1 T he angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I promised your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break My agreement with you.

¶ And the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I brought you up out of Egypt and caused you to enter into the land which I swore unto your fathers, and I said, I will never break my covenant with you

2 D o not make any agreement with the people of this land. Tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done?

as long as ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; to the contrary, ye shall throw down their altars, but ye have not heard my voice; why have ye done this?

3 S o now I say, ‘I will not drive them away from you. They will be like thorns in your sides. Their gods will be a trap to you.’”

Therefore, 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.

4 W hen the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people cried in a loud voice.

And when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

5 S o they called that place Bochim. And there they gave gifts in worship to the Lord. The Death of Joshua

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

6 W hen Joshua sent the people of Israel away, each one went home to his own land.

¶ For Joshua had let the people go, and the sons of Israel had each gone unto his inheritance to possess the land.

7 T he people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the leaders who lived longer than Joshua and who had seen all the great works the Lord had done for Israel.

And the people had 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 had done with Israel.

8 J oshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was 110 years old.

And Joshua, the son of Nun, the slave of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old.

9 T hey buried him within his land in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

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

10 A ll the people of that day died. The children who came after them did not know the Lord. They did not know about the things He had done for Israel. Israel Is No Longer Faithful to the Lord

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them which did not know the LORD nor the work which he had done to Israel.

11 T hen the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, the gods of the Canaanites.

And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baalim.

12 T hey turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods of the nations around them, and worshiped them. So they made the Lord angry.

And they forsook the LORD God 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 bowed themselves unto them and provoked the LORD to anger.

13 T hey turned away from the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

And they forsook the LORD and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 T he Lord was angry with Israel. He gave them into the hands of angry men who robbed them. He sold them into the hands of those around them who hated them. The people of Israel could no longer stand in front of those who hated them.

And 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 no longer stand before their enemies.

15 T he Lord punished them everywhere they went. The Lord did what He had told them and promised them He would do. The people were very troubled.

Wherever 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 thus they were greatly distressed.

16 T hen the Lord gave them special men to judge between what was right or wrong. These men saved them from those who robbed them.

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

17 B ut the people did not listen to those chosen to judge. The people were not faithful to the Lord and they worshiped other gods. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had walked in obeying the Laws of the Lord. They did not do as their fathers had done.

And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they fornicated after other gods and bowed themselves unto them; they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers had walked hearing the commandments of the LORD; but they did not do so.

18 W hen the Lord gave them special men to judge them, the Lord was with the judge. And He saved them from those who hated them. For the Lord showed them pity because of their pain when others made it hard for them and hurt them.

And 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 that judge; for the LORD repented because of their groanings by reason of those that oppressed them and afflicted them.

19 B ut when the judge died, they would turn again and act worse than their fathers. They would follow other gods and serve them and worship them. They would not give up their sinful acts or their strong wills.

But when the judge was dead, then they would return, and corrupt themselves more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them; they did not diminish from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

20 S o the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He said, “This nation has sinned against My agreement I made with their fathers. They have not listened to My voice.

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he said, Because these people transgress my covenant which I commanded their fathers and do not hearken unto my voice;

21 I will stop driving away from them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.

neither will I drive out any longer from before them any of these Gentiles which Joshua left when he died,

22 I will use them to test Israel. I will see if Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it like their fathers did, or not.”

that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD by walking therein as their fathers kept it, or not.

23 S o the Lord let those nations stay. He was not quick to drive them out. And He did not give them into the power of Joshua.

Therefore, the LORD left those Gentiles, without driving them out hastily; neither did he deliver them into the hand of Joshua.