Judges 2

Israels Disobedience

1 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore 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; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?3 Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord.6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

Death of Joshua

7 So 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 had done for Israel.8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Israels Unfaithfulness

11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals;12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.16 Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.18 And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

Judges 2

Confrontation and Repentance at Bokim

1 The Lord’s angelic messengers went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors.t I said, ‘I will never break my agreementt with you,2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’t But you have disobeyed me.t Why would you do such a thing?t

3 At that time I also warned you,t ‘If you disobey,t I will not drive out the Canaanitest before you. They will ensnare yout and their gods will lure you away.’”t
4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.t

5 They named that place Bokims and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

The End of an Era

6 When Joshua dismissedt the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory,t intending to take possession of the land.7 The people worshipedt the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly ment who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessedt all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.t8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten.9 The peoplet buried him in his allotted landt in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 That entire generation passed away;t a new generation grew upt that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.t

A Monotonous Cycle

11 The Israelites did evil beforet the Lord by worshipingt the Baals.12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestorst who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshipedt them and made the Lord angry.

13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars.ts
14 The Lord was furious with Israelt and handed them over to robbers who plundered them.ts He turned them over tot their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks.t

15 Whenever they went out to fight,t the Lord did them harm,t just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do.t They suffered greatly.t
16 The Lord raised up leaderst who delivered them from these robbers.t17 But they did not obeyt their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipedt them. They quickly turned aside from the patht their ancestorst had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not.t18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the peoplet from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for themt when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.t

19 When a leader died, the next generationt would againt act more wickedly than the previous one.ts They would follow after other gods, worshiping themt and bowing down to them. They did not give upt their practices or their stubborn ways.

A Divine Decision

20 The Lord was furious with Israel.t He said, “This nationt has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestorst by disobeying me.t21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.22 Joshua left those nationst to testt Israel. I wanted to seet whether or not the peoplet would carefully walk in the patht marked out byt the Lord, as their ancestorst were careful to do.”

23 This is whyt the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately;t he did not hand them over to Joshua.