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. 10 They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebrono (formerly called Kiriath Arbap) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.q 11 From there they advanced against the people living in Debirr (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

12 And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged hima to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

15 She 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.s

16 The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law,t the Kenite,u went up from the City of Palmsb v with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.w

17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonitesx their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyedc the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.d y 18 Judah also tooke Gaza,z Ashkelona and Ekron—each city with its territory.

19 The Lord was withb the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country,c but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.d 20 As Moses had promised, Hebrone was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.f 21 The Benjamites, however, did not drive outg the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem;h to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

22 Now the tribes of Josephi attacked Bethel,j and the Lord was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),k 24 the 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.l” 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but sparedm the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the Hittites,n where he built a city and called it Luz,o which is its name to this day.

27 But Manasseh did notp drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dorq or Ibleamr or Megiddos and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanitest were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.u 29 Nor did Ephraimv drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer,w but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.x 30 Neither 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. 31 Nor did Ashery drive out those living in Akko or Sidonz or Ahlab or Akziba or Helbah or Aphekb or Rehob.c 32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemeshd or Beth Anathe; 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. 34 The Amoritesf confined the Danitesg to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.h 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres,i Aijalonj and Shaalbim,k but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Passl to Selam and beyond.n