Caleb

17Moses sent them to look at the land of Canaan. He told them, "Go through the dry land in the south. Then go up into the hills.

And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

NoteThe dry land in the south got very little rain. The hills farther north had more water and better soil.

18Look at the land and see what it is like. See if the people who live there are strong or weak. See if there are many of them or only a few.

And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

19Find out if the land they live in is good or bad. Find out if they live in open camps or in cities with strong walls.

And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

NoteCities then had thick walls built all around them. The walls kept enemies from getting in. A camp with no walls was much easier to attack.

20See if the soil is rich or poor. See if there are trees growing there. Be brave, and bring back some fruit from the land." It was the time of year when the first grapes get ripe.

And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

NoteGrapes get ripe near the end of summer. So there was fruit ready for the men to carry home.

21So the men went up and looked at the land. They went from the desert of Zin all the way to Rehob, near the road to Hamath.

So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

NoteThese places were very far apart. The men walked from one end of the land to the other.

22They went up through the dry land in the south and came to Hebron. Three men named Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. They came from the family of Anak. Hebron had been built seven years before the town of Zoan in Egypt.

And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

NoteThe family of Anak was known for being very tall and strong. Zoan was a city in Egypt. Saying Hebron came first tells us Hebron was a very old town.

23They came to a valley called Eshcol. There they cut off one branch with a bunch of grapes on it. It took two men to carry it on a pole. They also took some pomegranates and figs.

And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

NoteA pomegranate is a round red fruit. Inside it is full of small juicy seeds.

24The place was named Eshcol, which means "bunch." It got that name because of the bunch of grapes the men cut there.

The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25After forty days the men came back from looking at the land.

And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

NoteForty days is a little more than a month of walking and looking.

26They came to Moses and Aaron and all the people of Israel. This was at Kadesh, in the desert of Paran. The men told everyone what they had seen. They showed them the fruit from the land.

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

NoteAaron was the brother of Moses. He was the priest, the man who led the people in worshiping God. Kadesh was the place where the people were camped.

27They said to Moses, "We went to the land you sent us to see. It really is a land flowing with milk and honey. Look at the fruit we brought!

And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

Note"Flowing with milk and honey" was a way of saying the land was rich. There was grass for cows and goats, and flowers for bees. It meant there would be plenty to eat.

28But the people who live there are strong. Their cities are very big and have high walls around them. We even saw the family of Anak there.

Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

29The Amalekites live in the dry land in the south. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hills. The Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan River."

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

NoteThese were names of people groups who already lived in the land. Each group had its own towns and its own ways. The Jordan is the main river in that land.

30Then Caleb told the people to be quiet and listen. He said to them in front of Moses, "Let's go up right now and take the land. We can do it!"

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31But the other men who had gone with him said, "We cannot fight those people. They are stronger than we are."

But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32So they gave the people of Israel a bad report about the land they had seen. They said, "That land eats up the people who live in it. Every person we saw there was very big.

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

NoteA report is what you tell people after you go and look at something. Saying the land "eats up" people was a picture. It was their way of saying the land was dangerous to live in.

33"We saw giants there, the sons of Anak, who came from the giants. Next to them we felt as small as grasshoppers. And that is how we looked to them too."

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

NoteThe old word here means very large, strong people from long ago. A grasshopper is a small bug that jumps in the grass. The men felt that tiny standing next to the tall people.

1All the people cried out loud together. They wept all that night.

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

NoteThe King James word "congregation" means all the people gathered together in one big group.

2The people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. The whole group said to them, "We wish we had died back in Egypt! Or we wish we had died here in this empty desert!"

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

NoteThe King James says the people "murmured." That means they grumbled and complained. Egypt is the country where these people had lived as slaves. God had just brought them out. The "wilderness" is a wide, empty land. Very few people live there. Food and water are hard to find.

