So Abram moved his tents. He went to live near Mamre’s big trees. This was near the city of Hebron. At that place Abram built an altar [78] for worshiping the Lord.
These are the numbers of the men that came to David at the town of Hebron. These men were ready for war. They came to give Saul’s kingdom to David. That is what the Lord said would happen. This is their number:
They entered the country through the Negev [172] and went to Hebron. (The town of Hebron was built seven years before the town of Zoan in Egypt.) Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. These men were descendants [173] of Anak.
Adoni Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, talked with Hoham, king of Hebron. He also talked with Piram, king of Jarmuth, Japhia, king of Lachish, and Debir, king of Eglon. The king of Jerusalem begged these men,
They captured the city and all the little towns near Hebron. The people of Israel killed every person in the city. No one was left alive there. This was the same thing they did to Eglon. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it.
So these five Amorite kings joined armies. (The five kings were the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.) Those armies went to Gibeon. The armies surrounded the city and began fighting against it.
The Lord had commanded Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh part of the land in Judah. So Joshua gave Caleb the land God commanded. Joshua gave him the town of Kiriath Arba (Hebron). (Arba was the father of Anak.)
Then the men of Judah went to fight against the Canaanite people that lived in the city of Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) The men of Judah defeated the men named Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. [4]
Moses had promised to give the land near Hebron to Caleb. So that land was given to Caleb’s family. The men of Caleb forced the three sons of Anak [11] to leave that place.