in living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor.

36The boundary of the Amorites ran from Scorpion Pass to Sela and continued upward from there.

36The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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