Judges 2
2
The LORD’s messenger condemns
1The 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, 2and 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? 3So now I tell you, I won’t drive them out before you, but they’ll be a problem#2.3 Heb uncertain for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4When the LORD’s messenger spoke these words to all the Israelites, they raised their voices and cried out loud. 5So they named that place Bochim,#2.5 Or weepers or weeping and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD there.
Death of Joshua and his generation
6When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites each went to settle on their own family property in order to take possession of the land. 7The 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. 8Joshua, Nun’s son and the LORD’s servant, died when he was 110 years old. 9They buried him within the boundaries of his family property in Timnath-heres in the highlands of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10When 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
11Then the Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil: They served the Baals; 12and 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. 13They went away from the LORD and served Baal and the Astartes. 14So 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. 15Whenever the Israelites marched out, the LORD’s power worked against them, just as the LORD had warned them. And they were very distressed.
16Then the LORD raised up leaders#2.16 Or judges to rescue them from the power of these raiders. 17But 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.
18The 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.
19But 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. 20So 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, 21I in turn will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.” 22As a test for Israel, to see whether they would carefully walk in the LORD’s ways just as their ancestors had done, 23the LORD left these nations instead of driving them out immediately or handing them over to Joshua.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Judges 2
2
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
1The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land I promised to give your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my agreement with you. 2But you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You must destroy their altars.’ But you did not obey me. How could you do this? 3Now I tell you, ‘I will not force out the people in this land. They will be your enemies, and their gods will be a trap for you.’ ”
4After the angel gave Israel this message from the Lord, they cried loudly. 5So they named the place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Joshua Dies
6Then Joshua sent the people back to their land. 7The people served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua and who had seen what great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten. 9They buried him in his own land at Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
The People Disobey
10After those people had died, their children grew up and did not know the Lord or what he had done for Israel. 11So they did what the Lord said was wrong, and they worshiped the Baal idols. 12They quit following the Lord, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They began to worship the gods of the people who lived around them, and that made the Lord angry. 13The Israelites quit following the Lord and worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth. 14The Lord was angry with the people of Israel, so he handed them over to robbers who took their possessions. He let their enemies who lived around them defeat them; they could not protect themselves. 15When the Israelites went out to fight, they always lost, because the Lord was not with them. The Lord had sworn to them this would happen. So the Israelites suffered very much.
God Chooses Judges
16Then the Lord chose leaders called judges, who saved the Israelites from the robbers. 17But the Israelites did not listen to their judges. They were not faithful to God but worshiped other gods instead. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they quickly turned away and did not obey. 18When their enemies hurt them, the Israelites cried for help. So the Lord felt sorry for them and sent judges to save them from their enemies. The Lord was with those judges all their lives. 19But when the judges died, the Israelites again sinned and worshiped other gods. They became worse than their ancestors. The Israelites were very stubborn and refused to change their evil ways.
20So the Lord became angry with the Israelites. He said, “These people have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me. 21I will no longer defeat the nations who were left when Joshua died. 22I will use them to test Israel, to see if Israel will keep the Lord’s commands as their ancestors did.” 23In the past the Lord had permitted those nations to stay in the land. He did not quickly force them out or help Joshua’s army defeat them.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.