Judges 2:1-13 ▼

1 Some time later, the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and announced to Israel, |I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I promised to your ancestors. I had told them, 'I'll never breach my covenant with you.

2 As for you, you must not make any treaties with the inhabitants of this land. Instead, tear down their altars.' But you haven't obeyed me. What have you done?

3 Therefore I'm now saying, 'I won't expel them before you. Instead, they'll remain at your side, and their gods will ensnare you.'|

4 Because the angel of the LORD said these things to all of the Israelis, the people wept out loud,

5 which is why they named the place Bochim. And there they sacrificed to the LORD.

6 After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelis returned to their respective inheritances to take possession of the land.

7 The people served the LORD during the entire lifetime of Joshua as well as the lifetimes of all the elders who outlived Joshua and who had observed all the great deeds that the LORD had done for Israel.

8 But then Nun's son Joshua, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years.

9 They buried him in Timnath-heres, within the boundaries of his inheritance in the mountainous region of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had died, another generation grew up after them that was not acquainted with the LORD or with what he had done for Israel.

11 So the Israelis practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by worshiping Canaanite deities.

12 They abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them. They bowed down in worship of them, and by doing so angered the LORD.

13 As a result, they abandoned the LORD by serving both Baal and Ashtaroth.