Study Desk

The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.

As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.

The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),

the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well."

So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family.

He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor.

Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob,

and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land.

Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them.

The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.

And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor.

The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.