Judges 2 (Today's New International Version)

The Angel of the LORD at Bokim

1 The angel of the LORD¹ went up from Gilgal² to Bokim³ and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt⁴ and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.⁵ I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you,⁶ 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,⁷ but you shall break down their altars.⁸' Yet you have disobeyed⁹ me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, 'I will not drive them out before you;¹⁰ they will become traps¹¹ for you, and their gods will become snares¹² to you.' " 4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,¹³ 5 and they called that place Bokim.^a14 There they offered sacrifices to the LORD.

Disobedience and Defeat

2:6-9pp -- Jos 24:29-31

6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.¹⁵ 8 Joshua son of Nun,¹⁶ the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^b17 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 the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.¹⁸ 11 Then the Israelites did evil¹⁹ in the eyes of the LORD²⁰ and served the Baals.²¹ 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods²² of the peoples around them.²³ They aroused²⁴ the LORD's anger²⁵ 13 because they forsook²⁶ him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.²⁷ 14 In his anger²⁸ against Israel the LORD gave them into the hands²⁹ of raiders who plundered³⁰ them. He sold them³¹ into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.³² 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them³³ to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.³⁴ 16 Then the LORD raised up judges,^c35 who saved³⁶ them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted³⁷ themselves to other gods³⁸ and worshiped them.³⁹ Unlike their ancestors, they quickly turned⁴⁰ from following the way of their ancestors, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands.⁴¹ 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved⁴² them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented⁴³ because of their groaning⁴⁴ under those who oppressed and afflicted⁴⁵ them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt⁴⁶ than those of their ancestors,⁴⁷ following other gods and serving and worshiping them.⁴⁸ They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn⁴⁹ ways. 20 Therefore the LORD was very angry⁵⁰ with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant⁵¹ I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out⁵² before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test⁵³ Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did." 23 The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.⁵⁴