Judges Chapter 2

Judges Chapter 2
1 And an angel of the Lord came up from
Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you
to go up out of Egypt, and have brought
you unto the land which I had sworn unto
your fathers, and said, I will never break
my covenant with you. 2 Ye also shall
make no covenant with the inhabitants of
this land, but shall break down their
altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
Why have ye done this?
3 Wherefore, I said also, I will not cast
them out before you, but they shall be as
thorns unto your sides, and their gods
shall be your destruction. 4 And when
the angel of the Lord spake these words
unto all the children of Israel, the people
lift up their voice, and wept.
5 Therefore they called the name of that
place, Bochim, and offered sacrifices
there unto the Lord.
6 Now when Joshua had sent the people
away, the children of Israel went every
man into his inheritance, to possess the
land.
7 And the people had served the Lord all
the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that outlived Joshua, which
had seen all the great works of the Lord
that he did for Israel.
8 But Joshua the son of Nun the servant
of the Lord died, when he was an
hundred and ten years old:
9 And they buried him in the coasts of
his inheritance, in Timnath-heres in
mount Ephraim, on the north side of
mount Gaash.
10 And so all that generation was
gathered unto their fathers, and another
generation arose after them, which
neither knew the Lord, nor yet the works,
which he had done for Israel.
11 Then the children of Israel did
wickedly in the sight of the Lord, and
served Baalim,
12 And forsook the Lord God of their
fathers, which brought them out of the
land of Egypt, and followed other gods,
even the gods of the people that were
round about them, and bowed unto them,
and provoked the Lord to anger. 13 So
they forsook the Lord, and served Baal,
and Ashtaroth.
14 And the wrath of the Lord was hot
against Israel, and he delivered them
into the hands of spoilers, that spoiled
them, and he sold them into the hands of
their enemies round about them, so that
they could no longer stand before their
enemies.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the
hand of the Lord was sore against them,
as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had
sworn unto them: so he punished them
sore.
16 Notwithstanding, the Lord raised up
judges, which delivered them out of the
hands of their oppressors.
17 But yet they would not obey their
judges: for they went a whoring after
other gods, and worshiped them, and
turned quickly out of the way, wherein
their fathers walked, obeying the
commandments of the Lord: they did not
so. 18 And when the Lord had raised
them up judges, the Lord was with the
judge, and delivered them out of the
hand of their enemies all the days of the
judge (for the Lord had compassion on
their groanings, because of them that
oppressed them and tormented them)
19 Yet when the judge was dead, they
returned, and did worse than their
fathers, in following other gods to serve
them and worship them: they ceased not
from their own inventions, nor from their
rebellious way.
20 Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was
kindled against Israel, and he said,
Because this people hath transgressed
my covenant, which I commanded their
fathers, and hath not obeyed my voice,
21 Therefore will I no more cast out
before them any of the nations, which
Joshua left when he died,
22 That through them I may prove Israel,
whether they will keep the way of the
Lord, to walk therein, as their fathers
kept it, or not.
23 So the Lord left those nations, and
drove them not out immediately, neither
delivered them into the hand of Joshua.