Judges

2* And the Angel of Jehovah went up from the Gilgal to Bokim, and said “. . . I led you up from Egypt, and brought you into the country that I had sworn to your fathers I would, and said ‘I will not break my covenant with you forever; 2 and you shall make no treaties with the inhabitants of this country; you shall pull down their altars’—and you did not obey me; what is this you have done? 3 So I have said I would not drive them out before you, but you shall have them as foes and their gods as a snare.” 4 And when the Angel of Jehovah said these things to all the sons of Israel, the people raised their voices and wept; 5 and they named the place Bokim, “Weepers,” and sacrificed there to Jehovah.

6 And Joshuaʽ dismissed the people, and the sons of Israel went home to their farms to take possession of the country. 7 And the people worshiped Jehovah throughout Joshuaʽ’s life, and throughout the life of the elders who outlived Joshuaʽ, who had seen all Jehovah’s great work that he did for Israel. 8 And Jehovah’s servant Joshuaʽ the son of Nun died at the age of a hundred and ten years, 9 and they buried him on his estate at Timnath-Heres in the highland of Ephraim, to the north of Gaash Mountain. 10 And so were all that generation gathered to their fathers, and there arose after them another generation that did not know Jehovah nor the work that he did for Israel.

11 And the sons of Israel did what displeased Jehovah, and worshiped the Baals; 12 and they left their fathers’ God Jehovah, who had brought them out of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples around them, and did reverence to them, and provoked Jehovah; 13 and they left Jehovah and worshiped the Baal and the ʽAshtarts. 14 And Jehovah was angry with Israel and gave them into the hands of pillagers, and they pillaged them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies on all sides, and they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15* In everything they undertook Jehovah’s hand was on them for mischief, as Jehovah had threatened and as Jehovah had sworn to them; and they were in great straits. 16* And Jehovah raised up judges, and they saved them out of the hands of their pillagers; 17 and neither did they listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to follow other gods and did reverence to them. They quickly left the road their fathers had gone in, obeying Jehovah’s commandments; they did not do so. 18 And when Jehovah raised up judges for them Jehovah was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies throughout the time of the judge, because Jehovah repented at their groaning over their oppressors and molesters. 19 And at the judge’s death they went back to doing more viciously than their fathers, following other gods, worshiping them and doing them reverence; they did not drop any part of their practices, and of their stubborn course. 20 And Jehovah was angry with Israel and said “Since this nation have violated my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and not been obedient to me, 21 I on my part will not dispossess before you any more of the nations that Joshuaʽ left when he died,”— 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they kept his ways, walking in them, as their fathers had kept them, or not. 23 And Jehovah left these nations, not dispossessing them quickly, and did not give them into Joshuaʽ’s hands.