Thematic Bible




Judges 1:1 (show verse)

Sometime after Joshua had died, the Israelis asked the LORD, "Who is to lead us against the Canaanites in our opening attack against them?"

Judges 1:2 (show verse)

The LORD replied, "The tribe of Judah is to lead you. Look! I've given the land into their control."

Judges 1:3 (show verse)

But the tribe of Judah told the tribe of Simeon, the descendants of Judah's brother, "Come with us into our territory, and we'll both fight the Canaanites. In return, we'll go with you when you fight in your territory." So the army of the tribe of Simeon accompanied the army of the tribe of Judah.

Judges 1:4 (show verse)

When the army of the tribe of Judah went into battle, the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their control, and they defeated 10,000 men at Bezek.

Judges 1:5 (show verse)

They located Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

Judges 1:6 (show verse)

Adoni-bezek ran off, but they pursued him, caught him, and amputated his thumbs and big toes.

Judges 1:7 (show verse)

Adoni-bezek used to brag, "Seventy kings without thumbs and big toes used to eat what was left under my table. God has repaid me for what I've done." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he later died there.

Judges 1:8 (show verse)

Then the army of Judah attacked Jerusalem, captured it, executed its inhabitants, and set fire to the city.

Judges 1:9 (show verse)

Later, the army of Judah left Jerusalem to attack the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Negev, and the Shephelah.

Judges 1:10 (show verse)

They attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba) and fought Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

Judges 1:11 (show verse)

The army of Judah then proceeded to attack the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be known as Kiriath-sepher.

Judges 1:12 (show verse)

Caleb announced, "I'll give my daughter Achsah in marriage to whomever leads the attack against Kiriath-sepher and captures it."

Judges 1:13 (show verse)

Othniel, Caleb's nephew through his younger brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb awarded him his daughter Achsah in marriage.

Judges 1:14 (show verse)

Later on, after she had arrived, she urged Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want for yourself?"

Judges 1:15 (show verse)

"I want this blessing from you," she replied. "Since you've given me land in the Negev, give me water springs, too." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

Judges 1:16 (show verse)

The descendants of the Kenites, the tribe from which Moses' father-in-law came, accompanied the descendants of Judah from the city of the palms to the Judean wilderness, which is in the desert area south of Arad, and lived with the people there.

Judges 1:17 (show verse)

The army of Judah accompanied the army of Simeon, Judah's brother, as they attacked the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and they completely destroyed it. Then they renamed the city Hormah.

Judges 1:18 (show verse)

The army of Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.

Judges 1:19 (show verse)

The LORD was with the army of Judah, and they captured the hill country, but did not expel the inhabitants of the valley because they were equipped with iron chariots.

Judges 1:20 (show verse)

They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there.

Judges 1:21 (show verse)

However, the descendants of Benjamin did not expel the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

Judges 1:22 (show verse)

Then the army of the tribe of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

Judges 1:23 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Joseph scouted out Bethel, which had been formerly named Luz.

Judges 1:24 (show verse)

The scouts observed a man coming out of the city and they promised him, "Please show us the entrance to the city and we'll deal kindly with you."

Judges 1:25 (show verse)

So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they attacked the city with swords, but they let the man and his entire family escape.

Judges 1:26 (show verse)

So the man traveled to the land of the Hittites and built a city that he named "Luz," and it is called by that name to this day.

Judges 1:27 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Manasseh did not conquer Beth-shean and its villages, Taanach and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live in that land.

Judges 1:28 (show verse)

When Israel had grown strong, they subjected the Canaanites to conscripted labor and never did expel them completely.

Judges 1:29 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

Judges 1:30 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Zebulun did not expel the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but were subjected to conscripted labor.

Judges 1:31 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Asher did not expel the inhabitants of Acco nor the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

Judges 1:32 (show verse)

So the descendants of Asher lived among the Canaanites who continued to inhabit the land, because they did not expel them.

Judges 1:33 (show verse)

The army of the tribe of Naphtali did not expel the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and the inhabitants of Beth-anath. Instead, they lived among the Canaanites who inhabited the land. However, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to conscripted labor.

Judges 1:34 (show verse)

Later on, the Amorites forced the descendants of Dan into the hill country and did not permit them to come into the valleys of the hills.

Judges 1:35 (show verse)

Furthermore, the Amorites continued to inhabit Mount Heres in Aijalon and Shaalbim. Eventually, however, after the tribe of Joseph had become strong, the Amorites were subjected to conscripted labor.

Judges 1:36 (show verse)

The Amorite border extended upward from the Akrabbim Ascent, that is, from Sela.