Judges 1:1–9

Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

1:11–15pp—Jos 15:15–19

1 After the deatha of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up firstb to fight against the Canaanites?c”

2 The Lord answered, “Judahd shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.e”

3 The 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 Simeonitesf went with them.

4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzitesg into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.h 5 It was there that they found Adoni-Bezeki and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 Then 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 backj for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem,k and he died there.

8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusaleml also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

9 After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country,m the Negevn and the western foothills.