Study Desk

After the death of Joshua,^(a) the Israelites inquired of the Lord ,^(b) "Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"

The Lord answered, "Judah^(c) is to go.^(d) I have handed the land over to him."^(e)

Judah said to his brother Simeon, "Come with me to my territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. I will also go with you to your territory." So Simeon went with him.

When Judah attacked, the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites^(f) over to them. They struck down 10,000 men in Bezek.^(g)

They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought against him, and struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites.

When Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.^(h)

Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps^[a] under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.^[b]

Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron⁽ⁱ⁾ (Hebron was formerly named Kiriath-arba^(j)). They struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.^(k)

From there they marched against the residents of Debir^(l) (Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher).

Caleb^(m) said, "Whoever strikes down and captures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah⁽ⁿ⁾ to him as a wife."

So Othniel^(o) son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as his wife.

When she arrived, she persuaded Othniel^[c] to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her,^[d] "What do you want?"

She answered him, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev,^(p) give me springs of water also." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.^[e](q)

The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law,^(r) had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms^[f](s) to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad.^(t) They went to live among the people.

Judah went with his brother Simeon, struck the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and completely destroyed the town. So they named the town Hormah.^(u)

Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory.^[g]

The Lord was with^(v) Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out^(w) the people who were living in the valley because those people had iron chariots.^[h](x)

Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised.^(y) Then Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak^(z) who lived there.^[i]

At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.^(aa)

The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with^(ab) them.

They sent spies to Bethel (the town was formerly named Luz^(ac)).

The spies saw a man coming out of the town and said to him, "Please show us how to get into town, and we will treat you well."^(ad)

When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but released the man and his entire family.

Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name to this day.

At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-shean^[j](ae) and its villages,^[k] or Taanach^(af) and its villages, or the residents of Dor^(ag) and its villages, or the residents of Ibleam^[l](ah) and its villages, or the residents of Megiddo^(ai) and its villages; the Canaanites refused to leave^[m] this land.^(aj)

When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.^(ak)

At that time Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among them in Gezer.^[n](al)

Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron or the residents of Nahalol,^(am) so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced labor.

Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco^[o] or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.

Naphtali did not drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh or the residents of Beth-anath. They lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served as their forced labor.

The Amorites^(an) forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley.

The Amorites refused to leave^[p] Har-heres, Aijalon,^(ao) and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand,^[q] the Amorites^[r] were made to serve as forced labor.

The territory of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim,^(ap) that is from Sela^(aq) upward.

The Angel of the Lord ^(a) went up from Gilgal to Bochim^[a] and said, "I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land^(b) I had promised to your fathers.^(c) I also said: I will never break My covenant with you.

You are not to make a covenant^(d) with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars.^[b](e) But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done?

Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you.^(f) They will be thorns^[c][d] in your sides,^(g) and their gods will be a trap for you."^(h)

When the Angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.

So they named that place Bochim^[e] and offered sacrifices there to the Lord .

Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.⁽ⁱ⁾

The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived^[f] Joshua. They had seen all the Lord 's great works^(j) He had done for Israel.

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord , died at the age of 110.

They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim,^(k) north of Mount Gaash.

That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord ^(l) or the works He had done for Israel.

The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord 's sight.^(m) They worshiped the Baals⁽ⁿ⁾

and abandoned the Lord , the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods from the surrounding peoples^(o) and bowed down to them. They infuriated the Lord ,^(p)

for they abandoned Him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.^(q)

The Lord 's anger burned against Israel, and He handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold^(r) them to^[g] the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies.

Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord ^[h] was against them^(s) and brought disaster on them, just as He had promised and sworn to them.^(t) So they suffered greatly.

The Lord raised up^(u) judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders,

but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted^(v) themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way^(w) of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord 's commands. They did not do as their fathers did.

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with^(x) him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive.^[i] The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them.

Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly^(y) than their fathers, going after other gods to worship and bow down to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate^(z) ways.

The Lord 's anger burned against Israel, and He declared, "Because this nation has violated My covenant^(aa) that I made with their fathers^(ab) and disobeyed Me,

I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left^(ac) when he died.^(ad)

I did this to test Israel and to see whether they would keep the Lord 's way^(ae) by walking in it, as their fathers had."^(af)

The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

These are the nations the Lord left in order to test Israel, since the Israelites had fought none of these in^[a] any of the wars with Canaan.^(a)

This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before.^[b]

These nations included: the five rulers^(b) of the Philistines^(c) and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians,^(d) and the Hivites^(e) who lived in the Lebanese mountains^[c] from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.^[d]

The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord 's commands He had given their fathers through^[e] Moses.^(f)

But they settled among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.^(g)

The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord 's sight; they forgot the Lord their God^(h) and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.

The Lord 's anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to^[f] Cushan-rishathaim^[g] king of Aram-naharaim,^[h](i) and the Israelites served him eight years.

The Israelites cried out to the Lord .^(j) So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother,^(k) as a deliverer^(l) to save the Israelites.

The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him.

Then the land was peaceful^(m) 40 years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.

The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord 's sight. He gave Eglon king of Moab⁽ⁿ⁾ power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord 's sight.

After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms.^[i](o)

The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab 18 years.

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord , and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed^(p) Benjaminite,^[j] as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him to Eglon king of Moab with tribute^(q) money.

Ehud made himself a double-edged sword 18 inches long.^[k] He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes

and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an extremely fat man.

When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had carried it.

At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, "King Eglon, I have a secret message for you." The king called for silence, and all his attendants left him.

Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs where it was cool. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you," and the king stood up from his throne.^[l]

Ehud^[m] reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.

Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon's insides came out.

Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him.

Ehud was gone when Eglon's servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself^[n] in the cool room.

The servants waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!

Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He crossed over the Jordan near the carved images and reached Seirah.

After he arrived, he sounded the ram's horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader.

He told them, "Follow me, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you." So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.^(r)

At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong and able-bodied men. Not one of them escaped.

Moab became subject to Israel that day, and the land was peaceful 80 years.

After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He delivered Israel by striking down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.