16. The Kenite people left Jericho, the city of palm trees. They went with the men of Judah. The Kenites went to the Desert of Judah to live with the people there. This was in southern Judah near the city of Arad. (The Kenites were from the family of Moses’ father-in-law.)
17. Some Canaanite people also lived in the city of Zephath. So the men of Judah and the men of Simeon, their relatives, defeated those Canaanites. They completely destroyed the city. So they called the city Hormah.
18. The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron and all the lands around them.
19. The Lord was on the side of the men of Judah. They took the land in the mountains. But they could not force out the people living on the plain. This was because those people had iron chariots.
20. As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb. Caleb forced out the three sons of Anak.
21. But the people of Benjamin could not make the Jebusite people leave Jerusalem. Since that time the Jebusites have lived with the Benjaminites in Jerusalem.
22. The men of Joseph went to fight against the city of Bethel. The Lord was on their side.
23. They sent some spies to Bethel. (Bethel used to be called Luz.)
24. The spies saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us a way into the city. If you help us, we will be kind to you.”
25. The man showed the spies the way into the city. The men of Joseph killed the people in Bethel. But the man who helped them and his family were allowed to go free.
26. He went to the land where the Hittite people lived, and he built a city. He named the city Luz, and it is called that today.
27. There were Canaanites living in the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo and the small towns around them. The people of Manasseh did not force those people out of their towns. The Canaanites were determined to stay there.
28. Later, the people of Israel grew strong. They forced the Canaanites to work as slaves for them. But the Israelites did not make all the Canaanites leave their land.