The Continuing Conquest of Canaan – Bible Story for Kids

This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Judges 1-2, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.

When Joshua passed away, the people of Israel asked the Lord who should go fight against the Canaanites. The Lord answered that Judah should go and fight. So Judah asked his brother Simeon to go with him, and they went to fight in the land that was given to them. The Lord helped Judah and Simeon win the battle against the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

One of the kings they captured was Adoni-bezek. They cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said that he had done the same thing to seventy kings, and now God had repaid him. The people of Judah then went to Jerusalem and fought against it, capturing the city and burning it down.

Afterward, the people of Judah went to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland. They defeated many of them and took control of the land. Caleb promised to give his daughter Achsah to whoever could capture Kiriath-sepher, and his brother Othniel succeeded in doing so. Achsah asked for springs of water as a blessing, and Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

The people of Judah continued to fight against the Canaanites in many different cities, and the Lord helped them win many battles. However, some of the tribes of Israel failed to completely drive out the Canaanites in their land, even though the Lord had told them to. This led to problems for the Israelites later on.

The angel of the Lord spoke to the people of Israel and warned them about the consequences of not obeying the Lord’s commands. Joshua, who had been leading the people, died at the age of 110. After his death, the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and started worshiping other gods. This made God angry, and he allowed them to be taken over by their enemies.

But God also raised up judges to help the Israelites when they were being oppressed. The judges saved the Israelites, but the people did not always listen to them. They kept going back to worshiping other gods, and this made God angry. He decided to stop driving out the nations that the Israelites were supposed to conquer, in order to test the Israelites and see if they would obey him.

Biblical Lessons

The Lord helps those who trust and obey Him.
It is important to obey the Lord’s commands and not worship other gods.
Disobeying the Lord has consequences.
Failing to follow God’s commands can lead to problems and difficult situations.

Must-Read Christian Books

Page 1 of 3

The Cost of Discipleship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A penetrating look at Jesus' call to follow Him, contrasting cheap grace with true, costly discipleship.

Biblical Lessons

Related Stories

Must-Read Christian Books