¹²And they left the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt: and they followed strange gods, and the gods of the people that dwelt round about them, and they adored them: and they provoked the Lord to anger,

¹³Forsaking him, and serving Baal and Astaroth

¹⁴And the Lord being angry against Israel, delivered them into the hands of plunderers: who took them and sold them to their enemies, that dwelt round about: neither could they stand against their enemies:

¹⁵But whithersoever they meant to go, the hand of the Lord was upon them, as he had said, and as he had sworn to them: and they were greatly distressed.

¹⁶And the Lord raised up judges, to deliver them from the hands of those that oppressed them: but they would not hearken to them,

¹⁷Committing fornication with strange gods, and adoring them. They quickly forsook the way, in which their fathers had walked: and hearing the commandments of the Lord, they did all things contrary.

¹⁸And when the Lord raised them up judges, in their days, he was moved to mercy, and heard the groanings of the afflicted, and delivered them from the slaughter of the oppressors.

¹⁹But after the judge was dead, they returned, and did much worse things than their fathers had done, following strange gods, serving them, and adoring them. They left not their own inventions, and the stubborn way, by which they were accustomed to walk.

²⁰And the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said: Behold this nation hath made void my covenant, which I had made with their fathers, and hath despised to hearken to my voice:

²¹I also will not destroy the nations which Josue left when he died:

²²That through them I may try Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, and walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not.

²³The Lord therefore left all these nations, and would not quickly destroy them, neither did he deliver them into the hands of Josue.

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