Judges 2

1  NOW THE Angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, I brought you up from Egypt and have brought you to the land which I swore to give to your fathers, and I said, I will never break My covenant with you; 2  And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; but you shall break down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?3  So now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.4  When the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voice and wept.5  They named that place Bochim [weepers], and they sacrificed there to the Lord.6  And when Joshua had let the people go, the Israelites went every man to his inheritance to possess the land.7  And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He did for Israel.8  And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.9  And they buried him within the boundary of his inheritance in Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.10  And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even the work which He had done for Israel.11  And the people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.12  And they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods of the peoples round about them and bowed down to them, and provoked the Lord to anger.13  And they forsook the Lord and served Baal [the god worshiped by the Canaanites] and the Ashtaroth [female deities such as Ashtoreth and Asherah].14  So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them into the power of plunderers who robbed them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their foes.15  Whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them; and they were bitterly distressed. 16  But the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the hands of those who robbed them.17  And yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned quickly out of the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not so.18  When the Lord raised them up judges, then He was with the judge and delivered them out of the hands of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to relent because of their groanings by reason of those who oppressed and vexed them.19  But when the judge was dead, they turned back and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, following and serving other gods, and bowing down to them. They did not cease from their practices or their stubborn way.20  So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; and He said, Because this people have transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and have not listened to My voice,21  I from now on will also not drive out from before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,22  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not.23  So the Lord left those nations, without driving them out at once, nor had He delivered them into Joshua’s power.

Judges 2

Chapter 2

The LORD’s Messenger Comes to Bokim

1 The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you.2 For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this?

3 So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides,t and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”
4 When the angel of the LORD finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.

5 So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the LORD.

The Death of Joshua

6 After Joshua sent the people away, each of the tribes left to take possession of the land allotted to them.

7 And the Israelites served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.

9 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-seraht in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Israel Disobeys the LORD

10 After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.
11 The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal.12 They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD.13 They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth.14 This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them.

15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

The LORD Rescues His People

16 Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.

17 Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commands.
18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering.

19 But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 So the LORD burned with anger against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands,21 I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.22 I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the LORD as their ancestors did.”

23 That is why the LORD left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.