The angel of the Lord at Bokim
1The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, ‘I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, “I will never break my covenant with you, 2and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.” Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3And I have also said, “I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.” ’
4When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5and they called that place Bokim.2:5 Bokim means weepers. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Disobedience and defeat
6After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres2:9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16Then the Lord raised up judges,2:16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19 who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshipping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, ‘Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.’ 23The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
耶和華責備以色列人
1耶和華的天使從吉甲來到波金，對以色列人說：「我帶你們離開埃及，領你們去我起誓要賜給你們祖先的土地。我說，『我永不廢棄跟你們立的約， 2你們不可跟這裡的居民立約，要毀掉他們的祭壇。』可是你們為什麼不聽呢？ 3因此，我告訴你們，我必不趕走這裡的居民，他們必成為你們肋旁的刺，他們的神明必成為你們的網羅。」 4以色列人聽了耶和華的天使說的話，就放聲大哭， 5他們稱那地方為波金2·5 「波金」意思是「哭泣」。，在那裡向耶和華獻祭。
約書亞去世
6約書亞遣散以色列人後，他們便各自去攻佔所分得的土地。 7約書亞在世的時候，以色列人都事奉耶和華。他死後，那些目睹耶和華為以色列人行大事的長老還在世的時候，以色列人仍然事奉耶和華。 8耶和華的僕人、嫩的兒子約書亞去世時享年一百一十歲。 9以色列人把他葬在他自己的土地上，在迦實山以北、以法蓮山區的亭拿·希烈。 10那一代人都去世後，新一代不認識耶和華，也不知道耶和華為以色列人所行的事。
11以色列人做耶和華視為惡的事，祭拜巴力。 12他們背棄了領他們祖先離開埃及的上帝耶和華，追隨、祭拜鄰邦的各種神明，因而惹耶和華發怒。 13他們背棄耶和華，去祭拜巴力和亞斯她錄。 14耶和華向他們發怒，使他們遭到掠奪者的攻擊和四周仇敵的壓制，毫無抵抗之力。 15他們每次出戰，耶和華都與他們為敵，使他們戰敗，正如祂的誓言。他們苦不堪言。
16後來，耶和華使士師2·16 「士師」意思是「首領」。興起，從掠奪者手中拯救他們。 17但他們不聽從士師的話，與其他神明苟合，祭拜它們，很快偏離他們祖先的道路，沒有像他們的祖先那樣遵行耶和華的命令。 18耶和華見他們因敵人的壓迫和苦待而哀號，就憐憫他們，使士師陸續興起，並與每位士師同在。士師在世之日，耶和華從仇敵手中拯救他們。 19士師去世以後，他們又故態復萌，追隨、祭拜其他神明，比他們的祖先更敗壞。他們執迷不悟，怙惡不悛。 20耶和華向他們發怒，說：「這百姓違背了我跟他們祖先所立的約，不聽從我的話。 21因此，我不再逐出約書亞去世時還沒有趕走的外族人， 22我要藉此試驗以色列人，看他們是否像他們祖先一樣謹遵我的道。」 23這就是為什麼耶和華留下那些外族人，沒有立刻把他們趕走，也沒有把他們交在約書亞手中。
