Joshua’s Death

Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.(A) The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived[a] Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works(B) He had done for Israel.

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim,(C) north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord(D) or the works He had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(E) They worshiped the Baals(F) 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods from the surrounding peoples(G) and bowed down to them. They infuriated the Lord,(H) 13 for they abandoned Him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.(I)

14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold(J) them to[b] the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord[c] was against them(K) and brought disaster on them, just as He had promised and sworn to them.(L) So they suffered greatly.

16 The Lord raised up(M) judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted(N) themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way(O) of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with(P) him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive.[d] The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly(Q) than their fathers, going after other gods to worship and bow down to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate(R) ways.

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He declared, “Because this nation has violated My covenant(S) that I made with their fathers(T) and disobeyed Me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left(U) when he died.(V) 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether they would keep the Lord’s way(W) by walking in it, as their fathers had.”(X) 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

The Lord Tests Israel

These are the nations the Lord left in order to test Israel, since the Israelites had fought none of these in[e] any of the wars with Canaan.(Y) This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before.[f] These nations included: the five rulers(Z) of the Philistines(AA) and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians,(AB) and the Hivites(AC) who lived in the Lebanese mountains[g] from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.[h] The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands He had given their fathers through[i] Moses.(AD) But they settled among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:7 Lit extended their days after
  2. Judges 2:14 Lit into the hand of
  3. Judges 2:15 Lit the hand of the Lord
  4. Judges 2:18 Lit enemies all the days of the judge
  5. Judges 3:1 Lit had known
  6. Judges 3:2 Lit not known it
  7. Judges 3:3 LXX reads in Lebanon
  8. Judges 3:3 Or as Lebo-hamath
  9. Judges 3:4 Lit by the hand of

Disobedience and Defeat(A)

After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.(B)

Joshua son of Nun,(C) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres[a](D) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.(E) 11 Then the Israelites did evil(F) in the eyes of the Lord(G) and served the Baals.(H) 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods(I) of the peoples around them.(J) They aroused(K) the Lord’s anger(L) 13 because they forsook(M) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.(N) 14 In his anger(O) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands(P) of raiders who plundered(Q) them. He sold them(R) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.(S) 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them(T) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.(U)

16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[b](V) who saved(W) them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted(X) themselves to other gods(Y) and worshiped them.(Z) They quickly turned(AA) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.(AB) 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved(AC) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented(AD) because of their groaning(AE) under those who oppressed and afflicted(AF) them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt(AG) than those of their ancestors,(AH) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.(AI) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn(AJ) ways.

20 Therefore the Lord was very angry(AK) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant(AL) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out(AM) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test(AN) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.(AO)

These are the nations the Lord left to test(AP) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five(AQ) rulers of the Philistines,(AR) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites(AS) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon(AT) to Lebo Hamath.(AU) They were left to test(AV) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

The Israelites lived(AW) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,(AX) Hivites and Jebusites.(AY) They took their daughters(AZ) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30)
  2. Judges 2:16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19

And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel.

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger.

13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.

18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

20 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them 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 therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:

And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.