16 The people of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ relative, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Palms to the wilderness of Judah at the descent of Arad. They settled down there with the Amalekites.

17 The people of Judah went with their kin the Simeonites and struck the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They carried out the holy curse and named the city Curse-town.

18-19 But Judah didn’t manage to capture Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron with their territories. God was certainly with Judah in that they took over the hill country. But they couldn’t oust the people on the plain because they had iron chariots.

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16 The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law,(A) the Kenite,(B) went up from the City of Palms[a](C) with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.(D)

17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites(E) their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed[b] the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.[c](F) 18 Judah also took[d] Gaza,(G) Ashkelon(H) and Ekron—each city with its territory.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 1:16 That is, Jericho
  2. Judges 1:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  3. Judges 1:17 Hormah means destruction.
  4. Judges 1:18 Hebrew; Septuagint Judah did not take