ADDITIONAL LAND IS CONQUERED

1 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 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 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 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 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7 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.
8 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 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 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 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:
12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
14 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 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.
16 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 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 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.
19 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 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.
21 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.
22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the Lord was with them.
23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
24 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 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 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.
27 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 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
31 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 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.
33 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 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:
35 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 And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

1Now after the death of Ioshua, it came to passe, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shal goe vp for vs against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

2And the Lord sayd, Iudah shall goe vp: Behold, I haue deliuered the land into his hand.

3And Iudah saide vnto Simeon his brother, Come vp with me into my lot, that wee may fight against the Canaanites, and I likewise will goe with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

4And Iudah went vp, and the Lord deliuered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

5And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites, and the Perizzites.

6But Adoni-bezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbes, and his great toes.

7And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore & ten kings, hauing their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meate vnder my table: as I haue done, so God hath requited mee, and they brought him to Ierusalem, and there he died.

8(Now the children of Iudah had fought against Ierusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the citie on fire)

9 And afterward the children of Iudah went downe to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the moūtaine, & in the South, and in the valley.

10And Iudah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron (nowe the name of Hebron before was Kiriath-arba) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

11And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir, (& the name of Debir before was Kiriath-sepher)

12And Caleb said, Hee that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I giue Achsah my daughter to wife.

13And Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs yonger brother tooke it: and he gaue him Achsah his daughter to wife.

14And it came to passe when shee came to him, that she moued him to aske of her father a field: and shee lighted from off her asse, and Caleb said vnto her, What wilt thou?

15And she said vnto him, Giue me a blessing: for thou hast giuen mee a South land, giue me also springs of water. And Caleb gaue her the vpper springs, and the nether springs.

16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses father in law, went vp out of the citie of palme trees, with the children of Iudah into the wildernesse of Iudah, which lieth in the South of Arad, and they went and dwelt among the people.

17And Iudah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and vtterly destroyed it, (and the name of the citie was called Hormah.)

18Also Iudah tooke Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

19And the Lord was with Iudah, and hee draue out the inhabitants of the mountaine, but could not driue out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had charets of yron.

20And they gaue Hebron vnto Caleb, as Moses saide: and hee expelled thence the three sonnes of Anak.

21And the children of Beniamin did not driue out the Iebusites that inhabited Ierusalem: but the Iebusites dwel with the children of Beniamin in Ierusalem, vnto this day.

22 And the house of Ioseph, they also went vp against Bethel: and the Lord was with them.

23And the house of Ioseph sent to descrie Bethel (now the name of the citie before was Luz)

24And the spies sawe a man come forth out of the citie, and they said vnto him, Shew vs, wee pray thee, the entrance into the citie, and we will shew thee mercie.

25And when hee shewed them the entrance into the citie, they smote the citie with the edge of the sword: but they let goe the man and all his familie.

26And the man went into the lande of the Hittites, and built a citie, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof vnto this day.

27 Neither did Manasseh driue out the inhabitants of Bethshean, and her townes, nor Taanach and her townes, nor the inhabitants of Dor, and her townes, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam, and her townes, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo, and her townes: but the Canaanites would dwel in that land.

28And it came to passe when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not vtterly driue them out.

29 Neither did Ephraim driue out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

30 Neither did Zebulun driue out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol: but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

31 Neither did Asher driue out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor Achzib, nor Helbath, nor Aphik, nor of Rehob:

32But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not driue them out.

33 Neither did Naphtali driue out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath, but hee dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: neuerthelesse, the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, and of Bethanath, became tributaries vnto them.

34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountaine: for they would not suffer them to come downe to the valley.

35But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aiialon, & in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Ioseph preuailed, so that they became tributaries.

36And the coast of the Amorites was from the going vp to Akrabbim, from the rocke, and vpward.

II == Gen 49:8

III == Judg 1:17

IV == 1st Sam 11:8

VII == Lev 24:19 ; 1st Sam 15:33 ; James 2:13

VIII == Josh 15:63

IX == Josh 10:36 ; 11:21 ; 15:13

X == Josh 14:15 ; 15:13-14

XI == Josh 15:15

XII == Josh 15:16-17

XIII == Judg 3:9

XIV == Josh 15:18-19

XV == Gen 33:11

XVI == Num 10:32 ; 21:1 ; Deut 34:3 ; Judg 4:11 , 17 ; 1st Sam 15:6 ; 1st Chr 2:55 ; Jer 35:2

XVII == Num 21:3 ; Josh 19:4 ; Judg 1:3

XVIII == Josh 11:22

XIX == Josh 17:16 , 18 ; Judg 1:2 ; 2nd Kings 18:7

XX == Num 14:24 ; Deut 1:36 ; Josh 14:9 , 13 ; 15:13-14

XXI == Josh 15:63 ; 18:28

XXII == Judg 1:19

XXIII == Gen 28:19

XXVII == Josh 17:11 , 13

XXIX == Josh 16:10 ; 1st Kings 9:16

XXX == Josh 19:15

XXXI == Josh 19:24--30

XXXII == Ps 106:34-35

XXXIII == Josh 19:38 ; Judg 1:30 , 32

XXXV == Josh 19:42

XXXVI == Num 34:4 ; Josh 15:3

1 After the death of Joshua the Israelites consulted the LORD, asking, "Who shall be first among us to attack the Canaanites and to do battle with them?"

2 The LORD answered, "Judah shall attack: I have delivered the land into his power."

3 Judah then said to his brother Simeon, "Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, and let us engage the Canaanites in battle. I will likewise accompany you into the territory allotted to you." So Simeon went with him.

