Judges 2:11–23

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

^11sAnd the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. ^12tAnd they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. ^uThey went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and ^vbowed down to them. ^wAnd they provoked the Lord to anger. ¹³They abandoned the Lord ^xand served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. ^14ySo the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he ^zgave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. ^aAnd he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, ^bso that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, ^cand as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

^16dThen the Lord raised up judges, ^ewho saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷Yet they did not listen to their judges, for ^fthey whored after other gods and bowed down to them. ^gThey soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. ¹⁸Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, ^hthe Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. ⁱFor the Lord was moved to pity by ^jtheir groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. ¹⁹But ^kwhenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. ^20lSo the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people ^mhave transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, ²¹ⁿI will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, ²²in order ^oto test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” ²³So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.