Liber Iudicum, 1

1. post mortem Josue consuluerunt filii Israël Dominum dicentes quis ascendet ante nos contra Chananeum et erit dux belli

1. After the death of Josue the children of Israel consulted the Lord, saying: Who shall go up before us against the Chanaanite, and shall be the leader of the war?

2. dixitque Dominus Judas ascendet ecce tradidi terram in manus ejus

2. And the Lord said: Juda shall go up: behold I have delivered the land into his hands.

3. et ait Judas Symeoni fratri suo ascende mecum in sorte mea et pugna contra Chananeum ut et ego pergam tecum in sorte tua et abiit cum eo Symeon

3. And Juda said to Simeon his brother: Come up with me into my lot, and fight against the Chanaanite, that I also may go along with thee into thy lot. And Simeon went with him.

4. ascenditque Judas et tradidit Dominus Chananeum ac Ferezeum in manus eorum et percusserunt in Bezec decem milia virorum

4. And Juda went up, and the Lord delivered the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite into their hands: and they slew of them in Bezec ten thousand men.

5. inveneruntque Adonibezec in Bezec et pugnaverunt contra eum ac percusserunt Chananeum et Ferezeum

5. And they found Adonibezec in Bezec, and fought against him, and they defeated the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite.

6. fugit autem Adonibezec quem secuti conprehenderunt cæsis summitatibus manuum ejus ac pedum

6. And Adonibezec fled: and they pursued after him and took him, and cut off his fingers and toes.

7. dixitque Adonibezec septuaginta reges amputatis manuum ac pedum summitatibus colligebant sub mensa mea ciborum reliquias sicut feci ita reddidit mihi Deus adduxeruntque eum in Hierusalem et ibi mortuus est

7. And Adonibezec said: Seventy kings having their fingers and toes cut off, gathered up the leavings of the meat under my table: as I have done, so hath God requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8. obpugnantes ergo filii Juda Hierusalem ceperunt eam et percusserunt in ore gladii tradentes cunctam incendio civitatem

8. And the children of Juda besieging Jerusalem, took it, and put it to the sword, and set the whole city on fire.

9. et postea descendentes pugnaverunt contra Chananeum qui habitabat in montanis et ad meridiem et in campestribus

9. And afterwards they went down and fought against the Chanaanite, who dwelt in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.

10. pergensque Judas contra Chananeum qui habitabat in Hebron cui nomen fuit antiquitus Cariatharbe percussit Sisai et Ahiman et Tholmai

10. And Juda going forward against the Chanaanite, that dwelt in Hebron (the name whereof was in former times Cariath-Arbe) slew Sesai, and Ahiman, and Tholmai:

11. atque inde profectus abiit ad habitatores Dabir cujus nomen vetus erat Cariathsepher id est civitas Litterarum

11. And departing from thence he went to the inhabitants of Dabir, the ancient name of which was Cariath-Sepher, that is, the city of letters.

12. dixitque Chaleb qui percusserit Cariathsepher et vastaverit eam dabo ei Axam filiam meam uxorem

12. And Caleb said: He that shall take Cariath-Sepher, and lay it waste, to him will I give my daughter Axa to wife.

13. cumque cepisset eam Othonihel filius Cenez frater Chaleb minor dedit ei filiam suam coniugem

13. And Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb, having taken it, he gave him Axa his daughter to wife.

14. quam pergentem in itinere monuit vir suus ut peteret a patre suo agrum quæ cum suspirasset sedens asino dixit ei Chaleb quid habes

14. And as she was going on her way her husband admonished her to ask a field of her father. And as she sighed sitting on her ass, Caleb said to her: What aileth thee?

15. at illa respondit da mihi benedictionem quia terram arentem dedisti mihi da et inriguam aquis dedit ergo ei Chaleb inriguum superius et inriguum inferius

15. But she answered: Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry land: give me also a watery land. So Caleb gave her the upper and the nether watery ground.

16. filii autem Cinei cognati Mosi ascenderunt de civitate Palmarum cum filiis Juda in desertum sortis ejus quod est ad meridiem Arad et habitaverunt cum eo

16. And the children of the Cinite, the kinsman of Moses, went up from the city of palms, with the children of Juda into the wilderness of his lot, which is at the south side of Arad, and they dwelt with him.

