Judges 2:17-3:8

New International Version

¹⁷Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(A) themselves to other gods^(B) and worshiped them.^(C) They quickly turned^(D) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^(E) ¹⁸Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(F) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(G) because of their groaning^(H) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(I) them. ¹⁹But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(J) than those of their ancestors,^(K) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(L) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(M) ways.

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

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test^(S) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan ²(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): ³the five^(T) rulers of the Philistines,^(U) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites^(V) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon^(W) to Lebo Hamath.^(X) ⁴They were left to test^(Y) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

⁵The Israelites lived^(Z) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,^(AA) Hivites and Jebusites.^(AB) ⁶They took their daughters^(AC) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.^(AD)

Othniel

⁷The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord^(AE) their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.^(AF) ⁸The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold^(AG) them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim^(AH) king of Aram Naharaim,^[a]^(AI) to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.