< Judges 2 >
1 And an Angel of the Lord came vp from Gilgal to Bochim, and sayd, I made you to go vp out of Egypt, and haue brought you vnto the land which I had sworne vnto your fathers, and sayd, I wil neuer breake my couenant with you.
2 Ye also shall make no couenant with the inhabitants of this land, but shall breake downe their altars: but ye haue not obeyed my voyce. Why haue ye done this?
3 Wherefore, I sayd also, I wil not cast them out before you, but they shalbe as thornes vnto your sides, and their gods shalbe your destruction.
4 And when the Angel of the Lord spake these wordes vnto all the children of Israel, the people lift vp their voyce, and wept.
5 Therefore they called the name of that place, Bochim, and offered sacrifices there vnto the Lord.
6 Now when Ioshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went euery man into his inheritance, to possesse the land.
7 And the people had serued the Lord al the dayes of Ioshua, and all the dayes of the Elders that outliued Ioshua, which had seene all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel.
8 But Ioshua the sonne of Nun the seruant of the Lord dyed, when he was an hundreth and ten yeeres olde:
9 And they buryed him in the coastes of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres in mount Ephraim, on the Northside of mount Gaash.
10 And so all that generation was gathered vnto their fathers, and another generation arose after them, which neither knewe the Lord, nor yet the works, which he had done for Israel.
11 Then the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord, and serued Baalim,
12 And forsooke ye Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the lande of Egypt, and followed other gods, euen the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed vnto them, and prouoked the Lord to anger.
13 So they forsooke the Lord, and serued Baal, and Ashtaroth.
14 And the wrath of the Lord was hote against Israel, and he deliuered them into the hands of spoylers, that spoyled them, and he sold them into the handes of their enemies rounde about them, so that they could no longer stande before their enemies.
15 Whithersoeuer they went out, the hand of the Lord was sore against them, as ye Lord had sayd, and as the Lord had sworne vnto them: so he punished them sore.
16 Notwithstanding, the Lord raysed vp Iudges, which deliuered them out of the hands of their oppressours.
17 But yet they would not obey their Iudges: for they went a whoring after other gods, and worshipped them, and turned quickly out of the way, wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandements of the Lord: they did not so.
18 And when the Lord had raysed them vp Iudges, the Lord was with the Iudge, and deliuered them out of the hande of their enemies all the dayes of the Iudge (for the Lord had compassion on their gronings, because of them that oppressed them and tormented them)
19 Yet when the Iudge was dead, they returned, and did worse then their fathers, in following other gods to serue them and worshippe them: they ceased not from their owne inuentions, nor from their rebellious way.
20 Wherfore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sayd, Because this people hath transgressed my couenant, which I commaded their fathers, and hath not obeyed my voyce,
21 Therefore will I no more cast out before them any of the nations, which Ioshua left when he dyed,
22 That through them I may proue Israel, whether they wil keepe the way of the Lord, to walke therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.
23 So the Lord left those nations, and droue them not out immediatly, neither deliuered them into the hand of Ioshua.
