耶和华责备以色列人
1耶和华的天使从吉甲来到波金，对以色列人说：“我带你们出埃及，领你们来到我起誓要赐给你们祖先的土地。我说，‘我永不废弃跟你们立的约， 2你们不可跟这里的居民立约，要毁掉他们的祭坛。’可是你们为什么不听呢？ 3因此，我告诉你们，我必不赶走这里的居民，他们必成为你们肋旁的刺，他们的神明必成为你们的网罗。” 4耶和华的天使说完这些话，以色列人放声大哭， 5他们称那地方为波金2:5 “波金”意思是“哭泣”。，在那里向耶和华献祭。
约书亚去世
6约书亚遣散以色列人后，他们便各自去攻占所分得的土地。 7约书亚在世的时候，以色列人都事奉耶和华。他死后，那些目睹耶和华为以色列人行大事的长老还在世的时候，以色列人仍事奉耶和华。 8耶和华的仆人、嫩的儿子约书亚去世时一百一十岁。 9以色列人把他葬在他自己的土地上，在迦实山以北、以法莲山区的亭拿·希烈。 10那一代人都去世后，新一代不认识耶和华，也不知道耶和华为以色列人所行的事。
11以色列人做耶和华视为恶的事，祭拜巴力。 12他们背弃了领他们祖先离开埃及的上帝耶和华，追随、祭拜邻邦的各种神明，因而惹耶和华发怒。 13他们背弃耶和华，去祭拜巴力和亚斯她录。 14耶和华向他们发怒，使他们受到掠夺者的攻击和四周仇敌的压制，毫无抵抗之力。 15他们每次出战，耶和华都出手与他们为敌，使他们战败，正如祂的誓言。他们苦不堪言。
16后来，耶和华使士师2:16 “士师”意思是“首领”。兴起，从掠夺者手中拯救他们。 17但他们不听从士师的话，与其他神明苟合，祭拜它们，很快偏离他们祖先的道路，没有像他们的祖先那样遵行耶和华的命令。 18耶和华见他们因敌人的压迫和苦待而哀号，就怜悯他们，使士师陆续兴起，并与每位士师同在。士师在世之日，耶和华从仇敌手中拯救他们。 19士师去世以后，他们又故态复萌，追随、祭拜其他神明，比他们的祖先更败坏。他们执迷不悟，怙恶不悛。 20耶和华向他们发怒，说：“这百姓违背了我跟他们祖先所立的约，不听从我的话。 21因此，我不再逐出约书亚去世时还没有赶走的外族人， 22我要借此试验以色列人，看他们是否像他们祖先一样谨遵我的道。” 23这就是为什么耶和华留下那些外族人，没有立刻把他们赶走，也没有把他们交在约书亚手中。
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 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 worshiped 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 worshiped 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 worshiping 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.
