1After Joshua died, the people of Israel asked Yahweh, "Who should go first to fight against the Canaanites for us?"
2Yahweh answered, "Judah will go. I have given the land into their control."
3Judah said to his brother Simeon, "Come with me to my assigned territory so we can fight the Canaanites. Then I will also go with you to your territory." So Simeon went with him.
4Judah attacked, and Yahweh helped them defeat the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They killed 10,000 men in Bezek.
5They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek and fought against him. They defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6But Adoni-Bezek ran away. They chased him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, with their thumbs and big toes cut off, picked up scraps under my table. Now God has done to me what I did to them." They took him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem, captured it, killed everyone in it, and set the city on fire.
9After that, the people of Judah went down to fight the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev (the South), and in the lowlands.
10Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11From there, he went to fight the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.)
12Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher."
13Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife.
14When she arrived, she convinced Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"
15She replied, "Please give me a gift. Since you've given me land in the dry Negev, also give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
16The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, left the city of palm trees with the people of Judah and went into the wilderness of Judah, which is south of Arad. They went and lived with the people there.
17Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who lived in Zephath, completely destroying it. The city was then called Hormah.
18Judah also captured Gaza and its surrounding territory, Ashkelon and its surrounding territory, and Ekron and its surrounding territory.
19Yahweh was with Judah, and they drove out the people living in the hill country. But they could not drive out the people in the valley because those people had iron chariots.
20They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had said, and Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there.
21The people of Benjamin did not force out the Jebusites, who lived in Jerusalem. So, the Jebusites still live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem today.
22The descendants of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and Yahweh was with them.
23The descendants of Joseph sent spies to Bethel. (Before that, the city was called Luz.)
24The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, "Please show us how to get into the city, and we will be kind to you."
25He showed them the entrance to the city, and they attacked the city with swords. But they let the man and his entire family go.
26The man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and named it Luz, which is still its name today.
27Manasseh did not force out the people living in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns, nor in Taanach and its towns, nor in Dor and its towns, nor in Ibleam and its towns, nor in Megiddo and its towns. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live in that land.
28When Israel grew strong, they made the Canaanites into forced laborers, but they did not completely remove them.
29Ephraim did not force out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
30Zebulun did not force out the people of Kitron, nor the people of Nahalol. Instead, the Canaanites lived among them and were made to do forced labor.
31Asher did not force out the people of Acco, nor the people of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob.
32Instead, the people of Asher lived among the Canaanites, who were the local inhabitants, because they did not force them out.
33Naphtali did not force out the people of Beth Shemesh, nor the people of Beth Anath. Instead, Naphtali lived among the Canaanites, who were the local inhabitants. But later, the people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were made to do forced labor.
34The Amorites forced the people of Dan into the hill country because they would not allow them to come down to the valley.
35However, the Amorites continued to live in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But the descendants of Joseph became strong enough to make them do forced labor.
36The Amorite border started from the ascent of Akrabbim, from a rock, and went further up.