Judges 2:11-19
Christian Standard Bible
11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(A) They worshiped the Baals(B) 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples(C) and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord,(D) 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.(E)
14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold(F) them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them(G) and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them.(H) So they suffered greatly.
16 The Lord raised up(I) judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted(J) themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way(K) of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their ancestors did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with(L) him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. 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(M) than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate(N) ways.
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Judges 2:11-19
New English Translation
A Monotonous Cycle
11 The Israelites did evil before[a] the Lord by worshiping[b] the Baals. 12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors[c] who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods—the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped[d] them and made the Lord angry. 13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.[e]
14 The Lord was furious with Israel[f] and handed them over to robbers who plundered them.[g] He turned them over to[h] their enemies who lived around them. They could no longer withstand their enemies’ attacks.[i] 15 Whenever they went out to fight,[j] the Lord did them harm,[k] just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do.[l] They suffered greatly.[m]
16 The Lord raised up leaders[n] who delivered them from these robbers.[o] 17 But they did not obey[p] their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped[q] them. They quickly turned aside from the path[r] their ancestors[s] had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not.[t] 18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people[u] from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them[v] when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.[w] 19 When a leader died, the next generation[x] would again[y] act more wickedly than the previous one.[z] They would follow after other gods, worshiping them[aa] and bowing down to them. They did not give up[ab] their practices or their stubborn ways.
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- Judges 2:11 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
- Judges 2:11 tn Or “serving”; or “following.”
- Judges 2:12 tn Or “fathers.”
- Judges 2:12 tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).
- Judges 2:13 sn The Ashtoreths were local manifestations of the goddess Astarte.
- Judges 2:14 tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”
- Judges 2:14 tn Heb “robbers who robbed them.” (The verb שָׁסָה [shasah] appears twice in the verse.)sn The expression robbers who plundered them is a derogatory reference to the enemy nations, as the next line indicates.
- Judges 2:14 tn Heb “sold them into the hand of.”
- Judges 2:14 tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
- Judges 2:15 tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.
- Judges 2:15 tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”
- Judges 2:15 tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”
- Judges 2:15 tn Or “they experienced great distress.”
- Judges 2:16 tn Or more traditionally, “judges” (also in vv. 17, 18 [3x], 19). Since these figures carried out more than a judicial function, also serving as rulers and (in several instances) as military commanders, the translation uses the term “leaders.”
- Judges 2:16 tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”
- Judges 2:17 tn Or “did not listen to.”
- Judges 2:17 tn Or “bowed before.”
- Judges 2:17 tn Or “way [of life].”
- Judges 2:17 tn Or “fathers.”
- Judges 2:17 tn Heb “…walked, obeying the Lord’s commands. They did not do this.”
- Judges 2:18 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 2:18 tn The phrase “for them” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 2:18 tn Heb “the ones oppressing them and afflicting them.” The synonyms “oppressing” and “afflicting” are joined together in the translation as “harsh oppressors” to emphasize the cruel character of their enemies.
- Judges 2:19 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 2:19 tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to turn”) is sometimes translated “turn back” here, but it is probably used in an adverbial sense, indicating that the main action (“act wickedly”) is being repeated.
- Judges 2:19 tn Heb “their fathers.”sn The statement the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one must refer to the successive sinful generations after Joshua, not Joshua’s godly generation (cf. vv. 7, 17).
- Judges 2:19 tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”
- Judges 2:19 tn Or “drop.”
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