Judges, 2

1. And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

1. The Angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bochim where the Israelites were gathered, and he said to them, "I made you go up from Egypt and brought you to the land I had promised your fathers. I said to them, 'Never will I break my covenant with you,

2. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

2. but you shall not make any covenant with the Canaanites and shall destroy their altars.' But you have not obeyed my command. Why did you not obey me?

3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

3. Now, I will not drive out these nations before you. They shall be your oppressors and their gods shall be a trap for you."

4. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

4. After the Angel of Yahweh had spoken, all the Israelites began to weep and cry.

5. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

5. For this reason, they named that place Bochim, which means "those who weep," and they offered sacrifices to Yahweh.

6. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

6. When Joshua dismissed the Israelites, each one of them went to his inheritance to occupy the land.

7. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.

7. The people served Yahweh during the lifetime of Joshua and of the leaders who outlived him, and who had witnessed all the great works of Yahweh for Israel.

8. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, [being] an hundred and ten years old.

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

9. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

9. They buried him at the boundary of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

10. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

10. That whole generation died and another one came, but they did not know Yahweh or what he had done for Israel.

11. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

11. The Israelites treated Yahweh badly for they served the Baals instead.

12. And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that [were] round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

12. They abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers who had brought them out of Egypt, and served other gods, the gods of the neighboring peoples. They bowed before those gods and offended Yahweh.

13. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

13. When Yahweh saw that they had abandoned him to serve Baal and Ashtaroth,

14. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

14. he became angry with his people and gave them into the hands of plunderers who left them in misery. He himself sold them to their enemies who completely surrounded the Israelites, so that these Israelites could no longer withstand them.

15. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

15. Whenever they felt strong for an offensive, Yahweh would turn against them and send evil upon them, as he had warned them and sworn to do. And this caused much distress and anguish for the Israelites.

16. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

16. Yahweh raised up "judges" (or liberators) who saved the Israelites from their exploiters.

17. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; [but] they did not so.

17. But neither did they obey those "judges" for they still prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They soon left the way of their fathers who obeyed the commandments of Yahweh; they did not follow the way of their fathers.

18. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

18. When Yahweh made a judge appear among his people, Yahweh was with him and saved them from their enemies. That lasted as long as the judge lived, for Yahweh was moved to pity by the lament of his people who were oppressed and persecuted.

19. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, [that] they returned, and corrupted [themselves] more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

19. But when the judge died, they again became worse than their fathers - worshiping and serving other gods. They would not renounce their pagan practices and stubborn ways.

20. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

20. Yahweh was angry and he said, "These people broke the Covenant I made with their fathers and they refuse to obey me.

21. I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

21. Well now, neither shall I drive out before them any of the nations left when Joshua died.

22. That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep [it], or not.

22. And I shall test the Israelites through those nations; then I shall know if they will finally follow my ways as their fathers did."

23. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

23. So Yahweh left those nations in their place and did not take the land immediately from them. This was also why he did not give them into the hands of Joshua.