Judges 1:1–18

Jerusalem Is Captured

1 Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel ainquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us bagainst the Canaanites, to fight against them?”

2 The Lord said, “aJudah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

3 Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into 1the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and 2I in turn will go with you into 3the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him.

4 Judah went up, and athe Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they 1defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.

5 They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they 1defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his 1thumbs and big toes.

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

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

9 Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the 1Negev and in the lowland.

10 aSo 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.

Capture of Other Cities

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

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

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

14 Then ait came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from 1her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What 2do you want?”

15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the 1Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16 The 1descendants of athe Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the bcity of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of cArad; and they went and lived with the people.

17 Then 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 aHormah.

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