3"Why is the LORD bringing us to this land? We will be killed by swords. Our wives and children will be carried off. Wouldn't it be better to go back to Egypt?"

And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Note"To fall by the sword" means to be killed in a battle. The King James says the children would be "a prey." It means enemies would carry them off and keep them.

4They said to each other, "Let's choose a leader. Let's go back to Egypt."

And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

NoteA "captain" here means a leader, someone to walk in front and tell everyone where to go.

5Then Moses and Aaron bowed down with their faces to the ground. All the people of Israel were watching.

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

NoteLying down with your face to the ground was how people showed they were begging or praying. Moses and Aaron were asking the people to stop.

6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh tore their own clothes. They were two of the men who had explored the land.

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

NoteThe King James says they "rent their clothes." People tore their own clothes on purpose. It was how they showed everyone that they were very upset. The men had gone ahead to look at the land quietly. We would call them spies.

7They said to the whole group of Israel, "The land we walked through is a very good land."

And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

8"If the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us there. It is a rich land, full of milk and honey. He will give it to us."

If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Note"A land which floweth with milk and honey" is an old way of saying the land is rich. Grass grows for the cows and goats, so there is plenty of milk. Flowers grow for the bees, so there is honey.

9"Only do not turn against the LORD. Do not be afraid of the people who live there. We will beat them as easily as eating bread. Nothing is left to keep them safe. The LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!"

Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

NoteThe King James says the people of the land "are bread for us." Eating bread is easy. Joshua means the fight will not be too hard. "Their defence is departed from them" means nothing is left to keep them safe.

10But the whole group wanted to throw stones at Joshua and Caleb. Then the bright glory of the LORD appeared at the tent where God met his people. All Israel saw it.

But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

NoteThrowing big stones at someone was how people long ago put a person to death. The crowd was very angry at Joshua and Caleb. The "tabernacle of the congregation" was a large tent. It was the tent where God met his people. The "glory of the LORD" was a bright shining light that showed God was there.

20The LORD said, "I have forgiven them, just as you asked."

And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

21"But I am the living God, and this is sure. The whole earth will be filled with my glory."

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

Note"As truly as I live" was a way of making a promise as strong as possible. It means "this is certain."

22"All these men saw my glory. They saw the wonders I did in Egypt and in the desert. Still they have tested me ten times. They have not listened to me."

Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

Note"Tempted me" here means tested me, to see what God would do. "Ten times" is a way of saying many times over, again and again. "Hearkened" means listened and obeyed.

23"So none of them will see the land I promised to their fathers. Not one who treated me with no respect will see it."

Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24"But my servant Caleb thinks in a different way. He has followed me with his whole heart. I will bring him into the land he visited. His family after him will own it."

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Note"His seed" means his children, and their children after them.

25(The Amalekites and the Canaanites were living in the valley.) "Tomorrow turn around. Go back into the desert on the road to the Red Sea."

(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

NoteThe Amalekites and the Canaanites were groups of people already living in that land. They had their own towns and their own armies. The Red Sea is the big sea the people had crossed when they left Egypt. Going back that way meant turning around.

26Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said:

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27"How long will I put up with this bad group that complains about me? I have heard the people of Israel complaining about me."

How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

Note"How long shall I bear with" means "how long will I put up with this?"

28"Tell them this: I am the living God, says the LORD. I heard what you said. I will do exactly that to you."

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29"Your dead bodies will fall in this desert. That means every one of you who was counted, age twenty and older, who complained about me."

Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

Note"Carcases" is the King James word for dead bodies. "All that were numbered" means the men who were counted. Every man of twenty years and older had been counted for the army.

30"None of you will enter the land I promised to give you as a home. Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will go in."

Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Note"Save" here does not mean rescue. It is an old word that means "except."

31"You said your little children would be carried off. But I will bring them in. They will come to know the land you said no to."

But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

Note"Despised" means they said the land was no good. They turned their noses up at it.

32"But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this desert."

