Judges 2
EasyEnglish Bible
The Israelites do not obey God
2 The angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, ‘I have brought you out from Egypt. I brought you here to this land that I promised to give to your ancestors. I said that I would always do for you what I promised in my Covenant. 2 I told you not to make any agreement with the people who live in this land. I told you to destroy the altars where they worship their gods. But you have not done as I told you. Why have you not obeyed me? 3 So now I tell you, I will not chase the Canaanites away so that you can take their land. Instead, they will cause trouble for you. Their false gods will cause you to turn away from me.’
4 When the Lord's angel had said this, the Israelites began to weep loudly. 5 They called that place Bokim.[a] They offered sacrifices to the Lord there.
Joshua dies
6 Joshua sent the people away. Each Israelite tribe went to take the part of the land that would belong to them.[b] 7 The Israelites continued to serve the Lord while Joshua and the old men were still alive. Joshua and those men had seen the great things that the Lord had done to help Israel.
8 Then the Lord's servant Joshua, the son of Nun, died at 110 years old. 9 The people buried him in the land that had been given to his family. That was at Timnath Heres, in Ephraim's hill country, on the north side of Gaash mountain.
A new generation turns away from the Lord
10 All the people of Joshua's generation died. The younger people no longer served the Lord. They themselves had not seen the great things that he had done to help Israel. 11 The Israelites did things that the Lord saw were evil. They worshipped the idols of Baal. 12 They turned away from the Lord God that their ancestors had worshipped. He was the one who had brought them safely out of Egypt. Instead, they served the false gods of the people who lived near them. They worshipped those gods and the Lord became very angry. 13 They turned away from the Lord and they worshipped the idols of Baal and Ashtoreth instead.
14 The Lord was very angry with the Israelites and he punished them. He sent robbers to attack them and take their animals and their food. He put them under the power of their enemies who lived around them. They were not strong enough to fight against their enemies. 15 When the Israelites went to fight against their enemies, the Lord turned against them. He punished them, as he said he would do. So the Israelites were in great trouble.
God chooses leaders for his people
16 After that, the Lord chose judges to lead his people. These leaders rescued the Israelites from their enemies who were robbing them. 17 But the people did not obey their leaders. They refused to serve the Lord faithfully. Instead, they worshipped false gods. They did not live in the way that their ancestors had lived. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord's commands, but they refused to obey him.
18 Every time that the Lord chose a judge to lead them, the Lord helped the leader to rescue them from their enemies. While the leader was still alive, the Lord was kind to them. When the Israelites called out to the Lord for help, he was sorry for them. He saw the cruel things that their enemies were doing to give them pain.
19 But when the leader died, the people would stop serving the Lord. They would do even more wicked things than their fathers had done. They would serve false gods and they would worship them. They refused to stop doing the wicked things that they wanted to do.
20 Because of this, the Lord became very angry with the Israelites. He said, ‘This nation of my people has not obeyed the covenant that I made with their ancestors. 21 So I will not chase out the nations that are still living in the land. They are the people who were still there when Joshua died. 22 I will use those nations to test the Israelites. I will see if my people will live carefully, in the way that I have shown them. That is the way that their ancestors lived.’
23 So the Lord let some of the Canaanite nations continue to live in the land. He did not chase them all away. He did not put them all under Joshua's power.
Footnotes
- 2:5 ‘Bokim’ means ‘people who weep’.
- 2:6 Joshua and the Israelite leaders had decided which parts of the land would belong to each tribe. See Joshua 13—21.
Judges 2
Authorized (King James) Version
2 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.
6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 7 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. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, 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.
Judges 2
Lexham English Bible
Israel Disobeys Yahweh
2 And the angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you to the land that I had promised to your ancestors.[a] I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And as for you, do not make a covenant[b] with the inhabitants of this land; break down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice. Why would you do such a thing?[c] 3 Now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; they will become as thorns[d] for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 And as the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the Israelites,[e] the people wept bitterly.[f] 5 And they called the name of this place Bokim,[g] and there they sacrificed to Yahweh.
Joshua Dies
6 And Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites[h] went each to their[i] own inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who saw all the great work Yahweh had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.[j] 9 They buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnah-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10 Moreover, that entire generation was gathered to their[k] ancestors,[l] and another generation grew up after them who did not know Yahweh or the work he had done for Israel.[m]
Israel Worships the Baals
11 The Israelites[n] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they served[o] the Baals. 12 They abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors,[p] who brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed[q] other gods from the gods of the people who were around them; and they bowed down to them, and they provoked the anger of Yahweh. 13 They abandoned Yahweh, and they served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of Yahweh was kindled[r] against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of plunderers; and they plundered them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies from all sides. They were unable to withstand their enemies any longer. 15 Whenever[s] they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them to harm them, just as Yahweh warned, and just as Yahweh had sworn to them. And they were very distressed.[t]
16 Then Yahweh raised up leaders,[u] and they delivered them from the hand of their plunderers. 17 But they did not listen to their leaders,[v] but lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned away quickly from the way that their ancestors[w] went, who had obeyed the commandment of Yahweh; they did not do as their ancestors. 18 And when Yahweh raised leaders[x] for them, Yahweh was with the leader,[y] and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the leader,[z] for Yahweh was moved by their groaning because of their persecutors and oppressors. 19 But when the leader[aa] died they relapsed and acted corruptly, more than their ancestors,[ab] following other gods, serving them,[ac] and bowing down to them. They would not give up their deeds or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of Yahweh burned[ad] against Israel, and he said, “Because this people transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors,[ae] and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will not again drive out anyone from before them from the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel whether or not they would observe the way of Yahweh, to walk in it just as their ancestors[af] did.” 23 So Yahweh left those nations; he did not drive them out at once, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Footnotes
- Judges 2:1 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:2 Literally “cut a covenant”
- Judges 2:2 Literally “What is this thing you have done?”
- Judges 2:3 Or “become snares;” some ancient manuscripts read “be adversaries”
- Judges 2:4 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 2:4 Literally “lifted up their voices and they wept”
- Judges 2:5 “Bokim” means “weepers”
- Judges 2:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 2:6 Hebrew “his”
- Judges 2:8 Literally “a son of one hundred and ten years”
- Judges 2:10 Hebrew “his”
- Judges 2:10 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:10 Judges 2:6–10 is repeated in Joshua 24:28–31
- Judges 2:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 2:11 Or “they worshiped”
- Judges 2:12 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:12 Literally “went after”
- Judges 2:14 Literally “The nose of Yahweh became hot”
- Judges 2:15 Literally “At all that”
- Judges 2:15 Literally “it was very cramped for them”
- Judges 2:16 Or “judges”
- Judges 2:17 Or “judges”
- Judges 2:17 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:18 Or “judges”
- Judges 2:18 Or “judge”
- Judges 2:18 Or “judge”
- Judges 2:19 Or “judge”
- Judges 2:19 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:19 Or “worshiping them”
- Judges 2:20 Literally “So the nose of Yahweh became hot”
- Judges 2:20 Or “fathers”
- Judges 2:22 Or “fathers”
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