Benjamin’s Failure

21 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.(A)

Success of the House of Joseph

22 The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with(B) them. 23 They sent spies to Bethel (the town was formerly named Luz(C)). 24 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.”(D) 25 When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but released the man and his entire family. 26 Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name to this day.

Failure of the Other Tribes

27 At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-shean[a](E) and its villages,[b] or Taanach(F) and its villages, or the residents of Dor(G) and its villages, or the residents of Ibleam[c](H) and its villages, or the residents of Megiddo(I) and its villages; the Canaanites refused to leave[d] this land.(J) 28 When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.(K)

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

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

31 Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco[f] or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.

33 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.

34 The Amorites(N) forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley. 35 The Amorites refused to leave[g] Har-heres, Aijalon,(O) and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand,[h] the Amorites[i] were made to serve as forced labor. 36 The territory of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim,(P) that is from Sela(Q) upward.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 1:27 LXX reads Beth-shean, which is a Scythian city
  2. Judges 1:27 LXX reads its villages or the fields around it
  3. Judges 1:27 LXX reads Balaam
  4. Judges 1:27 LXX reads Canaanites began to live in
  5. Judges 1:29 LXX reads Gezer, and became forced labor
  6. Judges 1:31 LXX reads Acco, and they became for him forced labor and the residents of Dor
  7. Judges 1:35 Or Amorites determined to live in
  8. Judges 1:35 Lit When the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy
  9. Judges 1:35 LXX reads Joseph became strong on the Amorites, they

21 The Benjamites, however, did not drive out(A) the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem;(B) to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

22 Now the tribes of Joseph(C) attacked Bethel,(D) and the Lord was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),(E) 24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.(F) 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared(G) the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the Hittites,(H) where he built a city and called it Luz,(I) which is its name to this day.

27 But Manasseh did not(J) drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor(K) or Ibleam(L) or Megiddo(M) and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites(N) were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.(O) 29 Nor did Ephraim(P) drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer,(Q) but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.(R) 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. 31 Nor did Asher(S) drive out those living in Akko or Sidon(T) or Ahlab or Akzib(U) or Helbah or Aphek(V) or Rehob.(W) 32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh(X) or Beth Anath(Y); but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. 34 The Amorites(Z) confined the Danites(AA) to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.(AB) 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres,(AC) Aijalon(AD) and Shaalbim,(AE) but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass(AF) to Sela(AG) and beyond.(AH)

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The Lord Tests Israel

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)

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:1 Lit had known

These are the nations the Lord left to test(A) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan

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As for all the peoples who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not from Israel(A) their descendants who remained in the land after them, those the Israelites had not completely destroyed—Solomon imposed forced labor on them; it is this way today.(B)

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There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(A) (these people were not Israelites). Solomon conscripted(B) the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

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