1 And it came to pass after the death of Joshua {Yehoshua: Covenant Successor}, that the sons of Israel asked of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Guide}, saying, “Who will go up for us first against the Canaanites to fight against them?”
2 And the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Commander} said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land {ha’aretz: promised land} into his hand.”
3 Then Judah {Yehudah: tribal leader} said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotted portion {goral: assigned inheritance} so that we may fight the Canaanites, and I also will go with you into your allotted portion.” So Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went up, and the LORD {YHWH, Battle Giver} delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they struck them at Bezek—ten thousand men {aseret alafim: ten thousand}.
5 And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek and fought against him and struck down the Canaanite {kena‘ani: native inhabitant} and the Perizzite {perizzi: unwalled-village dweller}.
6 And Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him, seized him, and cut off {vayekatsetsu: removed by force} the thumbs of his hands and the great toes of his feet {raglav: pivotal support joints}.
7 And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with the thumbs of their hands and their great toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table {shulchani: royal table}. As I have done, so God {Elohim, Retributive Judge} has repaid me.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 And the sons of Judah fought in Jerusalem; they captured it, struck it with the edge of the sword {cherev: sharpened blade}, and set the city on fire {esh: complete destruction}.
9 And afterward, the sons of Judah {benei Yehudah: tribal collective} went down to fight the Canaanites {kna‘ani: indigenous inhabitants} dwelling in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowland.
10 And Judah went to the Canaanite {hakena’ani: indigenous inhabitant} living in Hebron (the city was formerly called Kiriath Arba {qiryat arba: ancient designation}), and they struck down Sheshai, Achiman, and Talmai.
11 And he went from there to the inhabitants {yoshvei: dwellers} of Debir, and the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath Sepher {kiryat sefer: city of the book}.
12 And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes {yakkeh: overcomes by force} Kiriath-Sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter {bitti: direct offspring} for a wife.”
13 And Othniel son of Kenaz, the younger brother {achi: kin by bloodline} of Caleb, captured it, and he gave him his daughter {bito: dynastic alliance} Aksah as a wife.
14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she urged him to ask her father for the field {sadeh: cultivated land}. Then she dismounted {vatisnakh: alighted swiftly} from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What is it to you?”
15 She said to him, “Please give me a blessing {berakhah: special favor}, for you have given me land in the Negev; now give me springs {gulot: subterranean fountains} of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper springs and the lower springs.
16 And the sons of the Kenite {qeni: allied clan}, 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 Negev near Arad, and they went and settled with the people {am: assembled community}.
17 And Judah {Yehudah: Tribal Leader} and his brother Simeon struck the Canaanite {hakenaʿani: land inhabitant} dwelling in Zephath; they devoted the city to the ban, and they called it Hormah.
18 And Judah {Yehudah: Tribal Leader} captured Gaza and its territory {gevulah: surrounding region}, and Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.
19 And the LORD {YHWH, Deliverer} was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron {barzel: forged weapons} chariots.
20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb {le-kalev: faithful one} as Moses had spoken, and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak {ha-anak: giant clan}.
21 The sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusite {ha-yevusi: original inhabitants} who dwelled in Jerusalem, and the Jebusite remains in Jerusalem with the sons of Benjamin to this day {hayom: continuing}.
22 And the house of Joseph {beit Yosef: tribal clan} also went up against Bethel, and the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Protector} was with them.
23 And the house of Joseph spied out {vayyatiru: strategic reconnaissance} Bethel {beit-el: house of God}, and the name of the city was formerly Luz.
24 And the watchers {hashomrim: attentive guards} saw a man coming out from the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance of the city, and we will deal kindly {chesed: loyal faithfulness} with you.”
25 And he showed them the entrance {mevo: city approach} 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 {shillekhu: sent away}.
26 So the man went to the land of the Hittites {hakhittim: Hittite clans} and built a city; he named it Luz, which remains its name to this day {hayom: continuing present}.
27 But Manasseh did not drive out {horish: expel completely} the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Taanach and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Ibleam and its dependent towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its dependent towns; and the Canaanite {hakenani: indigenous people} was determined to remain in this land.
28 And it happened that when Israel became strong {chazaq: established power}, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out {horish: full expulsion}.
29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanite {kena'ani: native inhabitants} dwelling in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in his midst {qereb: inner region} at Gezer.
30 Zebulun did not dispossess {horish: covenant eviction} the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanite dwelt among them, and they became subjected to forced labor {mas: compulsory service}.
31 Asher {Asher: tribal group} did not drive out {horish: expel forcibly} the inhabitants of Akko or Tsidon or Akhlab or Akhziv or Khelbah or Afik or Rechov.
32 So the Asherite {Asheri: tribe of Asher} lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because he did not drive them out {horisho: forceful dispossession}.
33 Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath, but he dwelt among the Canaanite{ha-qena‘ani: native people}, the inhabitants of the land; yet the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers{la-mas: conscripted service} for them.
34 And the Amorite pressed the sons of Dan into the hill country {harah: rugged uplands}, for he did not allow them to go down to the valley {emek: flat plain}.
35 And the Amorite persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand {yad: symbol of power} of the house of Joseph pressed heavily, and they became subject to forced labor {lamas: conscripted labor}.
36 And the boundary of the Amorites {ha-emori: Canaanite people} was from the ascent of Akrabbim {Akrabbim: Scorpion Pass}, from the rock, and upward.