Judges 1
They Did Not Drive Them Out
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Judah Goes Up First
1:1After Joshua’s death, the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites, leading the fighting against them?”
1:2The Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Look, I have given the land into his hand.”
1:3Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. I too will go with you into your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him.
1:4Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into his hand. He struck them at Bezek: ten thousand men.
1:5They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek, fought against him, and struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
1:6Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him, seized him, and cut off the extremities of his hands and his feet.
1:7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings, with the extremities of their hands and feet cut off, used to gather what was beneath my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
1:8The sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They struck it with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
Hebron, Debir, and Achsah’s Request
1:9After these things the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites dwelling in the hill country, the south, and the plain.
1:10Judah went against the Canaanites dwelling in Hebron, and Hebron came out against him. Hebron’s former name was Kariatharboksepher. He struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak.
1:11From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. Debir’s former name was City of Letters.
1:12Caleb said, “Whoever strikes the City of Letters and takes possession of it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as wife.”
1:13Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took possession of it, and Caleb gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
1:14When she entered, he urged her to ask her father for the field. She grumbled upon the beast of burden and cried out from it, “You have given me away into a southern land.” Caleb said to her, “What is it you want?”
1:15Achsah said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me away into a southern land, give me a redemption of water.” Caleb gave her, according to her heart, the redemption of the heights and the redemption of the low places.
The Cities Judah Could Not Take
1:16The descendants of Jobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms to the sons of Judah, into the wilderness in the south, on the descent to Arad. He went and dwelt with the people.
1:17Judah went with Simeon his brother. They struck the Canaanites dwelling in Sepheth, placed it under the ban, and destroyed it. They called the city’s name Destruction.
1:18Judah did not possess Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, Ekron and its territory, or Ashdod and its surrounding lands.
1:19The Lord was with Judah, and he inherited the mountain, because he could not inherit the inhabitants of the valley, because Rechab had separated it.
1:20He gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and Caleb inherited the three cities from there and removed from there the three sons of Anak.
1:21The sons of Benjamin did not remove the Jebusites dwelling in Jerusalem. The Jebusites dwelt with the sons of Benjamin to this day.
The House of Joseph Takes Bethel
1:22The sons of Joseph also went up to Bethel, and Judah was with them.
1:23The house of Israel camped against Bethel. The city’s former name was Luz.
1:24The watchers saw a man coming out of the city, seized him, and said to him, “Show us the way into the city, and we will show you mercy.”
1:25He showed them the way into the city. They struck the city with the edge of the sword, but let the man and his kin go.
1:26The man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city there, and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.
The Tribes That Did Not Drive Out the Canaanites
1:27Manasseh did not possess Beth-shan, which is the City of the Scythians, or its dependent towns or surrounding lands; nor Ekthanaad and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Balaam and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Magedon and its dependent towns, or the inhabitants of Jeblaam and its dependent towns. The Canaanites began to dwell in this land.
1:28When Israel became strong, it subjected the Canaanites to tribute, but did not completely remove them.
1:29Ephraim did not remove the Canaanites dwelling in Gezer. The Canaanites dwelt among them in Gezer and became subject to tribute.
1:30Zebulun did not remove the inhabitants of Kedron or the inhabitants of Enaala. The Canaanites dwelt among them and became subject to tribute.
1:31Asher did not remove the inhabitants of Acco, and they became subject to his tribute; nor the inhabitants of Dor, the inhabitants of Sidon, the inhabitants of Aalaph, Achazib, Helba, Aphek, or Roob.
1:32Asher dwelt among the Canaanites inhabiting the land, because he was unable to remove them.
1:33Naphtali did not remove the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth-anath. Israel dwelt among the Canaanites inhabiting the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became subject to their tribute.
1:34The Amorites pressed the sons of Dan into the mountain, for they did not allow them to come down into the valley.
1:35The Amorites began to dwell on the Mountain of the Myrtle Grove, where the bears and the foxes are. The hand of the house of Joseph became heavy upon the Amorites, and they became subject to tribute.
1:36The Amorite boundary—the Idumean—was above Akrabin, at the Rock and above.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V2 · working draft awaiting specialist review.