The Judges & Ruth

After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”

The LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.”

Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot.” So Simeon went with him.

Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek.

They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him; and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

But Adoni-Bezek fled; and they pursued him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

After that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the South, and in the lowland.

Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba); and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.)

Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to he who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.”

Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

When she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She dismounted from off of her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”

She said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.

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.

They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out there the three sons of Anak.

The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel; and the LORD was with them.

The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”

He showed them the entrance into the city; and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family.