1:1 約書亞死後，以色列人求問耶和華說：「我們中間誰當首先上去攻擊迦南人，與他們爭戰？」
1:2 耶和華說：「猶大當先上去，我已將那地交在他手中。」
1:3 猶大對他哥哥西緬說：「請你同我到拈鬮所得之地去，好與迦南人爭戰；以後我也同你到你拈鬮所得之地去。」於是西緬與他同去。
1:4 猶大就上去；耶和華將迦南人和比利洗人交在他們手中。他們在比色擊殺了一萬人，
1:5 又在那裡遇見亞多尼‧比色，與他爭戰，殺敗迦南人和比利洗人。
1:6 亞多尼‧比色逃跑；他們追趕，拿住他，砍斷他手腳的大拇指。
1:7 亞多尼‧比色說：「從前有七十個王，手腳的大拇指都被我砍斷，在我桌子底下拾取零碎食物。現在上帝按著我所行的報應我了。」於是他們將亞多尼‧比色帶到耶路撒冷，他就死在那裡。
1:8 猶大人攻打耶路撒冷，將城攻取，用刀殺了城內的人，並且放火燒城。
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”
2 The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.”
3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.
4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.
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《士師記》一開始就彰顯猶大的戰功，引導讀者注意到上帝預備的基督將由猶大支派產生，讓人看見歷史的轉向，不再是以約瑟為中心。也因為這樣，我們可以尋找到救恩的脈絡。
從這樣的敘述，我們再次認識到上帝的主權，雖然在人的狀況是越來越混亂與軟弱，但是上帝不混亂與軟弱，祂的做為是一直在進行中，讓我們憑著上帝所賜的信心，前途是越來越光明！
求主幫助我們常常仰望祂，思念祂永恆的計畫，不要被地上的紛紛擾擾使我們失去方向，要堅信上帝的應許必定成就！
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