But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33"Your children will be shepherds, taking care of sheep, in the desert for forty years. They will suffer because you were not faithful to me. This lasts until the last of your bodies lies in the desert."

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

NoteThe King James says the children will "bear your whoredoms." That old word means being unfaithful, like breaking a promise to someone you love. The parents had turned away from God. The King James says the children will "wander." The Hebrew word means to be shepherds, people who take care of sheep and move around to find grass for them.

34"You explored the land for forty days. So you will pay for your sin for forty years, one year for each day. You will learn what it is like when I turn against you."

After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

NoteThe men looked at the land for forty days. Now the people will wait one year for each of those days. "My breach of promise" is hard old English. It means the people will find out what it is like when God turns away from them.

35"I, the LORD, have said it, and I will do it. This whole bad group joined together against me. They will come to their end in this desert. Here they will die."

I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

Note"They shall be consumed" means they will be used up. Their lives will end here.

36Moses had sent men to explore the land. They came back and made the whole group complain. They said things about the land that were bad and untrue.

And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

Note"A slander" means saying bad things about someone or something that are not true.

37Those men who brought back the bad report died. A sickness struck them down in front of the LORD.

Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

Note"The plague" means a sudden sickness that spreads through many people.

38Of the men who explored the land, only two stayed alive. They were Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh.

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

Note"Lived still" simply means they stayed alive.

6Moses said to the men of Gad and Reuben, "Your brothers will go and fight. Will you just sit here?

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

NoteTheir brothers here means all the other Israelites. They were one family, so they helped each other.

7Why would you make the people of Israel lose heart? God gave them that land across the river.

And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?

NoteTo lose heart is to stop feeling brave. Moses is afraid the others will be scared to go.

8Your fathers did this same thing. I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to look at the land.

Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

NoteKadesh-barnea was a camp in the desert. Long ago Moses sent twelve men from there. They went to look at the land and come back with news.

9They went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land. Then they made the people afraid to go in. So Israel would not enter the land God gave them.

For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

NoteTen of those men came back with a scary story. They said the people in the land were too strong. So Israel was afraid to go in.

10That day the LORD became very angry. He made a promise. He said,

And the LORD’s anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,

NoteGod made a promise here that could not be changed. People called this kind of promise an oath.

11'None of the men who came out of Egypt will see that land. I mean the men twenty years old and older. I promised that land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But these men did not follow me with their whole heart.

Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

NoteTwenty years old was old enough to be a soldier. So this means all the grown men. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived long before. God had promised the land to their family.

12Only two will see it. Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. They followed the LORD with their whole heart.'

Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.

NoteCaleb and Joshua were two of the twelve men who looked at the land. They said Israel could go in safely.

13The LORD was angry with Israel. He made them wander in the desert for forty years. He waited until that whole group who did evil in his eyes had died.

And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

NoteTo wander is to walk from place to place with no home. The desert was dry land with little water or food. Israel lived there in tents for forty years.

14"Now here you are, doing what your fathers did. You are one more crowd of people who do wrong. You will only make the LORD more angry with Israel.

And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.

15If you turn away from him, he will leave the people in the desert again. Then you will be the reason they are ruined."

For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

19Then we left Mount Horeb, just as the LORD our God told us to. We walked through that huge, scary desert on the way to the Amorite hills. You saw it yourselves. Then we came to Kadesh-barnea.

And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.

NoteA desert is dry land with almost no water and very little food. Walking through it was hard and frightening.

20I said to you, "You have come to the hills where the Amorites live. The LORD our God is giving this land to us.

And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.

21Look, the LORD your God has put the land right in front of you. Go up and make it your own, just as the LORD said. Do not be afraid. Do not give up."

Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

22Then all of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead of us. They can look at the land. They can come back and tell us which way to go. They can tell us what cities we will find."

And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

NoteThey wanted men to go quietly and look at the land first. We call people who do that spies.

