 1 The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you go up out of Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to your fathers. I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 Do not make a treaty with those who live in this land. You shall throw down their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this that you have done? 3 I also said, I will not drive them out from before you but they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you. 4 When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 They called the name of that place The Place of Weeping and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 When Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel left each man to his inheritance to possess the land. 7 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 works of the Lord that He did for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord died, being 110 years old. 9 They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres in mount Ephraim on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10 All that generation were gathered to their fathers. There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord nor the works that He had done for Israel. 11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods of the people around them and bowed to them and provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and He delivered them into the hand of spoilers who spoiled them. He sold them into the hand of their enemies all around so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said and as the Lord had sworn to them. They were greatly distressed. 16 But the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from those who spoiled them. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they went lusting after other gods and bowed to them. They turned quickly out of the way that their fathers walked in, for they had obeyed the commandments of the Lord. But these did not do so. 18 When the Lord raised judges up for them, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord relented+ because of their groanings for their oppressors had vexed them. 19 When the judge was dead, they returned and made themselves more rotten than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. 20 So the anger of the Lord glowed against Israel and He said, Because this nation has transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and has not listened to my voice, 21 From now on, I will not expel any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died. 22 Thus I will test Israel, whether they are keeping the way of the Lord, to do as their fathers kept it, or not. 23 The Lord left those nations without driving them out quickly. He did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
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