World English Bible
- After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
- The LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.”
- Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot.” So Simeon went with him.
- Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek.
- They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him. They struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
- But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
- Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
- The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
- After that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the South, and in the lowland.
- Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron before that was Kiriath Arba.) They struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
- From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.)
- Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.”
- Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife.
- When she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”
- She said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
- The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
- Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.
- Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.
- The LORD was with Judah, and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
- They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove the three sons of Anak out of there.
- The children of Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
- The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
- The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city before that was Luz.)
- The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”
- He showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go.
- The man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.
- Manasseh didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- When Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.
- Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
- Zebulun didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor.
- Asher didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob;
- but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they didn’t drive them out.
- Naphtali didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor.
- The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, for they would not allow 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 subject to forced labor.
- The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.
“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight…?’” —Judges 1:1 (New International Version)
The first page of Judges feels like dawn at camp the morning after a great leader has died. The fire is still warm, the stories of God’s power linger in the air, but everyone senses that a new day calls for fresh courage. Judges 1 invites us to watch Israel take its first steps without Joshua’s strong hand. Their story quickly becomes a mirror held up to our own lives: How will we walk with God when yesterday’s heroes are gone and the next chapter is not yet written?
Israel begins well: they ask. The Hebrew verb שָׁאַל (shaʾal) does not mean a casual “Would You mind?”; it means to seek an answer with intent to obey. They long to know who should lead, not whether they should enter the battle.
Cross-references
• Judges 20:18 – the same verb appears when Israel asks again decades
later.
• James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God.”
Reflection
We often pray, “Lord, should I do something?” Israel teaches us
to pray, “Lord, which step comes first?” Mature faith trusts
the mission already given (Matthew 28:19-20) and seeks the order of
obedience.
Judah calls on Simeon for help. Cooperation is wise, yet we notice faint cracks:
Adoni-Bezek is judged by having his thumbs and big toes cut off (v. 6-7). Ancient kings did this to prisoners so they could neither wield a sword nor run in battle. Israel copies a Canaanite custom instead of seeking God’s own way of justice (see Deuteronomy 12:30-31).
Verse 19 says Judah “could not” (לֹא יָכְלוּ, lo yakhelu) drive out the valley people because of iron chariots. Later in Judges 4, Deborah’s God topples a whole army with 900 iron chariots. The problem here is not iron but faith.
Historical Note
Archaeology at Gezer, Megiddo, and Beth-Shean shows Canaanite cities
with thick, casemate walls and evidence of iron-working. To ancient eyes
these were modern fortresses. The text lets us feel Israel’s human
weakness—but also hints that weakness became an excuse.
Reflection
Partial obedience feels harmless, but it breeds “pockets” of resistance
in the soul. John Calvin wrote, “When we grant a truce with our sins,
they grow stronger than at first.”
The rest of the chapter repeats a sad refrain:
“Manasseh did not drive out… Ephraim did not drive out… Naphtali did not
drive out…” (vv. 27-33).
The tribes choose forced labor over full obedience. It looks practical—why destroy what can earn a tax? Yet the book will later show that the enslaved will enslave Israel’s heart with idolatry.
Cross-references
• Joshua 17:12-13 – the pattern had begun earlier.
• Romans 8:13 – put to death the deeds of the body “or they will put you
to death” (Augustine’s paraphrase).
• City Gates and Fires – Verse 8 describes Jerusalem set on fire. Excavations in the City of David have uncovered burn layers dated to the Late Bronze–Early Iron transition—physical ashes that remind us these words are rooted in real soil.
• Clan Loyalty – When Judah invites Simeon, it reflects family ties (they share a mother, Leah). Ancient readers saw covenant cooperation; modern readers may see mere strategy.
• Iron Chariots – In a day before the stirrup, chariots were shock weapons. Israel on foot would feel like farmers facing tanks. Yet God had already drowned Egypt’s chariots (Exodus 14); fear forgets history.
Verse 19 contrasts two verbs:
• “The Lord was with Judah” – וַיְהִי (vayehi), simple, steady
companionship.
• “But they could not drive out” – לֹא יָכְלוּ (lo yakhelu). Hebrew
allows a shade of meaning: would not can sometimes hide inside
could not. The heart draws a line and then blames the
obstacle.
• Origen saw the remaining Canaanites as images of
inner passions: “Drive them out, lest they build altars in your
heart.”
• Augustine warned of “little foxes” (Song 2:15)
tolerated in the vineyard.
• John Wesley turned the text evangelistic: partial
surrender to Christ keeps us in endless defeat; entire consecration
opens the way for Spirit-filled victory.
“Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Ridley Havergal (1874).
The repeated plea, “Take my will… take my heart…,” answers Judges 1 by
offering no corner untouched.
• Deuteronomy 7 for God’s original command.
• Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots…”
• Hebrews 4:8-11 – Joshua did not give the full rest; only Jesus
can.
Lord of Hosts,
You stood with Judah, yet they stopped short.
Stand with us again, and press us forward.
Search our hearts; expose every hidden Canaanite desire.
Teach us to ask, then to rise, and finally to finish.
Until the land of our lives is wholly Yours,
we trust Your power over every iron chariot.
In the name of Jesus, the Lion of Judah,
Amen.