23That sounded like a good idea to me. So I picked twelve men, one from each family group.

And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

24They left and went up into the hills. They came to a valley called Eshcol and spied out the land.

And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

NoteThe name Eshcol means a bunch of grapes. The valley was full of grapevines.

25They picked some fruit from the land and carried it back to us. They told us, "The land the LORD our God is giving us is good."

And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.

26But you would not go up. You said no to the command of the LORD your God.

Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:

27You complained inside your tents. You said, "The LORD hates us. That is why he brought us out of Egypt. He wants the Amorites to catch us and wipe us out.

And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

NoteThe people lived in tents because they moved from place to place. Complaining in their tents means grumbling at home, out of sight.

28Where can we even go? Our own men have made us lose heart. They said, 'Those people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are huge, with walls as high as the sky. We even saw the Anakim there.'"

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

NoteThe Anakim were a family of very tall, strong people. Cities back then were circled by high stone walls to keep enemies out.

29Then I said to you, "Do not be scared of them. Do not be afraid.

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30The LORD your God goes ahead of you. He will fight for you. He will do what he did for you in Egypt, right where you could see it.

The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

31He helped you in the desert too. You saw how the LORD your God carried you, like a father carries his son. He did that the whole way, until you got to this place."

And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

NoteThis is a picture of a tired child being carried. God took care of them the same way.

32But even after all that, you did not trust the LORD your God.

Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

33He was the one who went ahead of you on the trip. He found places for you to camp. He led you with a fire at night and a cloud in the day, so you knew which way to go.

Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

NoteGod showed the people where to go with a tall cloud in the daytime. At night it looked like fire, so they could still see it.

34The LORD heard what you said. He was angry, and he made a promise.

And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

NoteMaking a promise here means God said something and would not change it.

35He said, "Not one man from this bad group of people will see that good land. I promised that land to your fathers.

Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

36Only Caleb son of Jephunneh will see it. I will give him the land he walked on. I will give it to his children too. He followed the LORD with his whole heart."

Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

NoteCaleb was one of the twelve men who went to look at the land. He said the people could go in.

37The LORD was angry with me too, because of you. He said, "You will not go into the land either.

Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38But Joshua son of Nun, your helper, will go in. Cheer him on, because he will lead Israel into the land.

But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

NoteJoshua worked beside Moses and helped him. Later Joshua became the leader.

39You said your little ones would be taken away. But your children, who did not know right from wrong then, will go in. I will give them the land, and it will be theirs.

Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

NoteVery young children are too little to choose right from wrong yet. So God did not blame them.

40As for you, turn around. Go back into the desert, toward the Red Sea."

But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

NoteThe Red Sea is the big water God opened for them when they left Egypt.

6Then men from the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said, "You know what the LORD said to Moses about you and me at Kadesh-barnea."

Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.

NoteGilgal was the camp where Israel stayed after crossing the river. Kadesh-barnea was a place in the desert near the edge of Canaan. Kenezite tells us which family Caleb came from.

7"I was forty years old when Moses sent me out from Kadesh-barnea. He sent me to look the land over. I came back and told him the truth."

Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

NoteMoses had sent twelve men to look at Canaan quietly, without being seen. Men who do that are called spies. Caleb was one of them.

8"The other men who went with me scared the people badly. But I kept following the LORD my God with my whole heart."

Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

NoteThe other spies said the people of Canaan were too big and strong to fight. That made everyone afraid to go into the land.

9"That day Moses made me a promise. He said, 'The land you walked on will belong to you and your children forever. This is because you followed the LORD my God with your whole heart.'"

And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.

NoteA promise like this was a strong one. It was the kind you never take back.

10"The LORD has kept me alive for forty-five years, just as he said. That was while Israel wandered in the desert. Today I am eighty-five years old."

And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

NoteAfter the spies came back, Israel had to live in the desert for forty years. Caleb had waited that whole time for this land.

