Israel's Disobedience
1
Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to 1Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 2'I will never break my covenant with you,
2
3and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; 4you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?
3
So now I say, 5I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become 6thorns in your sides,a and their gods shall be a snare to you."
4
As soon as the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.
The Death of Joshua
6
When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.
7
7And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.
8
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years.
9
And they buried him within the boundaries of 8his inheritance in Timnath-heres, 9in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.
10
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.
Israel's Unfaithfulness
12
11And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. 12They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and 13bowed down to them. 14And they provoked the LORD to anger.
14
16So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he 17gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. 18And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, 19so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.
15
Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, 20and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The Lord Raises Up Judges
17
Yet they did not listen to their judges, for 23they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. 24They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.
18
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, 25the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. 26For the LORD was moved to pity by 27their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
19
But 28whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.
20
29So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he said, "Because this people 30has transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice,
22
in order 32to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not."
23
So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)