4 When the forces of Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their power, and they slew ten thousand of them in Bezek.

5 It was in Bezek that they came upon Adonibezek and fought against him. When they defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites,

6 Adonibezek fled. They set out in pursuit, and when they caught him, cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

7 At this Adonibezek said, "Seventy kings, with their thumbs and big toes cut off, used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so has God repaid me." He was brought to Jerusalem, and there he died.

8 (The Judahites fought against Jerusalem and captured it, putting it to the sword; then they destroyed the city by fire.)

9 Afterward the Judahites went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the mountain region, in the Negeb, and in the foothills.

10 Judah also marched against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron, which was formerly called Kiriath-arba, and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.

11 From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir, which was formerly called Kiriath-sepher.

12 And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it."

13 Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, captured it; so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

14 On the day of her marriage to Othniel she induced him to ask her father for some land. Then, as she alighted from the ass, Caleb asked her, "What is troubling you?"

15 Give me an additional gift," she answered. "Since you have assigned land in the Negeb to me, give me also pools of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and the lower pool.

16 The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, came up with the Judahites from the city of palms to the desert at Arad (which is in the Negeb). But they later left and settled among the Amalekites.

17 Judah then went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites who dwelt in Zephath. After having doomed the city to destruction, they renamed it Hormah.

18 Judah, however, did not occupy Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, or Ekron with its territory.

19 Since the LORD was with Judah, he gained possession of the mountain region. Yet he could not dislodge those who lived on the plain, because they had iron chariots.

20 As Moses had commanded, Hebron was given to Caleb, who then drove from it the three sons of Anak.

21 The Benjaminites did not dislodge the Jebusites who dwelt in Jerusalem, with the result that the Jebusites live in Jerusalem beside the Benjaminites to the present day.

22 The house of Joseph, too, marched up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

23 The house of Joseph had a reconnaissance made of Bethel, which formerly was called Luz.

24 The scouts saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, "Show us a way into the city, and we will spare you."

25 He showed them a way into the city, which they then put to the sword; but they let the man and his whole clan go free.

26 He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, as it is still called.

27 Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean with its towns or of Taanach with its towns. Neither did he dislodge the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, those of Ibleam and its towns, or those of Megiddo and its towns. The Canaanites kept their hold in this district.

28 When the Israelites grew stronger, they impressed the Canaanites as laborers, but did not drive them out.

29 Similarly, the Ephraimites did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, and so the Canaanites live in Gezer in their midst.

30 Zebulun did not dislodge the inhabitants of Kitron or those of Nahalol; the Canaanites live among them, but have become forced laborers.

31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or those of Sidon, or take possession of Mahaleb, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik or Rehob.

32 The Asherites live among the Canaanite natives of the land, whom they have not dislodged.

33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or those of Beth-anath, and so they live among the Canaanite natives of the land. However, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath have become forced laborers for them.

34 The Amorites hemmed in the Danites in the mountain region, not permitting them to go down into the plain.

35 The Amorites had a firm hold in Harheres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but as the house of Joseph gained the upper hand, they were impressed as laborers.

36 The territory of the Amorites extended from the Akrabbim pass to Sela and beyond.

Some wonder what duties judges performed. Military feats are mentioned, but the ordinary duties are such as Deborah performed, 4:5, where people came up to her for judgment as she sat under the oak tree.
Note that 17:1-18:31 should be inserted between 3:6 and 3:7, because it is part of Israel taking the land before Othniel, the first judge.
Phinehas was ruling at Jud. 20:28, and his genealogy is in 1 Chron. 6:4b-15. 

v 1-3. This book was probably written in the days of Saul, definitely before David took over Joshua was a book of victory, but Judges is a book of defeat. This did not need to be so, because the Lord was still there, had they relied upon Him. Israel starts off well by asking the Lord who is to first engage the enemy in battle. The answer is Judah, and since Simeon has possession within Judah, they cooperate together.

v 4-8. Judah was quite victorious in this campaign and meted out to Adoni-bezek the kind of treatment he had given to seventy kings he had overcome. It would be very difficult scrounging for food with no thumbs, and a friend of mine who lost a big toe had an awkward time walking. They also took Jerusalem, but did not consolidate their win. Benjamin failed to retake it v 21, and it was not won until David’s time, 2 Sam. 5:6-8.

v 9-15. This is the actual Caleb and Othniel’s battles mentioned in Josh: 15, because it also repeats Achsa’s acquisition of water for a wedding gift.

v 16-20. The nomadic descendants of Moses’ father in law, Jethro, joined Judah in occupying the land. Zephath had been taken before, but now they utterly destroy it. Had Judah acted in faith instead of fear, they could have driven out even the chariots of iron, Josh. 17:18.

v 21-26. Benjamin failed to drive out the enemy, see comments, v 8. Jerusalem and Bethel had both been bypassed in the original campaign, but many of their soldiers had been killed. The victory of Ephraim and Manasseh at Bethel was because the Lord was with them. The strategy used was to get a man to show them the hidden entrance into the city. After this, that man took his family to northern Syria and started another Luz, first name of Bethel.

v 27,28. Manasseh failed to drive out the enemy, just made them servants.

v 29. Ephraim also failed and lived with the enemy.

v 30. Like Manasseh, Zebulun compromised and made the enemy slaves instead of driving them out.

v 31,32. Asher also failed to drive them out, but lived with them.

v 33. Naphtali also compromised and lived among the enemy.

v 34-36. Dan couldn’t even make a compromise with the Amorites, but had to stay in the mountains. Ephraim managed to put some of them to forced labor.