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And an angel of the Lord went up from Galgal to the place of weepers, and said: I made you go out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land for which I swore to your fathers: and I promised that I would not make void my covenant with you for ever:

On condition that you should not make a league with the inhabitants of this land, but should throw down their altars: and you would not hear my voice: why have you done this?

Wherefore I would not destroy them from before your face: that you may have enemies, and their gods may be your ruin.

And when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, they lifted up their voice, and wept.

And the name of that place was called, The place of weepers, or of tears: and there they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

And Josue sent away the people, and the children of Israel went every one to his own possession to hold it:

And they served the Lord all his days, and the days of the ancients, that lived a long time after him, and who knew all the works of the Lord, which he had done for Israel.

And Josue the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being a hundred and ten years old,

And they buried him in the borders of his possession in Thamnathsare in mount Ephraim, on the north side of mount Gaas.

10 And all that generation was gathered to their fathers: and there arose others that knew not the Lord, and the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they served Baalim.

12 And they left the Lord the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt: and they followed strange gods, and the gods of the people that dwelt round about them, and they adored them: and they provoked the Lord to anger.

13 Forsaking him, and serving Baal and Astaroth.

14 And the Lord being angry against Israel, delivered them into the hands of plunderers: who took them and sold them to their enemies, that dwelt round about: neither could they stand against their enemies:

15 But whithersoever they meant to go, the hand of the Lord was upon them, as he had said, and as he had sworn to them: and they were greatly distressed.

16 And the Lord raised up judges, to deliver them from the hands of those that oppressed them: but they would not hearken to them,

17 Committing fornication with strange gods, and adoring them. They quickly forsook the way, in which their fathers had walked: and hearing the commandments of the Lord, they did all things contrary.

18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, in their days he was moved to mercy, and heard the groanings of the afflicted, and delivered them from the slaughter of the oppressors.

19 But after the judge was dead, they returned, and did much worse things than their fathers had done, following strange gods, serving them and adoring them. They left not their own inventions, and the stubborn way, by which they were accustomed to walk.

20 And the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said: Behold this nation hath made void my covenant, which I had made with their fathers, and hath despised to hearken to my voice:

21 I also will not destroy the nations which Josue left, when he died:

22 That through them I may try Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, and walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not.

23 The Lord therefore left all these nations, and would not quickly destroy them, neither did he deliver them into the hands of Josue.

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

The angel of the Lord(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) 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? 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.’”

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

Disobedience and Defeat(O)

After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 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.(P)

Joshua son of Nun,(Q) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 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 the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.(S) 11 Then the Israelites did evil(T) in the eyes of the Lord(U) and served the Baals.(V) 12 They forsook the Lord, 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) the Lord’s anger(Z) 13 because they forsook(AA) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.(AB) 14 In his anger(AC) against Israel the Lord gave 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 the Lord was against them(AH) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.(AI)

16 Then the Lord raised 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 the Lord’s commands.(AP) 18 Whenever the Lord raised 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 the Lord relented(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 the Lord was 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 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.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:5 Bokim means weepers.
  2. Judges 2:9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30)
  3. Judges 2:16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19