1AFTER the death of Joshua and Eleazar, Phineas prophesied, that according to Elohim's (God's) will they should commit the government to the tribe of Yahudah (Judah), and that this tribe should destroy the race of the Canaanites; for then the people were concerned to learn what was the will of Elohim (God). They also took to their assistance the tribe of Simeon; but upon this condition, that when those that had been tributary to the tribe of Yahudah (Judah) should be slain, they should do the like for the tribe of Simeon.
2But the affairs of the Canaanites were at this thee in a flourishing condition, and they expected the Israelites with a great army at the city Bezek, having put the government into the hands of Adonibezek, which name denotes lord of Bezek, for Adoni in the Hebrew tongue signifies lord. Now they hoped to have been too hard for the Israelites, because Joshua was dead; but when the Israelites had joined battle with them, I mean the two tribes before mentioned, they fought gloriously, and slew above ten thousand of them, and put the rest to flight; and in the pursuit they took Adonibezek, who, when his fingers and toes were cut off by them, said, "Nay, indeed, I was not always to lie concealed from Elohim (God), as I find by what I now endure, while I have not been ashamed to do the same to seventy-two kings." So they carried him alive as far as Jerusalem; and when he was dead, they buried him in the earth, and went on still in taking the cities: and when they had taken the greatest part of them, they besieged Jerusalem; and when they had taken the lower city, which was not under a considerable time, they slew all the inhabitants; but the upper city was not to be taken without great difficulty, through the strength of its walls, and the nature of the place.