The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 God's angel went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt; I led you to the land that I promised to your fathers; and I said, I'll never break my covenant with you - never!
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The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you.
2 And you're never to make a covenant with the people who live in this land. Tear down their altars! But you haven't obeyed me! What's this that you're doing?
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For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this?
3 "So now I'm telling you that I won't drive them out before you. They'll trip you up and their gods will become a trap."
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So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”
4 When God's angel had spoken these words to all the People of Israel, they cried out - oh! how they wept!
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When the angel of the LORD finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.
5 They named the place Bokim (Weepers). And there they sacrificed to God.
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So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the LORD .
6 After Joshua had dismissed them, the People of Israel went off to claim their allotted territories and take possession of the land.
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After Joshua sent the people away, each of the tribes left to take possession of the land allotted to them.
7 The people worshiped God throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the time of the leaders who survived him, leaders who had been in on all of God's great work that he had done for Israel.
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And the Israelites served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.
8 Then Joshua son of Nun, the servant of God, died. He was 110 years old.
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Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
9 They buried him in his allotted inheritance at Timnath Heres in the hills of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.
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They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn't know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel.
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After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.
11 The People of Israel did evil in God's sight:
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The Israelites did evil in the LORD ’s sight and served the images of Baal.
12 they served Baal-gods; they deserted God, the God of their parents who had led them out of Egypt; they took up with other gods, gods of the peoples around them. They actually worshiped them! And oh, how they angered God
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They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD .
13 as they worshiped god Baal and goddess Astarte!
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They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth.
14 God's anger was hot against Israel: He handed them off to plunderers who stripped them; he sold them cheap to enemies on all sides. They were helpless before their enemies.
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This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them.
15 Every time they walked out the door God was with them - but for evil, just as God had said, just as he had sworn he would do. They were in a bad way.
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Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.
16 But then God raised up judges who saved them from their plunderers.
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Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.
17 But they wouldn't listen to their judges; they prostituted themselves to other gods - worshiped them! They lost no time leaving the road walked by their parents, the road of obedience to God's commands. They refused to have anything to do with it.
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Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the LORD ’s commands.
18 When God was setting up judges for them, he would be right there with the judge: He would save them from their enemies' oppression as long as the judge was alive, for God was moved to compassion when he heard their groaning because of those who afflicted and beat them.
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Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering.
19 But when the judge died, the people went right back to their old ways - but even worse than their parents! - running after other gods, serving and worshiping them. Stubborn as mules, they didn't drop a single evil practice.
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But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 And God's anger blazed against Israel. He said, "Because these people have thrown out my covenant that I commanded their parents and haven't listened to me,
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So the LORD burned with anger against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands,
21 I'm not driving out one more person from the nations that Joshua left behind when he died.
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I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.
22 I'll use them to test Israel and see whether they stay on God's road and walk down it as their parents did."
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I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the LORD as their ancestors did.”
23 That's why God let those nations remain. He didn't drive them out or let Joshua get rid of them.
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That is why the LORD left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.