17. abiit autem Judas cum Symeone fratre suo et percusserunt simul Chananeum qui habitabat in Sephath et interfecerunt eum vocatumque est nomen urbis Horma id est anathema

17. And Juda went with Simeon his brother, and they together defeated the Chanaanites that dwelt in Sephaath, and slew them. And the name of the city was called Horma, that is, Anathema.

18. cepitque Judas Gazam cum finibus suis et Ascalonem atque Accaron cum terminis suis

18. And Juda took Gaza with its confines, and Ascalon and Accaron with their confines.

19. fuitque Dominus cum Juda et montana possedit nec potuit delere habitatores vallis quia falcatis curribus abundabant

19. And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes.

20. dederuntque Chaleb Hebron sicut dixerat Moses qui delevit ex ea tres filios Enach

20. And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, who destroyed out of it the three sons of Enac.

21. Jebuseum autem habitatorem Hierusalem non deleverunt filii Beniamin habitavitque Jebuseus cum filiis Beniamin in Hierusalem usque in præsentem diem

21. But the sons of Benjamin did not destroy the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem: and the Jebusite hath dwelt with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this present day.

22. domus quoque Joseph ascendit in Bethel fuitque Dominus cum eis

22. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

23. nam cum obsiderent urbem quæ prius Luza vocabatur

23. For when they were besieging the city, which before was called Luza,

24. viderunt hominem egredientem de civitate dixeruntque ad eum ostende nobis introitum civitatis et faciemus tecum misericordiam

24. They saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him: Shew us the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.

25. qui cum ostendisset eis percusserunt urbem in ore gladii hominem autem illum et omnem cognationem ejus dimiserunt

25. And when he had shewn them, they smote the city with the edge of the sword: but that man and all his kindred they let go:

26. qui dimissus abiit in terram Etthim et ædificavit ibi civitatem vocavitque eam Luzam quæ ita appellatur usque in præsentem diem

26. Who being sent away, went into the land of Hethim, and built there a city, and called it Luza: which is so called until this day.

27. Manasses quoque non delevit Bethsan et Thanach cum viculis suis et habitatores Dor et Jeblaam et Mageddo cum viculis suis cœpitque Chananeus habitare cum eis

27. Manasses also did not destroy Bethsan, and Thanac with their villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor, and Jeblaam, and Mageddo with their villages. And the Chanaanite began to dwell with them.

28. postquam autem confortatus est Israël fecit eos tributarios et delere noluit

28. But after Israel was grown strong he made them tributaries, and would not destroy them.

29. Ephraim etiam non interfecit Chananeum qui habitabat in Gazer sed habitavit cum eo

29. Ephraim also did not slay the Chanaanite that dwelt in Gazer, but dwelt with him.

30. Zabulon non delevit habitatores Cetron et Naalon sed habitavit Chananeus in medio ejus factusque est ei tributarius

30. Zabulon destroyed not the inhabitants of Cetron, and Naalol: but the Chanaanite dwelt among them, and became their tributaries.

31. Aser quoque non delevit habitatores Achcho et Sidonis Alab et Achazib et Alba et Afec et Roob

31. Aser also destroyed not the inhabitants of Accho, and of Sidon, of Ahalab, and of Achazib, and of Helba, and of Aphec, and of Rohob:

32. habitavitque in medio Chananei habitatoris illius terræ nec interfecit eum

32. And he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites the inhabitants of that land, and did not slay them.

33. Nepthali non delevit habitatores Bethsemes et Bethanath et habitavit inter Chananeum habitatorem terræ fueruntque ei Bethsemitæ et Bethanitæ tributarii

33. Nephtali also destroyed not the inhabitants of Bethsames, and of Bethanath: and he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites the inhabitants of the land, and the Bethsamites and Bethanites were tributaries to him.

34. artavitque Amorreus filios Dan in monte nec dedit eis locum ut ad planiora descenderent

34. And the Amorrhite straitened the children of Dan in the mountain, and gave them not place to go down to the plain:

35. habitavitque in monte Hares quod interpretatur testaceo in Ahilon et Salabim et adgravata est manus domus Joseph factusque est ei tributarius

35. And he dwelt in the mountain Hares, that is, of potsherds, in Aialon and Salebim. And the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy upon him, and he became tributary to him.

36. fuit autem terminus Amorrei ab ascensu Scorpionis Petra et superiora loca

36. And the border of the Amorrhite was from the ascent of the scorpion, the rock, and the higher places.