1-2 God’s angel went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt; I led you to the land that I promised to your fathers; and I said, I’ll never break my covenant with you—never! And you’re never to make a covenant with the people who live in this land. Tear down their altars! But you haven’t obeyed me! What’s this that you’re doing?
3 “So now I’m telling you that I won’t drive them out before you. They’ll trip you up and their gods will become a trap.”
4-5 WhenGod’s angel had spoken these words to all the People of Israel, they cried out—oh! how they wept! They named the place Bokim (Weepers). And there they sacrificed toGod.
6-9 After Joshua had dismissed them, the People of Israel went off to claim their allotted territories and take possession of the land. The people worshipedGodthroughout the lifetime of Joshua and the time of the leaders who survived him, leaders who had been in on all ofGod’s great work that he had done for Israel. Then Joshua son of Nun, the servant ofGod, died. He was 110 years old. They buried him in his allotted inheritance at Timnath Heres in the hills of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.
10 Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn’t know anything ofGodor the work he had done for Israel.
11-15 The People of Israel did evil inGod’s sight: they served Baal-gods; they desertedGod, the God of their parents who had led them out of Egypt; they took up with other gods, gods of the peoples around them. They actually worshiped them! And oh, how they angeredGodas they worshiped god Baal and goddess Astarte!God’s anger was hot against Israel: He handed them off to plunderers who stripped them; he sold them cheap to enemies on all sides. They were helpless before their enemies. Every time they walked out the doorGodwas with them—but for evil, just asGodhad said, just as he had sworn he would do. They were in a bad way.
16-17 But thenGodraised up judges who saved them from their plunderers. But they wouldn’t listen to their judges; they prostituted themselves to other gods—worshiped them! They lost no time leaving the road walked by their parents, the road of obedience toGod’s commands. They refused to have anything to do with it.
18-19 WhenGodwas setting up judges for them, he would be right there with the judge: He would save them from their enemies’ oppression as long as the judge was alive, forGodwas moved to compassion when he heard their groaning because of those who afflicted and beat them. But when the judge died, the people went right back to their old ways—but even worse than their parents!—running after other gods, serving and worshiping them. Stubborn as mules, they didn’t drop a single evil practice.
20-22 AndGod’s anger blazed against Israel. He said, “Because these people have thrown out my covenant that I commanded their parents and haven’t listened to me, I’m not driving out one more person from the nations that Joshua left behind when he died. I’ll use them to test Israel and see whether they stay onGod’s road and walk down it as their parents did.”
23 That’s whyGodlet those nations remain. He didn’t drive them out or let Joshua get rid of them.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/JDG/2-24cbbd6b990c73721be4ed51f5129d1f.mp3?version_id=97—