Judges, 2

1. The Angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bethel and said, 'I have brought you out of Egypt and led you into this country, which I promised on oath to your ancestors. I said, "I shall never break my covenant with you.

1. Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land which I swore to give to your fathers. I said, `I will never break my covenant with you,

2. You for your part must make no covenant with the inhabitants of this country; you will destroy their altars." But you have not listened to my voice. What is the reason for this?

2. and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my command. What is this you have done?

3. Very well, I now say this, "I am not going to drive these nations out before you. They will become your oppressors, and their gods will be a snare for you."

3. So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you."

4. When the angel of Yahweh had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people began to wail at the top of their voices.

4. When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5. And they called the place Bochim, and offered sacrifices to Yahweh there.

5. And they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD.

6. Joshua having dismissed the people, the Israelites then went away, each one to his own heritage, to occupy the country.

6. When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.

7. The people served Yahweh throughout the lifetime of Joshua and throughout the lifetime of those elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the great deeds which Yahweh had done for the sake of Israel.

7. And 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 which the LORD had done for Israel.

8. Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, was a hundred and ten years old when he died.

8. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten years.

9. He was buried on the estate which he had received as his heritage at Timnath-Heres in the highlands of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

9. And they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Tim'nath-he'res, in the hill country of E'phraim, north of the mountain of Ga'ash.

10. And when that whole generation had been gathered to its ancestors, another generation followed it which knew neither Yahweh nor the deeds which he had done for the sake of Israel.

10. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, who did not know the LORD or the work which he had done for Israel.

11. The Israelites then did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes and served the Baals.

11. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Ba'als;

12. They deserted Yahweh, God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt, and they followed other gods, from those of the surrounding peoples. They bowed down to these; they provoked Yahweh;

12. and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.

13. they deserted Yahweh to serve Baal and Astartes.

13. They forsook the LORD, and served the Ba'als and the Ash'taroth.

14. Then Yahweh's anger grew hot against Israel. He handed them over to pillagers who plundered them; he delivered them to the enemies surrounding them, and they were no longer able to resist their enemies.

14. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them; and he sold them into the power of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.

15. Whenever they mounted an expedition, Yahweh's hand was there to foil them, as Yahweh had told them and as Yahweh had sworn to them, so that they were in dire distress.

15. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them; and they were in sore straits.

16. Yahweh then appointed them judges, who rescued them from the hands of their plunderers.

16. Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the power of those who plundered them.

17. But even to their judges they refused to listen. They prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down before these. Very quickly they left the path which their ancestors had trodden in obedience to the orders of Yahweh; they did not follow their example.

17. And yet they did not listen to their judges; for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them; they soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.

18. When Yahweh appointed judges for them, Yahweh was with the judge and rescued them from the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived, since Yahweh relented at their groans under their persecutors and oppressors.

18. Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

19. But once the judge was dead, they relapsed into even worse corruption than their ancestors. They followed other gods; they served them and bowed before them and would not give up the practices and stubborn ways of their ancestors at all.

19. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them; they did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

20. Yahweh's anger then blazed out against Israel, and he said, 'Since this people has broken the covenant which I laid down for their ancestors, since they have not listened to my voice,

20. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; and he said, "Because this people have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not obeyed my voice,

21. in future I shall not drive before them any one of those nations which Joshua left when he died,

21. I will not henceforth drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,

22. in order, by means of them, to put Israel to the test, to see whether or not they would tread the paths of Yahweh as once their ancestors had trodden them.'

22. that by them I may test Israel, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not."

23. Hence, Yahweh allowed these nations to remain; he did not hurry to drive them out, and did not deliver them into the hands of Joshua.

23. So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out at once, and he did not give them into the power of Joshua.