1Now after the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Who among us should go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” 2And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up; I have delivered the land into their hand.” 3And Judah said to Simeon, their brothers, “Come up with us into our allotted land, to fight against the Canaanites; and we will likewise go with you into your allotted portion.” So Simeon went with them.

4And when Judah went up; the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand of them at Bezek. 5And there at Bezek they encountered and fought against King Adoni-bezek; and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6When Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their big toes cut off, gathered scraps of food under my table. As I have done, so has God repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. 8Then the men of Judah attacked and captured Jerusalem, killed its occupants, and set the city on fire.

9And after that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the western foothills. 10And Judah advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly named Kiriath-arba (kiriath means “city”)), and they defeated the forces of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11And from there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (formerly named Kiriath-sepher.) 12And Caleb said, “I will give Achsah, my daughter, in marriage to whoever attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” 13And Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it: and Caleb gave Achsah, his daughter, to him in marriage. 14And when she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field: and she alighted from her donkey; and Caleb asked to her, “What can I do for you?” 15And she said to him, “Give me a blessing; for you have given me the Negev (a south land); please give me springs of water, also.” And so Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

16And the descendants of Moses' father-in-law, a Kenite, went up from the city of palms with the descendants of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the south (Negev) of Arad; and dwelt among the people.

17Then the men of Judah went with those of Simeon, and attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. 18Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron with their borders. 19And the LORD was with Judah; and they (Judah) drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses said; and he drove the three descendants of Anak from there. 21But the Benjamites failed to drive out the Jebusites, who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

22And the tribe of Joseph also attacked Bethel; and the LORD was with them. 23And they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly known as Luz). 24And they saw a man coming out of the city, and said to him, “Show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you well.” 25And he showed them a way into the city. Then they entered and killed everyone in the city, except that man and his family. 26And later, that man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27But Manasseh failed to drive the inhabitants out of the cities of Beth-shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo and their surrounding villages; because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that land. 28And later, when Israel was strong, they put those Canaanites to forced labor, but never drove them out completely.

29Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites dwelling in Gezer; but they continued to dwell among the Ephraimites in Gezer.

30And Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, and of Nahalol; and those Canaanites continued to dwell among them, and became subject to forced labor.

31And Asher also failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob; 32But instead, the Asher tribe lived among the Canaanites, the former inhabitants of the land that they failed to drive out.

33Likewise, Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath; but instead, they moved in among the Canaanites that had occupied that land; and those Canaanites became subject of forced labor.

34And the Amorites would not allow the descendants of Dan to enter the valley: but forced them back into the hill country. 35The Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim; but when the power of the tribe of Joseph increased, the Amorites also became subjects of forced labor.

36The boundary of the Amorites ran from Scorpion Pass to Sela, and beyond.