1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
8 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.
10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:
12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.
18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.
19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.
21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.
23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy.
25 And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.
26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.
27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.
33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.
34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:
35 But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
36 And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.
The Book of Judges is the seventh book in the Old Testament of the Bible and is considered to be a part of the historical books. It chronicles the time period after the death of Joshua, when the Israelites had entered the Promised Land and were in the process of establishing themselves as a nation. The book is named after the judges who were chosen by God to lead and deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction to the book and sets the stage for the events that will unfold in the following chapters.
The book of Judges takes place during a tumultuous time in Israel's history. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites had no clear leader and were left to fend for themselves. The book begins with the death of Joshua and the lack of a strong leader to guide the Israelites. This period of time is known as the "time of the judges" because it was during this time that God raised up judges to deliver the Israelites from their enemies and lead them back to Him.
The book of Judges covers a time period of about 300 years, from around 1375 BC to 1050 BC. It is believed that the book was written by Samuel, who also wrote the book of 1 Samuel. The events in Judges take place after the Israelites have conquered the Promised Land and before the establishment of the monarchy under King Saul.
As with any book in the Bible, there are several themes that can be found in the book of Judges. Some of the main themes in chapter 1 include the consequences of disobedience, the importance of faithfulness, and the faithfulness of God.
The book of Judges begins with the Israelites asking God who should go up first to fight against the Canaanites. God responds by telling them that Judah should go first. However, instead of obeying God's command, the tribe of Judah makes an alliance with the Canaanites and does not drive them out of the land as God had instructed. This disobedience sets the tone for the rest of the book, as the Israelites continue to disobey God and suffer the consequences.
Throughout the book, we see the Israelites falling into a cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, and deliverance. When they disobey God and worship other gods, they are punished by their enemies. However, when they cry out to God for help and repent of their sins, He raises up a judge to deliver them. This cycle of disobedience and consequences serves as a warning to us today about the consequences of disobedience and the importance of following God's commands.
In chapter 1, we see the tribe of Judah making an alliance with the Canaanites instead of driving them out as God had commanded. This lack of faithfulness to God's commands leads to further disobedience and consequences in the rest of the book. The importance of faithfulness is also seen in the story of Caleb's daughter, Achsah.
Caleb, one of the spies who had explored the Promised Land, promised his daughter to the man who captured the city of Kiriath Sepher. When Othniel, Caleb's nephew, conquered the city, he claimed Achsah as his wife. However, Achsah's dowry was a piece of land with springs of water. When she asks her father for the land, Caleb gives her the upper and lower springs. This story shows the importance of keeping promises and being faithful to one's word.
Despite the disobedience of the Israelites, we see the faithfulness of God throughout chapter 1. When the Israelites cry out to God for help, He raises up judges to deliver them from their enemies. We also see God's faithfulness in the story of Caleb's daughter, Achsah. God fulfills His promise to Caleb and gives his daughter the land with the springs of water. This serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to His people, even when they are unfaithful to Him.
The first chapter of the book of Judges serves as an introduction to the rest of the book. It sets the stage for the events that will unfold and introduces us to the main themes of the book. One of the main messages of chapter 1 is the consequences of disobedience and the importance of faithfulness. The Israelites' disobedience and lack of faithfulness lead to further disobedience and consequences throughout the book. This serves as a warning to us to remain faithful to God's commands and not to disobey Him.
Another important message in chapter 1 is the faithfulness of God. Despite the Israelites' disobedience, God remains faithful to His people and delivers them from their enemies. This serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to us today, even when we are unfaithful to Him.
Chapter 1 also introduces us to the cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, and deliverance that will be seen throughout the rest of the book. This cycle serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of repentance and turning back to God.
In addition, chapter 1 also highlights the importance of keeping promises and being faithful to one's word. This is seen in the story of Caleb's daughter, Achsah, and serves as a reminder to us to be faithful and keep our promises, just as God is faithful to us.
In conclusion, chapter 1 of the book of Judges sets the stage for the rest of the book and introduces us to the main themes and messages that will be seen throughout. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience, the importance of faithfulness, and the faithfulness of God. It also introduces us to the cycle of sin and deliverance that will be seen throughout the book. As we continue to read the book of Judges, we will see these themes and messages play out in the lives of the Israelites and learn valuable lessons about obedience, faithfulness, and the faithfulness of God.
Share this page