Judah and Simeon Fight the Canaanites
Study note
After Joshua's death, Israel asked God which tribe should lead the fight against the remaining Canaanites. God chose the tribe of Judah, which was the largest and most powerful tribe. Judah invited the tribe of Simeon to join them as allies, and together they won a major battle at Bezek. The Canaanite king Adoni-bezek had been cruel to seventy other kings by cutting off their thumbs and big toes, and the same thing was done to him as punishment.
1 After Joshua died, the people of Israel prayed to the Lord. They asked, "Which of our tribes should go first to fight the Canaanites?" Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
2 The Lord told them, "Judah will go first. I am giving the land over to them." And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 The people of Judah asked their relatives from the tribe of Simeon, "Join us in our territory to fight the Canaanites, and then we will return the favor and help you in yours." So Simeon agreed and went along. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
4 Judah went into battle, and the Lord gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They struck down ten thousand soldiers at Bezek. And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5 While they were at Bezek, they found the Canaanite king Adoni-bezek. They attacked and overpowered both the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 Adoni-bezek tried to escape, but they ran after him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7 Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings had their thumbs and big toes cut off by my orders, and they had to eat scraps from under my table. Now God is giving me the same treatment I gave them." They took him to Jerusalem, and that is where he died. And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
Judah Captures Jerusalem and Hebron
Study note
The tribe of Judah continued its conquest by attacking Jerusalem and cities in the hill country, the southern desert, and the western lowlands. Caleb, the famous spy who had trusted God decades earlier, offered his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever could capture the city of Debir. His nephew Othniel won the challenge. Achsah wisely asked her father for springs of water in addition to the dry land he had given her, since water was essential for survival in that region.
8 The men of Judah launched an attack on Jerusalem. They captured the city, put its people to the sword, and burned it down. Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9 After that, the men of Judah went to fight the Canaanites. They fought in three areas. These were the hill country, the south desert, and the west foothills. And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.
10 Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron, a city that used to be called Kiriath-arba. They won the battle against Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 Next, they moved on to attack the people in Debir, a city that had previously been called Kiriath-sepher. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:
12 Caleb made a promise: "Whoever leads the attack and takes Kiriath-sepher can marry my daughter Achsah." And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, was the one who captured the city. So Caleb kept his promise and gave Achsah to Othniel as his wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
14 After the wedding, Achsah convinced Othniel to ask her father for some farmland. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What would you like?" And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
15 She replied, "Please give me a special blessing. Since you already gave me dry land in the south, please also give me some springs of water." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
Judah's Continued Conquests
Study note
The Kenites, who were descendants of Moses' father-in-law, settled in the southern wilderness of Judah. Judah and Simeon continued to conquer Canaanite cities, but they could not drive out the people living in the valleys because those people had iron chariots, which were the most advanced military technology of the time. The tribe of Benjamin also failed to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem.
16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, who were Kenites, traveled with the people of Judah from the City of Palms into the wilderness south of Judah near Arad. They made their home there and lived among the local people. And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
17 Then the men of Judah teamed up with their relatives from Simeon, and together they attacked the Canaanites in Zephath. They completely wiped out the city and gave it a new name, Hormah, meaning "destruction." And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.
18 Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. They took the land around each city too. Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.
19 The Lord helped the tribe of Judah, and they took over the hill country. However, they were unable to push out the people living in the valleys because those people had iron chariots. And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
20 Just as Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb. Caleb forced out the three clans who were descendants of Anak. And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.
21 But the tribe of Benjamin did not drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived alongside the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this very day. And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
The House of Joseph Captures Bethel
Study note
The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, together called the house of Joseph, attacked the city of Bethel, which was formerly called Luz. They found a man leaving the city and promised to spare him if he showed them how to get in. After conquering Bethel, they let the man and his family go free. He moved to the land of the Hittites and built a new city, also calling it Luz.
22 The tribes that descended from Joseph also went to attack Bethel, and the Lord helped them. And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the LORD was with them.
23 They sent spies ahead to check out Bethel, a city that had once been known as Luz. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, "Show us a way into the city, and we promise to treat you well." And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.
25 The man showed them how to enter, and they attacked the city and destroyed it with their swords. But they let that man and his entire family go free. And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.
26 That man traveled to the land where the Hittites lived. He built a new city there and named it Luz, and it still goes by that name today. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.
Tribes That Failed to Drive Out the Canaanites
Study note
This section lists tribe after tribe that failed to fully drive out the Canaanites from their territories. Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan all left Canaanite people living among them. In some cases, when Israel grew strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor but still did not remove them. This failure to obey God's command would become the root cause of Israel's later problems with idol worship.
27 The tribe of Manasseh did not remove the people from Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, or Megiddo, or from any of their surrounding villages. The Canaanites simply refused to leave that area. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
28 Later, when Israel became more powerful, they forced the Canaanites to work for them. But they never fully drove them out of the land. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
29 The tribe of Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites kept living there among them. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 The tribe of Zebulun did not push out the people of Kitron or Nahalol. Those Canaanites stayed among the people of Zebulun, though they were put to work as forced laborers. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
31 The tribe of Asher did not drive out the people living in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
32 Because of this, the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites. They never drove them out of the land. But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.
33 The tribe of Naphtali also failed to drive out the people in Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. They settled among the Canaanites in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were made to do forced labor for them. Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them.
34 The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan up into the hill country and would not allow them to come down into the flatlands. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:
35 The Amorites stubbornly held their ground in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But as the tribes of Joseph grew stronger, they made the Amorites work as forced laborers. But 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 tributaries.
36 The Amorite territory stretched from Scorpion Pass all the way up past Sela and beyond. And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.