Judges 2

Israel's Response of Mourning Judges 2:4–5

⁴Verse 4. When Yahweh’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voice, and wept. ⁵Verse 5. They called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there to Yahweh.

Joshua's Leadership and Death Judges 2:6–9

⁶Verse 6. Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land. ⁷Verse 7. The people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh that he had worked for Israel. ⁸Verse 8. Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being one hundred ten years old. ⁹Verse 9. They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.

A New Generation's Apostasy Judges 2:10–13

¹⁰Verse 10. After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who didn’t know Yahweh, nor the work which he had done for Israel. ¹¹Verse 11. The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals. ¹²Verse 12. They abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked Yahweh to anger. ¹³Verse 13. They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

Consequences of Disobedience Judges 2:14–15

¹⁴Verse 14. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵Verse 15. Wherever they went out, Yahweh’s hand was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.

God Raises Judges for Deliverance Judges 2:16–19

¹⁶Verse 16. Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷Verse 17. Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying Yahweh’s commandments. They didn’t do so. ¹⁸Verse 18. When Yahweh raised up judges for them, then Yahweh was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved Yahweh because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them.

¹⁹Verse 19. But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways.

Judgment and Testing Judges 2:20–23

²⁰Verse 20. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel; and he said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice, ²¹Verse 21. I also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them; ²²Verse 22. that by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep Yahweh’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.” ²³Verse 23. So Yahweh left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand.