Judges Chapter 1

From The Open Bible Project

1:1 It happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of [1] Yahweh, [See Judges Footnotes 1] saying, "Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?"

1:2 Yahweh said, "Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand."

1:3 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.

  • (c) For the tribe of Simeon had their inheritance within the tribe of Judah, (Joshua 19:1).

1:4 Judah went up; and Yahweh delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

1:5 They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

1:6 But Adoni-Bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

  • (d) This was God’s just judgment, as the tyrant himself confesses, that as he had done, so did he receive, (Leviticus 24:19,20).

1:7 Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their food] under my table: as I have done, so [2] God [See Judges Footnotes 2] has requited me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

1:8 The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

  • (e) Which was later built again, and possessed by the Jebusites, (2 Samuel 5:6).

1:9 Afterward 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.

1:10 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.

  • (f) These three were giants, and the children of Anak.

1:11 From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.)

1:12 Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

1:13 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

1:14 It happened, when she came [to him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, "What would you like?"

1:15 She said to him, "Give me a blessing; for that 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.

1:16 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.

  • (h) This was one of the names of Moses father in law, read (Numbers 10:29).

1:17 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.

1:18 Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.

  • (i) These cities and others were later possessed by the Philistines, (1 Samuel 6:17).

1:19 Yahweh 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.

1:20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out there the three sons of Anak.

1:21 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.

  • (k) For after the tribe of Judah had burnt it, they built it again.

1:22 The house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel; and Yahweh was with them.

1:23 The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

1:24 The watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him, "Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you."

1:25 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.

1:26 The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

1:27 Manasseh did not drive out [the inhabitants of] Beth Shean and its towns, nor [of] Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

  • (l) Wherefore God permitted the Canaanites to still dwell in the land, read (Judges 3:5).

1:28 It happened, when Israel had grown strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out.

1:29 Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

1:30 Zebulun didn't drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor.

  • (m) That is, the tribe of Zebulun as is also to be understood of the rest.

1:31 Asher didn't drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob;

1:32 but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

  • (n) But made them pay tribute as the others did.

1:33 Naphtali didn't drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor.

1:34 The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

1:35 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 subject to forced labor.

  • (o) Meaning, when he was stronger than they.

1:36 The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

  • (p) Or Selah, which was a city in Arabia.
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