Pattern of Sin and Judgment

The Angel of the Lord(A) went up from Gilgal to Bochim[a] and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land(B) I had promised to your fathers.(C) I also said: I will never break My covenant with you. You are not to make a covenant(D) with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars.[b](E) But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done? Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you.(F) They will be thorns[c][d] in your sides,(G) and their gods will be a trap for you.”(H) When the Angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. So they named that place Bochim[e] and offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

Joshua’s Death

Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.(I) The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived[f] Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works(J) He had done for Israel.

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim,(K) north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord(L) or the works He had done for Israel.

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(M) They worshiped the Baals(N) 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods from the surrounding peoples(O) and bowed down to them. They infuriated the Lord,(P) 13 for they abandoned Him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.(Q)

14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold(R) them to[g] the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord[h] was against them(S) and brought disaster on them, just as He had promised and sworn to them.(T) So they suffered greatly.

16 The Lord raised up(U) judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted(V) themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way(W) of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with(X) him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive.[i] 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(Y) than their fathers, going after other gods to worship and bow down to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate(Z) ways.

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He declared, “Because this nation has violated My covenant(AA) that I made with their fathers(AB) and disobeyed Me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left(AC) when he died.(AD) 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether they would keep the Lord’s way(AE) by walking in it, as their fathers had.”(AF) 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:1 LXX reads to the weeping place and to Bethel and to the house of Israel
  2. Judges 2:2 LXX reads with those lying in wait in this land; neither are you to fall down in worship to their gods, but their carved images you must break to pieces and their altars you must destroy
  3. Judges 2:3 LXX reads affliction
  4. Judges 2:3 Lit traps
  5. Judges 2:5 Or Weeping
  6. Judges 2:7 Lit extended their days after
  7. Judges 2:14 Lit into the hand of
  8. Judges 2:15 Lit the hand of the Lord
  9. Judges 2:18 Lit enemies all the days of the judge

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

The angel of the Lord(A) went up from Gilgal(B) to Bokim(C) and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt(D) and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.(E) I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,(F) and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,(G) but you shall break down their altars.(H)’ Yet you have disobeyed(I) me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;(J) they will become traps(K) for you, and their gods will become snares(L) to you.’”

When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,(M) and they called that place Bokim.[a](N) There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat(O)

After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.(P)

Joshua son of Nun,(Q) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres[b](R) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.(S) 11 Then the Israelites did evil(T) in the eyes of the Lord(U) and served the Baals.(V) 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods(W) of the peoples around them.(X) They aroused(Y) the Lord’s anger(Z) 13 because they forsook(AA) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.(AB) 14 In his anger(AC) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands(AD) of raiders who plundered(AE) them. He sold them(AF) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.(AG) 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them(AH) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.(AI)

16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[c](AJ) who saved(AK) them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted(AL) themselves to other gods(AM) and worshiped them.(AN) They quickly turned(AO) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.(AP) 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved(AQ) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented(AR) because of their groaning(AS) under those who oppressed and afflicted(AT) them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt(AU) than those of their ancestors,(AV) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.(AW) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn(AX) ways.

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

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:5 Bokim means weepers.
  2. Judges 2:9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30)
  3. Judges 2:16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19