Shoftim - Chapter 2

1. And a messenger of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said (in God's name), "I will take you up from Egypt and I have brought you to the land that I have sworn to your forefathers and I said, 'I will not break my covenant with you forever.

2. And you shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land, their altars you shall smash,' but you have not obeyed Me, what have you done?

3. And I also said, 'I will not drive them out from before you, and they will be pokers to you and their gods will be a stumbling block to you.' "

4. And it was while the messenger of the Lord was saying these words to all the children of Israel, that the nation raised their voices and cried.

5. And they called the name of that place Bochim and they sacrificed to the Lord there.

6. And Joshua had sent away the nation, and the children of Israel went, each man to his inheritance to possess the land.

7. And the nation served the Lord during all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua and who had seen all the great deed of the Lord that He had performed for Israel.

8. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.

9. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnath Cheres on the mountain of Ephraim, to the north of Mount Gaash.

10. And also all that generation were gathered to their forefathers, and there arose another generation after them, who knew not the Lord nor the deed which He had done for Israel.

11. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord and they served the Baalim.

12. And they forsook the God of their forefathers, Who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, and they went after other gods, of the gods of the nations that were around them, and they bowed to them and they provoked the Lord.

13. And they forsook the Lord and served the Baal and the Ashtaroth.

14. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers and they spoiled them, and He gave them over into the hands of their enemies around, and they could no longer stand before their enemies.

15. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had sworn to them, and they were greatly distressed.

16. And the Lord raised up judges and they saved them from the hands of those who had spoiled them.

17. But also their judges they did not obey, for they went astray after other gods, and they bowed to them; they turned aside quickly from the way wherein their forefathers had walked, obeying the commandments of the Lord, (but) they did not do so.

18. And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge, for the Lord retracted, because of their cry by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them.

19. And it was when the judge died, that they would return and deal more corruptly than their forefathers, going after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them; they did not diminish of their practices nor of their stubborn way.

20. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their forefathers and have not obeyed Me,

21. I too will not continue to drive out any man from before them, of the nations that Joshua left and he died.

22. In order to test Israel through them, whether they would keep the way of the Lord to walk therein as their forefathers did keep it, or not."

23. And the Lord left these nations without driving them out hastily, and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.