The Angel of Yahweh Speaks to Israel

1Then the angel of Yahweh came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2and as for you, you shall cut no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not listened to My voice; what is this you have done? 3Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will [†]become as thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a snare to you.’” 4So it happened that when the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5So they named that place [†]Bochim; and there they sacrificed to Yahweh.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

6Then Joshua sent the people away, and the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. 7And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who [†]survived Joshua, who saw all the great work of Yahweh which He had done for Israel. 8Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died at the age of 110. 9And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know Yahweh or even the work which He had done for Israel.

Israel Serves Baals

11Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and [†]served the Baals, 12and they forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked Yahweh to anger. 13So they forsook Yahweh and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14And the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15Wherever they went, the hand of Yahweh was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken and as Yahweh had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.

Yahweh Raises Up Judges

16Then Yahweh raised up judges [†]who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17Yet they did not listen to their judges either, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of Yahweh; they did not do as their fathers. 18Now when Yahweh raised up judges for them, Yahweh was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Yahweh was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and suppressed them. 19But it happened when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. 20So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has trespassed against My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, 21I also will no longer dispossess before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of Yahweh to walk in it as their fathers [†]did, or not.” 23So Yahweh allowed those nations to rest, not dispossessing them quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.