Judah

Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.

The LORD was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

The children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was very distressed.

Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”

Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” He said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”

There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there.

They went up, and encamped in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan, to this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.

The children of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God; and they said, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

She went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give you of this young woman.”

He numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.

The men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron.

But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

The prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Depart, and go into the land of Judah.” Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”

See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.

Achish said, “Against whom have you made a raid today?” David said, “Against the South of Judah, against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.”

We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you of the plunder of the enemies of the LORD.”

(and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):