The Fight Against the Canaanites

1Now it happened after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel asked of [†]Yahweh, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2And Yahweh said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into [†]the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and [†]I in turn will go with you into [†]the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him. 4So Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down 10,000 men at Bezek. 5Then they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they struck down the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and seized him and cut off his [†]thumbs and big toes. 7And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the [†]Negev and in the [†]Shephelah. 10So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

11Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher). 12And Caleb said, “The one who strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah as a wife.” 13Then Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife. 14Now it happened that when she came to him, she enticed him to ask her father for the field. Then she alighted from [†]her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What [†]do you want?” 15And she said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the [†]Negev, so you shall give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16Now the sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18And Judah captured Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory. 19Now Yahweh was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not dispossess the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots. 20Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had [†]promised; and he dispossessed from there the three sons of Anak. 21But the sons of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23And the house of Joseph spied out Bethel (now the name of the city was formerly Luz). 24Then the [†]spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will treat you with lovingkindness.” 25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. 26So the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz [†]which is its name to this day.

Judah and Simeon Fight Against the Canaanites

27But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its towns or Taanach and its towns or the inhabitants of Dor and its towns or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; so the Canaanites persisted to live in that land. 28And it happened when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not dispossess them completely.

29Also Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30Zebulun did not dispossess the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of [†]Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

31Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob. 32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not dispossess them.

33Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

34Then the Amorites pressed the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley; 35and the Amorites persisted in [†]living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; but the hand of the house of Joseph became heavy, and they became forced labor. 36Now the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.