Judges:1-3

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* 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 ? * And the LORD said , Judah shall go up : behold , I have delivered the land into his hand . * 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 . * 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 . * And they found Adonibezek in Bezek : and they fought against him , and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites . * But Adonibezek fled ; and they pursued after him , and caught him , and cut off his thumbs and his great toes . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir : and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher : * And Caleb said , He that smiteth Kirjathsepher , and taketh it , to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife . * And Othniel the son of Kenaz , Caleb 's younger brother , took it : and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife . * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof , and Askelon with the coast thereof , and Ekron with the coast thereof . * 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 . * And they gave Hebron unto Caleb , as Moses said : and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak . * 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 . * And the house of Joseph , they also went up against Bethel : and the LORD was with them . * And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel . (Now the name of the city before was Luz .) * And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city , and they said unto him , Shew us , we pray thee , the entrance into the city , and we will shew thee mercy . * And when he shewed 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And it came to pass , when Israel was strong , that they put the Canaanites to tribute , and did not utterly drive them out . * Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer ; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them . * Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron , nor the inhabitants of Nahalol ; but the Canaanites dwelt among them , and became tributaries . * 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 : * But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites , the inhabitants of the land : for they did not drive them out . * 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 . * And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain : for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley : * 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 . * And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim , from the rock , and upward . * And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim , and said , I made you to go up out of Egypt , and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers ; and I said , I will never break my covenant with you . * And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land ; ye shall throw down their altars : but ye have not obeyed my voice : why have ye done this ? * Wherefore I also said , I will not drive them out from before you ; but they shall be as thorns in your sides , and their gods shall be a snare unto you . * And it came to pass , when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel , that the people lifted up their voice , and wept . * And they called the name of that place Bochim : and they sacrificed there unto the LORD . * And when Joshua had let the people go , the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land . * And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua , and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua , who had seen all the great works of the LORD , that he did for Israel . * And Joshua the son of Nun , the servant of the LORD , died , being an hundred and ten years old . * And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres , in the mount of Ephraim , on the north side of the hill Gaash . * And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers : and there arose another generation after them , which knew not the LORD , nor yet the works which he had done for Israel . * And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD , and served Baalim : * And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers , which brought them out of the land of Egypt , and followed other gods , of the gods of the people that were round about them , and bowed themselves unto them , and provoked the LORD to anger . * And they forsook the LORD , and served Baal and Ashtaroth . * And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel , and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them , and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about , so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies . * Whithersoever they went out , the hand of the LORD was against them for evil , as the LORD had said , and as the LORD had sworn unto them : and they were greatly distressed . * Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges , which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them . * And yet they would not hearken unto their judges , but they went a whoring after other gods , and bowed themselves unto them : they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in , obeying the commandments of the LORD ; but they did not so . * And when the LORD raised them up judges , then the LORD was with the judge , and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge : for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them . * And it came to pass , when the judge was dead , that they returned , and corrupted themselves more than their fathers , in following other gods to serve them , and to bow down unto them ; they ceased not from their own doings , nor from their stubborn way . * And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel ; and he said , Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers , and have not hearkened unto my voice ; * I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died : * That through them I may prove Israel , whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein , as their fathers did keep it , or not . * Therefore the LORD left those nations , without driving them out hastily ; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua . * Now these are the nations which the LORD left , to prove Israel by them , even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan ; * Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know , to teach them war , at the least such as before knew nothing thereof ; * Namely , five lords of the Philistines , and all the Canaanites , and the Sidonians , and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon , from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath . * And they were to prove Israel by them , to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses . * And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites , Hittites , and Amorites , and Perizzites , and Hivites , and Jebusites : * And they took their daughters to be their wives , and gave their daughters to their sons , and served their gods . * And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD , and forgat the LORD their God , and served Baalim and the groves . * Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel , and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia : and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years . * And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD , the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel , who delivered them , even Othniel the son of Kenaz , Caleb 's younger brother . * And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him , and he judged Israel , and went out to war : and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand ; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim . * And the land had rest forty years . And Othniel the son of Kenaz died . * And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD : and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel , because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD . * And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek , and went and smote Israel , and possessed the city of palm trees . * So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years . * But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD , the LORD raised them up a deliverer , Ehud the son of Gera , a Benjamite , a man lefthanded : and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab . * But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges , of a cubit length ; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh . * And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab : and Eglon was a very fat man . * And when he had made an end to offer the present , he sent away the people that bare the present . * But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal , and said , I have a secret errand unto thee , O king : who said , Keep silence . And all that stood by him went out from him . * And Ehud came unto him ; and he was sitting in a summer parlour , which he had for himself alone . And Ehud said , I have a message from God unto thee . And he arose out of his seat . * And Ehud put forth his left hand , and took the dagger from his right thigh , and thrust it into his belly : * And the haft also went in after the blade ; and the fat closed upon the blade , so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly ; and the dirt came out . * Then Ehud went forth through the porch , and shut the doors of the parlour upon him , and locked them . * When he was gone out , his servants came ; and when they saw that , behold , the doors of the parlour were locked , they said , Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber . * And they tarried till they were ashamed : and , behold , he opened not the doors of the parlour ; therefore they took a key , and opened them : and , behold , their lord was fallen down dead on the earth . * And Ehud escaped while they tarried , and passed beyond the quarries , and escaped unto Seirath . * And it came to pass , when he was come , that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim , and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount , and he before them . * And he said unto them , Follow after me : for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand . And they went down after him , and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab , and suffered not a man to pass over . * And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men , all lusty , and all men of valour ; and there escaped not a man . * So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel . And the land had rest fourscore years . * And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath , which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad : and he also delivered Israel . * And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD , when Ehud was dead .

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