11"I am still as strong today as I was when Moses sent me. I can still fight, and I can still come and go."

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

Note"Come and go" meant doing a full day's work. Caleb is saying he can still do everything he used to do.

12"So give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You heard that the Anakim lived there, a very tall and strong people. Their cities were big, with high walls. If the LORD is with me, I will drive them out, as he said."

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

NoteBack then, big cities had thick walls all around them. The walls kept enemies from getting in.

13Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh. He gave him the town of Hebron to be his own.

And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

NoteTo bless someone was to ask God to be good to them.

14So Hebron belongs to Caleb's family to this day. That is because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, with his whole heart.

Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

Note"To this day" means Caleb's family still lived there when this book was written down.

15Hebron used to be called Kirjath-arba. Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. After this, the fighting stopped and the land was at rest.

And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

NoteKirjath-arba means "town of Arba." Towns were often named after a person who lived there.

13The LORD had told Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh a share among Judah's people. So Caleb got the city of Arba, which is Hebron. Arba was the father of Anak.

And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.

NoteCaleb was one of the men sent long before to look over this land. Hebron was an old town up in the hills.

14Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from that city. They were Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

NoteThe sons of Anak were known for being very tall and strong. The three names here stand for whole families, not just three men. The sons of Anak were known for being very tall people.

15From there he went to fight the people of Debir. Debir used to be called Kirjathsepher.

And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher.

16Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kirjathsepher and takes it will get a reward. I will give him my daughter Achsah to be his wife."

And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

NoteIn those days a father chose who his daughter would marry. Caleb offered this as the prize for taking the town.

17Othniel son of Kenaz took the city. Kenaz was Caleb's brother. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife.

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

NoteKenaz was Caleb's brother. That made Othniel Caleb's nephew.

18One day Achsah came to Othniel. She urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked, "What do you want?"

And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?

NoteThe King James says she "lighted off her ass." An ass is a donkey. She climbed down off it to talk with her father.

19She said, "Please give me a gift. You gave me dry land in the south. Please give me springs of water too." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

Note"Give me a blessing" here means "please give me a gift." Her land was dry, so springs of water were worth more than the field.

12Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kirjath-sepher and captures it will get a reward. I will give him my daughter Achsah to be his wife."

And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

NoteLong ago fathers chose who their daughters would marry. Offering a daughter in marriage was a big prize.

13Othniel captured the city. He was the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. So Caleb gave him Achsah to be his wife.

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

14When Achsah came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. Then she got down off her donkey. Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"

And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?

15She said, "Please give me a gift. You gave me dry land in the south. Give me springs of water too." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

NoteLand with no water is hard to farm. A spring is a place where water comes up from the ground. Springs made the dry land worth having.

16The Kenites were the family of Moses' father-in-law. They left the City of Palm Trees and went with Judah's men. They came to the dry land of Judah, near Arad. There they lived among the people.

And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

NoteThe Kenites were a small group of people who moved from place to place. Moses was the leader who brought Israel out of Egypt. His wife came from this family. The City of Palm Trees was another name for Jericho.

17Judah's men went with their relatives from Simeon. They fought the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They destroyed the city completely and named it Hormah.

And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

NoteThe name Hormah sounds like the Hebrew word for destroying. Long ago people often named a place after what happened there.

18Judah also took the cities of Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron. They took the land around each of those cities too.

Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

NoteGaza, Askelon, and Ekron were big cities near the sea.

19The LORD was with Judah. They drove out the people living in the hills. But they could not drive out the people in the valley. Those people had chariots made of iron.

And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

NoteA chariot was a cart with wheels, pulled by horses. Soldiers rode in it to fight. Iron chariots were strong and fast, and hard to beat.

20They gave the city of Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had said. Caleb drove the three sons of Anak out of that city.

And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

NoteAnak's family were famous for being very tall and strong. People were afraid to fight them.