Judges 2
English Standard Version
Israel's Disobedience
2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to (A)Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, (B)‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 (C)and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; (D)you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, (E)I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become (F)thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim.[a] And they sacrificed there to the Lord.
The Death of Joshua
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 (G)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 work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of (H)his inheritance in Timnath-heres, (I)in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
Israel's Unfaithfulness
11 (J)And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 (K)And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. (L)They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and (M)bowed down to them. (N)And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord (O)and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 (P)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he (Q)gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. (R)And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, (S)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, (T)and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The Lord Raises Up Judges
16 (U)Then the Lord raised up judges, (V)who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for (W)they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. (X)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, (Y)the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. (Z)For the Lord was moved to pity by (AA)their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But (AB)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 (AC)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people (AD)have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 (AE)I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order (AF)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.
Footnotes
- Judges 2:5 Bochim means weepers
Judges 2
Common English Bible
The Lord’s messenger condemns
2 The Lord’s messenger came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you are not to make a covenant with those who live in this land. You should break down their altars.’ But you didn’t obey me. What have you done? 3 So now I tell you, I won’t drive them out before you, but they’ll be a problem[a] for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 When the Lord’s messenger spoke these words to all the Israelites, they raised their voices and cried out loud. 5 So they named that place Bochim,[b] and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord there.
Death of Joshua and his generation
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites each went to settle on their own family property in order to take possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the rest of Joshua’s life and throughout the next generation of elders who outlived him, those who had seen all the great things that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua, Nun’s son and the Lord’s servant, died when he was 110 years old. 9 They buried him within the boundaries of his family property in Timnath-heres in the highlands of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10 When that whole generation had passed away, another generation came after them who didn’t know the Lord or the things that he had done for Israel.
Israel’s pattern of sin and punishment
11 Then the Israelites did things that the Lord saw as evil: They served the Baals; 12 and they went away from the Lord, their ancestors’ God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the surrounding peoples, they worshipped them, and they angered the Lord. 13 They went away from the Lord and served Baal and the Astartes. 14 So the Lord became angry with Israel, and he handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He let them be defeated by their enemies around them, so that they were no longer able to stand up to them. 15 Whenever the Israelites marched out, the Lord’s power worked against them, just as the Lord had warned them. And they were very distressed.
16 Then the Lord raised up leaders[c] to rescue them from the power of these raiders. 17 But they wouldn’t even obey their own leaders because they were unfaithful, following other gods and worshipping them. They quickly deviated from the way of their ancestors, who had obeyed the Lord’s commands, and didn’t follow their example.
18 The Lord was moved by Israel’s groaning under those who oppressed and crushed them. So the Lord would raise up leaders for them, and the Lord would be with the leader, and he would rescue Israel from the power of their enemies as long as that leader lived.
19 But then when the leader died, they would once again act in ways that weren’t as good as their ancestors’, going after other gods, to serve them and to worship them. They wouldn’t drop their bad practices or hardheaded ways. 20 So the Lord became angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I required of their ancestors and hasn’t obeyed me, 21 I in turn will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.” 22 As a test for Israel, to see whether they would carefully walk in the Lord’s ways just as their ancestors had done, 23 the Lord left these nations instead of driving them out immediately or handing them over to Joshua.
Footnotes
- Judges 2:3 Heb uncertain
- Judges 2:5 Or weepers or weeping
- Judges 2:16 Or judges
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible