Shoftim - Judges
Chapter 2
1 And the angel of HaShem came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And
he said: '...I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the
land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said: I will never break My covenant
with you;
2 and ye shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this
land; ye shall break down their altars; but ye have not hearkened unto My voice;
what is this ye have done?
3 Wherefore I also said: I will not drive them out from
before you; but they shall be unto you as snares, and their gods shall be a trap
unto you.'
4 And it came to pass, when the angel of HaShem spoke these
words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice,
and wept.
5 And they called the name of that place Bochim; and they
sacrificed there unto HaShem.
6 Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of
Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7 And the people served HaShem all the days of Joshua, and
all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work
of HaShem, that He had wrought for Israel.
8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of HaShem, died,
being a hundred and ten years old.
9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in
Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of
Gaash.
10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their
fathers; and there arose another generation after them, that knew not HaShem,
nor yet the work which He had wrought for Israel.
11 And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the
sight of HaShem, and served the Baalim.
12 And they forsook HaShem, the G-d of their fathers, who
brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of
the peoples that were round about them, and worshipped them; and they provoked
HaShem.
13 And they forsook HaShem, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
14 And the anger of HaShem was kindled against Israel, and He
delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He gave them
over into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any
longer stand before their enemies.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of HaShem was
against them for evil, as HaShem had spoken, and as HaShem had sworn unto them;
and they were sore distressed.
16 And HaShem raised up judges, who saved them out of the
hand of those that spoiled them.
17 And yet they hearkened not unto their judges, for they
went astray after other gods, and worshipped them; they turned aside quickly out
of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of HaShem;
they did not so.
18 And when HaShem raised them up judges, then HaShem was
with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of
the judge; for it repented HaShem because of their groaning by reason of them
that oppressed them and crushed them.
19 But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they
turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other
gods to serve them, and to worship them; they left nothing undone of their
practices, nor of their stubborn way.
20 And the anger of HaShem was kindled against Israel; and He
said: 'Because this nation have transgressed My covenant which I commanded their
fathers, and have not hearkened unto My voice;
21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them
of the nations that Joshua left when he died;
22 that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep
the way of HaShem to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.'
23 So HaShem left those nations, without driving them out
hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua.
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