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Judges

Describes a time when Israel was ruled by judges and the cycle of turning away from God, facing trouble, and then returning to Him.

Chapter 2

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1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

*An angel spoke to the people, saying, "I helped you leave Egypt and brought you to this land I promised your ancestors. I swore to always keep my promise with you."

2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

*Do not make agreements with the people living here. Destroy their sacred statues. But you didn't listen to me. Why did you do this?

3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

*So I said, I won't get rid of them for you; instead, they will be like annoying thorns to you, and their gods will be a trap for you.

4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

*When the angel spoke to the Israelites, the people raised their voices and cried.

5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

*They named the place Bochim and offered sacrifices to God.

6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

*When Joshua allowed the people to leave, the Israelites went to their designated areas to take control of the land.

7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.

*The people worshiped God during Joshua's lifetime and also after he died, while the older folks who lived longer were able to witness all the amazing things God did for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

*Joshua, son of Nun and God's servant, passed away at the age of 110.

9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

*They put him in the ground at the edge of what he owned in a place called Timnathheres, in a part of Ephraim's land, on the top of a hill named Gaash, but on the north side.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

*All those people from that time died and were buried. Then a new group of people came along who didn't know the LORD or what He did for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

*The children of Israel did wrong things that God saw, and they worshiped Baal.

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

*They left the LORD, who saved them from Egypt, and followed other gods from nearby people, worshiping them instead. This made the LORD very angry.

13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

*So, they left God behind and started worshiping Baal and Ashtaroth instead.

14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

*God's anger grew towards Israel, causing them to be taken by those who destroyed them. They were also sold to their surrounding enemies, leaving them unable to fight back.

15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

*Wherever they went, God's hand brought them bad luck, just like He said He would, and they suffered greatly.

16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

*However, the Lord chose leaders who saved them from those who harmed them.

17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

*And still, they didn't listen to their judges. Instead, they followed other gods and worshipped them. They quickly left the path their ancestors followed, which involved obeying the LORD's commands. But they didn't do that.

18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

*When God chose judges to help them, God supported those judges and protected them from their enemies as long as the judges were in charge. This was because God felt sorry for the people's suffering caused by those who treated them badly.

19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

*After the judge died, they went back and became even worse. They followed other gods, worshiped them, and didn't stop their bad habits or their stubborn ways.

20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

*God was very angry with Israel because they broke the agreement He made with their ancestors and did not listen to His messages.

21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

*I won't remove any more people from their land, who were here when Joshua passed away.

22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

*So that I can test if Israel follows the LORD's path like their ancestors did.

23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

*So, God didn't quickly remove those nations or give them to Joshua.

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