| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?" | 1After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?" |
| 2The LORD answered, "Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands." | 2The LORD said, "The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them." |
| 3The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them. | 3The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, "Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. Then we will go with you into your allotted land." So the men of Simeon went with them. |
| 4When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. | 4The men of Judah attacked, and the LORD handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. |
| 5It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. | 5They met Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. |
| 6Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. | 6When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. |
| 7Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. | 7Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up food scraps under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. |
| 8The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. | 8The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire. |
| 9After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. | 9Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands. |
| 10They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. | 10The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. |
| 11From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). | 11From there they attacked the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) |
| 12And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." | 12Caleb said, "To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife." |
| 13Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage. | 13When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it, Caleb gave him his daughter Acsah as a wife. |
| 14One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" | 14One time Acsah came and charmed her father so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What would you like?" |
| 15She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. | 15She answered, "Please give me a special present. Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. |
| 16The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad. | 16Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, located in the Negev. They went and lived with the people of Judah. |
| 17Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. | 17The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. So people now call the city Hormah. |
| 18Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron--each city with its territory. | 18The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities. |
| 19The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. | 19The LORD was with the men of Judah. They conquered the hill country, but they could not conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. |
| 20As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. | 20Caleb received Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. |
| 21The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites. | 21The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. |
| 22Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. | 22When the men of Joseph attacked Bethel, the LORD was with them. |
| 23When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), | 23When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), |
| 24the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well." | 24the spies spotted a man leaving the city. They said to him, "If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you." |
| 25So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. | 25He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. |
| 26He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. | 26He moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day. |
| 27But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. | 27The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo or their surrounding towns. The Canaanites managed to remain in those areas. |
| 28When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. | 28Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them. |
| 29Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. | 29The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer. |
| 30Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. | 30The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor. |
| 31Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. | 31The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. |
| 32The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. | 32The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them. |
| 33Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. | 33The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them. |
| 34The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. | 34The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in the coastal plain. |
| 35And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. | 35The Amorites managed to remain in Har Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. |
| 36The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond. | 36The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent to Sela and on up. |
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