New Heart English Bible 1It happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, "Who should go up first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"
2The LORD said, "Judah should go up. Look, I have delivered the land into his hand."
3Judah 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.
4Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6But Adoni-Bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, scavenged under my table: as I have done, so God has requited me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 8The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9Afterward the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the Negev, and in the lowland. 10And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron, and Hebron came out in opposition (now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba), and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 11From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.) 12Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife." 13Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. 14It happened, when she came to him, that she got him to ask her father for a field. And she got off from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What would you like?" 15She said to him, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her according to her heart the upper springs and the lower springs. 16And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the people of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17Judah 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. 18Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory, and Ashdod with its surrounding lands. 19The 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. 20They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 21The people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 22And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and the LORD was with them. 23And the house of Joseph sent out spies to Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) 24And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they captured him, and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy." 25He showed them the entrance into the city; and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family. 26The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. 27Manasseh did not 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. 28It happened, when Israel had grown strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out. 29Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. 30Zebulun 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. 31Asher did not 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; 32but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. 33Naphtali 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. 34The Amorites forced the people of Dan into the hill country; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35but 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. 36The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward. |