Study Desk

Acsah answered him, "Give me a blessing. You gave me dry desert land in the Negev. Please give me some land with water on it." So Caleb gave her what she wanted. He gave her the upper and lower pools of water in that land.

The Kenites left the City of Palm Trees and went with the men of Judah. They went to the desert of Judah to live with the people there. This was in the Negev near the city Arad. (The Kenites were from the family of Moses' father-in-law.)

As soon as David and his men arrived at Ziklag on the third day, they saw that the Amalekites had attacked Ziklag. The Amalekites invaded the Negev area, attacked Ziklag, and burned the city.

We had attacked the Negev area where the Kerethites live. We also attacked Judah and the Negev area where Caleb's people live. We burned Ziklag."

David sent some of the gifts to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the Negev, Jattir,

This is a message about the "desert by the sea": It is coming like a storm blowing through the Negev. It is coming in from the desert, from a frightening nation.

This is a message about the Negev animals: There is a dangerous place full of lions, adders, deadly snakes, and useless people. And there are people who load their wealth onto donkeys and their treasures on the backs of camels. They carry them to a people who cannot help.

The cities in the Negev are locked. No one can open them. All the people of Judah have been taken away as captives. They were carried away as prisoners.

People will come to Jerusalem from the towns and villages of Judah, from the land where the tribe of Benjamin lives, from the western foothills, from the hill country, and from the Negev. All these people will bring burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, incense, and thank offerings to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

Shepherds will count their sheep as the sheep walk in front of them. They will be counting their sheep all around the country—in the hill country, in the western foothills, in the Negev, and in all the other towns of Judah."

"Son of man, look toward the Negev, the southern part of Judah. Speak against the Negev Forest.

Say to the Negev Forest, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord . This is what the Lord God said: Look, I am ready to start a fire in your forest. The fire will destroy every green tree and every dry tree. The flame that burns will not be put out. All the land from south to north will be burned by the fire.

Then people from the Negev will live on the mountain of Esau. And people from the foothills will take the Philistine lands. They will live in the land of Ephraim and Samaria. Gilead will belong to Benjamin.

People from Israel were forced to leave their homes, but they will take back the land of Canaan, all the way to Zarephath. People from Judah were forced to leave Jerusalem and live in Sepharad. But they will take back the cities of the Negev.

The Lord used the earlier prophets to say the same thing long ago. That was when Jerusalem was still a rich city filled with people and there were still people living in the surrounding towns, in the Negev, and in the western foothills.'"