Judges 2:1-23
2 Then Jehovah’s angel+ went up from Gilʹgal+ to Boʹchim+ and said: “I proceeded to bring YOU up out of Egypt and to bring YOU into the land about which I swore* to YOUR forefathers.+ Furthermore, I said, ‘Never shall I break my covenant with YOU.+
2 And for YOUR part, YOU must not conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of this land.+ Their altars YOU should pull down.’+ But YOU have not listened to my voice.+ Why have YOU done this?+
3 So I, in turn, have said, ‘I shall not drive them away from before YOU, and they must become snares to YOU,+ and their gods will serve as a lure to YOU.’”+
4 And it came about that as soon as Jehovah’s angel had spoken these words to all the sons of Israel, the people began to raise their voices and weep.+
5 Hence they called the name of that place Boʹchim.* And they proceeded to sacrifice there to Jehovah.
6 When Joshua sent the people away, then the sons of Israel went their way, each to his inheritance, to take possession of the land.+
7 And the people continued to serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the older men* who extended their days after Joshua* and who had seen all of Jehovah’s great work that he did for Israel.+
8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of a hundred and ten years.+
9 So they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timʹnath-heʹres*+ in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, on the north of Mount Gaʹash.+
10 And all that generation too were gathered to their fathers,+ and another generation began to rise after them that did not know Jehovah or the work that he had done for Israel.+
11 And the sons of Israel fell to doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah+ and serving* the Baʹals.+
12 Thus they abandoned Jehovah the God of their fathers who had brought them out of the land of Egypt+ and went following other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them+ and they began bowing down to them, so that they offended Jehovah.+
13 Thus they abandoned Jehovah and took up serving Baʹal and the Ashʹto·reth+ images.*
14 At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel,+ so that he gave them into the hands of the pillagers, and they began to pillage them;+ and he proceeded to sell* them into the hand of their enemies round about,+ and they were no longer able to stand before their enemies.+
15 Everywhere that they went out, the hand of Jehovah proved to be against them for calamity,+ just as Jehovah had spoken and just as Jehovah had sworn to them;+ and they got to be in very sore straits.+
16 So Jehovah would raise up judges,+ and they would save them out of the hand of their pillagers.+
17 And even to their judges they did not listen, but they had immoral intercourse*+ with other gods+ and went bowing down to them. They quickly turned aside from the way in which their forefathers had walked by obeying the commandments of Jehovah.+ They did not do like that.
18 And when Jehovah did raise up judges+ for them, Jehovah proved to be with the judge, and he saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Jehovah would feel regret+ over their groaning because of their oppressors+ and those who were shoving them around.
19 And it occurred that when the judge died they would turn around and act more ruinously than their fathers by walking after other gods to serve them and bow down to them.+ They did not refrain from their practices and their stubborn behavior.+
20 Finally Jehovah’s anger blazed+ against Israel and he said: “For the reason that this nation have overstepped my covenant+ that I commanded their forefathers and have not listened to my voice,+
21 I too, for my part, shall not drive out again from before them a single one of the nations that Joshua left behind when he died,+
22 in order by them to test+ Israel, whether they will be keepers of Jehovah’s way by walking in it just as their fathers kept it, or not.”
23 Accordingly Jehovah let these nations stay by not driving them out quickly,+ and he did not give them into Joshua’s hand.
Footnotes
^ Or, “land that I promised on oath.”
^ Meaning “Weepers.”
^ Or, “who outlived Joshua.”
^ “Timnath-heres,” MLXX; SyVg, “Timnath-serah.” Compare Jos 19:50; Jos 24:30.
^ “And serving (worshiping).” Heb., wai·ya·ʽav·dhuʹ; LXXA(Gr.), e·laʹtreu·on, “they were rendering sacred service.” See Ex 3:12 ftn.
^ “And the Ashtoreth images.” Lit., “and the Ashtaroth [pl.],” that is, the images or manifestations of this pagan goddess. Heb., wela·ʽAsh·ta·rohthʹ; Gr., tais A·starʹtais, “the Astartes”; Lat., Aʹstha·roth.
^ “Deliver up,” LXX.
^ Or, “they committed fornication (immorality).” Gr., e·xe·porʹneu·san. See App 5A.
