Study Desk

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD , "Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?"

The LORD answered, "Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands."

Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them.

When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites.

Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills.

They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.

From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher."

Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.

One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him ^(F1) to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?"

She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms ^(F2) with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.

Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed ^(F3) the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. ^(F4)

The men of Judah also took ^(F5) Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron-each city with its territory.