1 ARST The angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to a place that the people of Israel would soon call Bokim. He said to the Israelite people,“I brought your ancestors up here from Egypt. I led them into this land that I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said to them,‘I will never break the covenant I made with you. BSB BSB: Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,
2 ARST But as for you, you must never agree to have peace with the people who live in this land. You must tear down the altars where they make sacrifices to idols.’ But you have not obeyed me. BSB BSB: and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
3 ARST So now, I am telling you that I will not drive out your enemies as you advance. They will be like thorns in your sides. And they will try to trap you by persuading you to worship their idols.” BSB BSB: So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”
4 ARST After he said that to all the Israelites, the people lamented loudly. BSB BSB: When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5 ARST They named that place Bokim, which means“weeping.” There they offered sacrifices to Yahweh. BSB BSB: So they called that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
6 ARST After Joshua sent the people of Israel away, each group went to possess the land that had been permanently assigned to them. BSB BSB: After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.
7 ARST They obeyed Yahweh as long as Joshua was alive, and as long as the elders, those who had seen all the great things that Yahweh had done for Israel, were alive. BSB BSB: And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel.
8 ARST Then Yahweh’ s servant Joshua died. He was 110 years old when he died. BSB BSB: And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
9 ARST They buried his body in the land that he had received from Moses, at Timnath Heres, in the area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, north of Mount Gaash. BSB BSB: They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 ARST After all the people who lived at the same time as Joshua died, more people grew up who did not know Yahweh and had not seen him do the great things he had done for the Israelite people. BSB BSB: After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel.
11 ARST They did things that Yahweh said were very evil. They worshiped idols that represented the god Baal and the female fertility goddess, the Ashtoreth. They worshiped the various gods that the people groups around them worshiped. They stopped worshiping Yahweh, the God their ancestors worshiped, the one who had brought their ancestors out of Egypt. This caused Yahweh to be very angry. BSB BSB: And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
14 ARST Because Yahweh was angry, he allowed people from other groups to attack them and steal their crops and animals. They were no longer able to resist their enemies, and Yahweh allowed all their enemies around them to defeat them. BSB BSB: Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
15 ARST Whenever the Israelites went to fight their enemies, Yahweh always worked against them and allowed their enemies to defeat them, just as he had said he would do. So the Israelites were greatly distressed. BSB BSB: Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
16 ARST Then Yahweh brought leaders to them. These leaders rescued the Israelites from the people who were attacking them. BSB BSB: Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
17 ARST But the Israelites still would not obey their leaders. Instead, they betrayed Yahweh for idols, like prostitutes to other gods and they worshiped those idols. They were not like their ancestors. Their ancestors obeyed what Yahweh commanded, but these new people quickly stopped behaving as their ancestors had behaved. BSB BSB: Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
18 ARST Whenever Yahweh brought a leader to them, he helped that leader and enabled him to rescue the people from their enemies. He did that as long as that leader was alive. Yahweh pitied them as they groaned because they were being oppressed and caused to suffer. BSB BSB: Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.
19 ARST But after that leader died, the people always began behaving in more evil ways than their ancestors had behaved. They worshiped other gods and bowed down to them and did all the things that they thought those gods wanted them to do. BSB BSB: But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 ARST So Yahweh was very angry with the Israelite people. He said,“These people have disobeyed the covenant that I made with their ancestors. They have not done what I told them to do. BSB BSB: So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice,
21 ARST So I will no longer expel the people groups that Joshua left in this land when he died. BSB BSB: I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.
22 ARST I will use them to test the Israelite people to see whether they will do what I want them to do, as their ancestors did.” BSB BSB: In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.”
23 ARST Yahweh allowed these people groups to stay in that land for a long time after the people of Israel had come. He did not expel them by allowing Joshua and his men to defeat them. BSB BSB: That is why the LORD had left those nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.