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Israel’s Disobedience

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Now the angel of the L ord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. ²For your part, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my command. See what you have done! ³So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” ⁴When the angel of the L ord spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵So they named that place Bochim, and there they sacrificed to the L ord.

Death of Joshua

⁶ When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their own inheritances to take possession of the land. ⁷The people worshiped the L ord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the L ord had done for Israel. ⁸Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the L ord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. ⁹So they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the L ord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹¹ Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the L ord and worshiped the Baals; ¹²and they abandoned the L ord, the 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 were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the L ord to anger. ¹³They abandoned the L ord, and worshiped Baal and the Astartes. ¹⁴So the anger of the L ord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵Whenever they marched out, the hand of the L ord was against them to bring misfortune, as the L ord had warned them and sworn to them; and they were in great distress.

¹⁶ Then the L ord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them. ¹⁷Yet they did not listen even to their judges; for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the L ord; they did not follow their example. ¹⁸Whenever the L ord raised up judges for them, the L ord was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the L ord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them. ¹⁹But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than their ancestors, following other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. ²⁰So the anger of the L ord was kindled against Israel; and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice, ²¹I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.” ²²In order to test Israel, whether or not they would take care to walk in the way of the L ord as their ancestors did, ²³the L ord had left those nations, not driving them out at once, and had not handed them over to Joshua.