Judges 2

Israel Starts Slipping Away from God

1 An angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to a place called Bochim and told the people, “I am the One who brought you all outta Egypt and led you to this land I promised your ancestors. I told you all I would never break My word.”

2 “But I told y’all not to make deals with the people in this land. I told y’all to tear down all their altars to fake gods. But y’all did not listen. Why did y’all disobey Me like that?”

3 “So now I am letting these people stay here with you all. Their fake gods are going to trap you up and mess up your life.”

4 When the angel finished speaking, everybody in Israel broke down crying loud at Bochim.

5 That is why they called that place Bochim, which means ‘crying place.’ And they offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

Joshua’s Generation Dies Off

6 After Joshua sent the people away, everybody went back to their own land to take what God had given them.

7 The people stayed loyal to God the whole time Joshua was alive, and while the elders who lived after him were still around, the ones who saw everything the Lord had done for Israel.

8 Then Joshua, the servant of the Lord, son of Nun, died at 110 years old.

9 They buried him in his own land at Timnath-heres, up in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

A New Generation Do Not Know God

10 After that whole generation died, a new generation grew up, but they did not know the Lord. They did not know nothing about what He had done for Israel.

11 Then the Israelites started wilding out, doing evil in God’s eyes. They started worshipping these fake gods called Baals.

12 They straight up left the God of their ancestors, the same God who brought them outta Egypt, and started chasing the gods of the people around them. They bowed down to these fake idols and made God furious.

13 They turned their backs on God and started worshipping Baal and Ashtaroth, false gods of the streets.

God Stops Protecting Israel

14 God got so mad He let their enemies rob them, take their stuff, and put them under heavy control. He did not protect them anymore.

15 Every time they tried to fight back, God’s hand was against them. Things went bad just like He told them it would if they disobeyed. They stayed stressed and struggling.

God Sends Judges to Help

16 Even though they messed up, God showed mercy. He raised up judges, leaders who saved them from their enemies.

17 But the people did not even listen to the judges for long. They went right back to worshipping fake gods, living foul, and doing worse than their ancestors.

18 Whenever God sent a judge to help them, He was with that judge. God felt bad for the people when they were struggling and being oppressed. So He saved them while that judge was alive.

19 But when that judge died, the people went right back to their old ways. They got even more reckless, chasing after fake gods, worshipping them, and refusing to change their dirty ways.

God Tests Israel

20 God got real heated. He said, “Since these people broke My covenant and will not listen to Me…

21 I am not driving out the rest of these nations for them like I did with Joshua.”

22 “I am going to leave these nations here to test Israel, to see if they will walk in My ways or not.”

23 So the Lord left those nations in the land. He did not drive them out fast or hand them over to Joshua’s people.