Judges 2

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.

1An angel of the LORD came from Gilgal to a place called Bochim. An angel is a messenger from God. He said, "I brought you up out of Egypt. I brought you to this land. I promised this land to your fathers long ago. I said I would never break my promise to you."

2And 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?

2"I told you not to make any peace deal with the people in this land. I told you to tear down their altars, where they gave gifts to their gods. But you did not obey me. Why did you do this?"

3Wherefore 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.

3"So now I tell you this. I will not push those people out ahead of you. They will be like thorns poking your sides. Their gods will be a trap for you."

4And 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.

4The angel of the LORD said these words to all the people of Israel. Then the people cried out loud.

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

5They named that place Bochim. There they gave offerings to the LORD.

NoteBochim means "the weepers." The people named the place for the crying they did there.

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

6Joshua had sent the people on their way. Each family went to take the land God gave them.

7And 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.

7The people served the LORD all through Joshua's life. They kept serving him while the older leaders were still alive. Those leaders had seen the great things the LORD did for Israel.

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

8Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died. He was 110 years old.

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

9They buried him on his own land at Timnath-heres. That place is in the hill country of Ephraim. It is north of Mount Gaash.

10And 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.

10That whole group of people died, just as their fathers had. A new group grew up after them. They did not know the LORD. They did not know what he had done for Israel.

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

11The people of Israel did what was evil to the LORD. They served the Baals, gods that other people worshiped.

12And 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.

12They turned away from the LORD, the God of their fathers. He was the one who brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods instead. These were the gods of the people living around them. They bowed down to those gods. This made the LORD angry.

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

13They left the LORD. They served Baal and the Ashtoreths, gods of the people nearby.

14And 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.

14The LORD was very angry with Israel. He let robbers come and take their things. He handed them over to enemies all around them. They could not stand up to their enemies anymore.

NoteThe King James Bible says "spoilers that spoiled them." Back then "spoil" meant to rob and carry things away.

15Whithersoever 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.

15Everywhere Israel went, the LORD was against them. Trouble came to them. This is what the LORD had promised would happen. Israel was in great trouble.

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

16Even so, the LORD gave them judges. A judge was a leader who saved them from the robbers.

17And 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.

17But Israel would not listen to their judges. They chased after other gods and bowed down to them. Their fathers had obeyed the LORD's commands. Israel quickly left that path. They did not live the way their fathers had.

NoteThe King James Bible says they "went a whoring after other gods." It means Israel was unfaithful to God, like a husband or wife breaking a marriage promise.

18And 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.

18When the LORD gave them a judge, he stayed with that judge. He saved them from their enemies as long as the judge lived. The people groaned under those who hurt them. The LORD felt sorry for them.

NoteThe King James Bible says "it repented the LORD." Here that old word means he felt pity for them, not that he had done wrong.

19And 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.

19But when the judge died, the people went back to their old ways. They grew even worse than their fathers. They served other gods and bowed down to them. They would not stop doing wrong. They would not give up their stubborn ways.

20And 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;

20The LORD was very angry with Israel. He said, "These people broke the promise I gave their fathers. They have not listened to me."

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

21"So I will not push out any more of the nations still living here. These are the nations Joshua left behind when he died."

22That 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.

22"I will use those nations to test Israel. I will see if they will follow the LORD's way, as their fathers did."

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

23So the LORD let those nations stay in the land. He did not push them out quickly. He did not hand them over to Joshua.