^14 (A)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he ^(B)gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. ^(C)And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, ^(D)so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵ Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, ^(E)and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

^16 (F)Then the Lord raised up judges, ^(G)who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for ^(H)they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. ^(I)They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. ¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, ^(J)the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. ^(K)For the Lord was moved to pity by ^(L)their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. ¹⁹ But ^(M)whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. ^20 (N)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people ^(O)have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, ^21 (P)I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, ²² in order ^(Q)to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

3 ^(R)Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. ² It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. ³ These are the nations: ^(S)the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were for ^(T)the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. ⁵ So the people of Israel lived ^(U)among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ^6 (V)And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Othniel

^7 (W)And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and ^(X)the Asheroth.