A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Judges 1
Judges 1 is the opening chapter of the seventh book of the Bible. The 36-verse chapter records the partial conquest of Canaan after Joshua's death, with each tribe taking its assigned territory, but with mixed results.
The chapter opens with Joshua's death and the Israelites asking God which tribe should go first against the Canaanites. The answer is Judah. Judah, joined by the related tribe of Simeon, defeats the Canaanites at Bezek, captures their king Adoni-bezek, and then takes Jerusalem, Hebron, and Debir. The chapter includes the brief story of Caleb's daughter Achsah, given in marriage to the soldier who captured Debir, who requests springs of water from her father as part of her inheritance.
After Judah's successes, the chapter shifts tribe by tribe. The house of Joseph captures Bethel through information from a local resident. Then comes a series of reports that the other tribes did not drive out the Canaanites from their assigned territories. Manasseh did not. Ephraim did not. Zebulun did not. Asher did not. Naphtali did not. Dan was pushed back into the hills and could not take the plains.
In each case the chapter notes that the Canaanites remained in the land, often subjected to forced labor but not removed. This sets up the pattern that will dominate the rest of the book. Because the Canaanites remained, their religion and influence remained too, and Israel's troubles in Judges will follow from that.
Verse 1. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
Verse 2. “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
Verse 3. Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them.
Verse 4. When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.
Verse 5. And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
Verse 6. As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
Verse 7. Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
Verse 8. Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.
Verse 9. Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills.
Verse 10. Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
Verse 11. From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
Verse 12. And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”
Verse 13. So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.
Verse 14. One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
Verse 15. “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
Verse 16. Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.
Verse 17. Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called Hormah.
Verse 18. And Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory.
Verse 19. The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
Verse 20. Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.
Verse 21. The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
Verse 22. The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
Verse 23. They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz),
Verse 24. and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.”
Verse 25. So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family.
Verse 26. And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
Verse 27. At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
Verse 28. When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.
Verse 29. Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
Verse 30. Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers.
Verse 31. Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.
Verse 32. So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.
Verse 33. Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.
Verse 34. The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain.
Verse 35. And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.
Verse 36. And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim to Sela and beyond.
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