1tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the Lord through a prophetic oracle; cf. NAB “consulted.”

2tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”

3tn Heb “Judah should go up.”

4tn The Hebrew exclamation הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally, “Behold”), translated “Be sure of this,” draws attention to the following statement. The verb form in the following statement (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”

5tn Heb “Judah said to Simeon, his brother.”

6tn Heb “Come up with me into our allotted land and let us attack the Canaanites.”

7tn Heb “I.” The Hebrew pronoun is singular, agreeing with the collective singular “Judah” earlier in the verse. English style requires a plural pronoun here, however.

8tn Heb “Judah went up.”

9tn Or “found.”

10tn Elsewhere this verb usually carries the sense of “to gather; to pick up; to glean,” but “lick up” seems best here in light of the peculiar circumstances described by Adoni-Bezek.

11tn The words “food scraps” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

12tn Heb “Just as I did, so God has repaid me.” Note that the phrase “to them” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.

13map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

14tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

15tn Heb “they went from there against the inhabitants of Debir.” The LXX reads the verb as “they went up,” which suggests that the Hebrew text translated by the LXX read וַיַּעַל (vayya’al) rather than the MT’s וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh). It is possible that this is the text to be preferred in v. 11. Cf. Josh 15:15.

16tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel was Caleb’s nephew; so CEV).

17tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

18tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

19tn Heb “him.” The pronoun could refer to Othniel, in which case one would translate, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 15. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18 // Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. The translation takes Caleb to be the referent, specified as “her father.”

20tn Elsewhere the Hebrew word בְרָכָה (v˙rakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).

21tn Some translations regard the expressions “springs of water” (גֻּלֹּת מָיִם, gullot mayim) and “springs” (גֻּלֹּת) as place names here (cf. NRSV).

22tc Part of the Greek ms tradition lacks the words “of Judah.”

23tn Heb “[to] the Desert of Judah in the Negev, Arad.”

24tn The phrase “of Judah” is supplied here in the translation. Some ancient textual witnesses read, “They went and lived with the Amalekites.” This reading, however, is probably influenced by 1 Sam 15:6 (see also Num 24:20-21).

25tn Heb “Judah went with Simeon, his brother.”

26tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Zephath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

27sn The name Hormah (חָרְמָה, khormah) sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “wipe out” (חָרַם, kharam).

28tn Heb “The men of Judah captured Gaza and its surrounding territory, Ashkelon and its surrounding territory, and Ekron and its surrounding territory.”

29tn Or “seized possession of”; or “occupied.”

30tc Several textual witnesses support the inclusion of this verb.

31tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.

32tn Heb “they gave to Caleb.”

33map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

34sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).

35tn Heb “house.” This is a metonymy for the warriors from the tribe.

36tn Heb “went up.”

37map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

38tn Heb “saw.”

39tn Heb “the man.”

40map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.

41tn Heb “The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan and its surrounding towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, the people living in Dor and its surrounding towns, the people living in Ibleam and its surrounding towns, or the people living in Megiddo and its surrounding towns.”

42tn Or “were determined.”

43tn Heb “in this land.”

44tn Heb “the people living in Kitron and the people living in Nahalol.”

45map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

46tn Heb “The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco, the people living in Sidon, Ahlab, Acco, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.”

47tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”

48tn The term “Canaanites” is supplied here both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

49tn Heb “come down into.”

50tn Or “were determined.”

51tn Or “Mount Heres”; the term הַר (har) means “mount” or “mountain” in Hebrew.

52tn Heb “Whenever the hand of the tribe of Joseph was heavy.”

53tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).

54tn Or “Amorite territory started at the Pass of the Scorpions at Sela and then went on up.”