Chapter 2
1 The LORD ’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim . He said, " I brought you out of Egypt , and have brought you to the land which I swore to give your fathers. I said, ‘ I will never break my covenant with you .
2 You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall break down their altars .’ But you have not listened to my voice . Why have you done this ?
3 Therefore I also said, ‘ I will not drive them out from before you ; but they shall be in your sides , and their gods will be a snare to you .’"
4 When the LORD ’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel , the people lifted up their voice and wept .
5 They called the name of that place Bochim , and they sacrificed there to the LORD .
6 Now when Joshua had sent the people away , the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land .
7 The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua , and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua , who had seen all the great work of the LORD that he had worked for Israel .
8 Joshua the son of Nun , the servant of the LORD , died , being one hundred and ten years old .
9 They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash .
10 After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know the LORD , nor the work which he had done for Israel .
11 The children of Israel did that which was evil in the LORD ’s sight , and served the Baals .
12 They abandoned the LORD , the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt , and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them , and bowed themselves down to them ; and they provoked the LORD to anger .
13 They abandoned the LORD , and served Baal and the Ashtaroth .
14 The LORD ’s anger burnt against Israel , and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them . He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around , so that they could no longer stand before their enemies .
15 Wherever they went out , the LORD ’s hand was against them for evil , as the LORD had spoken , and as the LORD had sworn to them ; and they were very distressed .
16 The LORD raised up judges , who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them .
17 Yet they didn’t listen to their judges ; for they prostituted themselves to other gods , and bowed themselves down to them . They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked , obeying the LORD ’s commandments . They didn’t do so .
18 When the LORD raised up judges for them , then the LORD was with the judge , and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge ; for it grieved the LORD because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them .
19 But when the judge was dead , they turned back , and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them . They didn’t cease what they were doing , or give up their stubborn ways .
20 The LORD ’s anger burnt against Israel ; and he said , " Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice ,
21 I also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them ;
22 that by them I may test Israel , to see if they will keep the LORD ’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it , or not ."
23 So the LORD left those nations , without driving them out hastily . He didn’t deliver them into Joshua ’s hand .