Judges 2

New International Version

The Angel of theLordat Bokim

2 The angel of theLord^(A)went up from Gilgal^(B)to Bokim^(C)and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt^(D)and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.^(E)I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,^(F)2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,^(G)but you shall break down their altars.^(H)’ Yet you have disobeyed^(I)me. Why have you done this?³ And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;^(J)they will become traps^(K)for you, and their gods will become snares^(L)to you.’”

⁴ When the angel of theLordhad spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,^(M)5 and they called that place Bokim.^[a](N)There they offered sacrifices to theLord.

Disobedience and Defeat^(O)

⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance.⁷ The people served theLordthroughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things theLordhad done for Israel.^(P)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(Q)the servant of theLord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^[b](R)in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither theLordnor what he had done for Israel.^(S)11 Then the Israelites did evil^(T)in the eyes of theLord^(U)and served the Baals.^(V)12 They forsook theLord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(W)of the peoples around them.^(X)They aroused^(Y)theLord’s anger^(Z)13 because they forsook^(AA)him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^(AB)14 In his anger^(AC)against Israel theLordgave them into the hands^(AD)of raiders who plundered^(AE)them. He sold them^(AF)into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^(AG)15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of theLordwas against them^(AH)to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(AI)

¹⁶ Then theLordraised up judges,^[c](AJ)who saved^(AK)them out of the hands of these raiders.¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(AL)themselves to other gods^(AM)and worshiped them.^(AN)They quickly turned^(AO)from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to theLord’s commands.^(AP)18 Whenever theLordraised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(AQ)them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for theLordrelented^(AR)because of their groaning^(AS)under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AT)them.¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AU)than those of their ancestors,^(AV)following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AW)They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AX)ways.

²⁰ Therefore theLordwas very angry^(AY)with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AZ)I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me,²¹ I will no longer drive out^(BA)before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.²² I will use them to test^(BB)Israel and see whether they will keep the way of theLordand walk in it as their ancestors did.”²³ TheLordhad allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(BC)