Judges 2
1 And a messenger of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, And he said, I caused you to go up out of Egypt, and I brought you unto the land which I had sworn unto your fathers; and I said, I will not break my covenant with you for ever.
Seorang malaikat utusan TUHAN pergi dari Gilgal ke Bokim untuk menegur bangsa Israel. Dia menyampaikan pesan TUHAN yang berkata, “Aku sudah membawa kalian keluar dari Mesir menuju ke negeri yang Aku janjikan dengan bersumpah kepada nenek moyang kalian. Aku juga sudah berkata, ‘Aku tidak akan pernah mengingkari perjanjian-Ku dengan kalian.’
2 But ye for your part shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; their altars shall ye throw down; but ye have not obeyed my voice: what is this ye have done?
Dan Aku telah menyuruh, ‘Kalian tidak boleh mengikat perjanjian dengan penduduk negeri ini, dan kalian harus menghancurkan mezbah-mezbah dewa mereka.’ Tetapi kalian sama sekali tidak taat kepada-Ku!
3 And I also have said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be evil neighbors to you, and their gods shall become a snare unto you.
Karena itu Aku tidak akan lagi mengusir bangsa-bangsa Kanaan dari hadapan kalian. Mereka akan membuatmu menderita, dan kalian akan terjerat dalam penyembahan dewa mereka.”
4 And it came to pass, when the messenger of the Lord spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
Mendengar perkataan malaikat itu, umat Israel meratap dengan nyaring.
5 And they called the name of that place, Bochim; and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.
Selanjutnya tempat itu dinamai Bokim, artinya ‘tempat tangisan’. Mereka pun mempersembahkan kurban kepada TUHAN di sana.
6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to take possession of the land.
Dulu, sesudah bangsa Israel berhasil menguasai negeri Kanaan, Yosua membubarkan mereka supaya setiap suku pergi untuk menduduki tanah warisan yang sudah diberikan kepada mereka masing-masing.
7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lived many days after Joshua, who had seen all the great deeds of the Lord, which he had done for Israel.
Bangsa Israel setia menyembah TUHAN semasa hidup Yosua dan para tua-tua yang hidup lebih lama daripadanya, yaitu generasi yang sudah menyaksikan seluruh perbuatan ajaib TUHAN bagi Israel.
8 Then died Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, being one hundred and ten years old.
Yosua, hamba TUHAN itu, meninggal pada umur 110 tahun
9 And they buried him on the border of his inheritance in Timnath-cheres, in the mountain of Ephraim, on the north side of mount Ga'ash.
dan dikuburkan di tanah warisannya di Timnat Heres, di wilayah perbukitan Efraim, sebelah utara gunung Gaas.
10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, who knew not the Lord, and likewise not the deeds which he had done for Israel.
Sesudah semua orang dari generasi itu meninggal, generasi berikutnya tidak mengenal TUHAN maupun perbuatan-perbuatan-Nya yang hebat bagi bangsa Israel.
11 And the children of Israel did the evil in the eyes of the Lord, and served the Be'alim:
Mereka berbuat jahat di mata TUHAN dan menyembah berbagai macam patung Baal.
12 And they forsook the Lord the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they went after other gods, of the gods of the nations that were round about them, and they bowed themselves unto them, and incensed the Lord.
Mereka meninggalkan TUHAN, Allah leluhur mereka, yang sudah membawa nenek moyang Israel keluar dari Mesir. Mereka malah bersujud menyembah dewa-dewa dari bangsa-bangsa di sekeliling mereka. Hal itu membuat TUHAN marah.
13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and 'Ashtaroth.
Mereka meninggalkan TUHAN dan menyembah dewa-dewa Baal dan dewi Astoret.
14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of spoilers who spoiled them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies round about, and they were not able any longer to stand before their enemies.
Maka murka TUHAN berkobar atas bangsa Israel. Dia membiarkan musuh-musuh merampas harta mereka. Dia juga membuat Israel kalah ketika diserang oleh bangsa-bangsa musuh di sekeliling mereka, sehingga Israel tidak lagi sanggup menghadapi lawannya.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
Sebagaimana sudah diperingatkan TUHAN dengan bersumpah, setiap kali Israel maju berperang, TUHAN membuat mereka kalah. Bangsa Israel pun sangat menderita.
16 And the Lord raised up judges, and they delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
Lalu TUHAN mengangkat pembela-pembela untuk menyelamatkan bangsa Israel dari musuh-musuh yang menjarah mereka.
17 But also unto their judges they did not hearken; but they went astray after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers had walked in, to obey the commandments of the Lord; they did not so.
Akan tetapi, umat Israel tidak mendengarkan hakim-hakim itu. Sebaliknya, mereka bersujud menyembah dewa-dewa. Mereka mengkhianati TUHAN seperti seorang istri yang mengkhianati suaminya dengan pergi melacur. Begitu cepatnya mereka menyimpang dari jalan hidup nenek moyang mereka yang taat kepada perintah TUHAN. Generasi ini sudah menyimpang.
18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then was the Lord with the judge, and he delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord bethought himself because of their groaning by reason of those that oppressed them and ill-treated them.
Setiap kali TUHAN mengangkat seorang hakim untuk bangsa Israel, TUHAN menyertai hakim itu seumur hidupnya dan menyelamatkan Israel dari musuh. TUHAN bertindak karena kasihan mendengar umat-Nya merintih akibat penindasan musuh.
19 And it came to pass, when the judge died, that they returned, and became more corrupt than their fathers, in going after other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them: they omitted nothing from their doings, and from their stubborn way.
Tetapi sesudah hakim itu meninggal, umat Israel kembali berbuat jahat, bahkan lebih jahat daripada generasi sebelumnya. Mereka menyembah dan mengabdi kepada dewa-dewa. Bangsa itu memang keras kepala dan tidak mau meninggalkan perbuatan-perbuatan mereka yang jahat.
20 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; and he said, For the cause that this people have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice:
Maka murka TUHAN berkobar atas bangsa Israel. Kata-Nya, “Bangsa ini sudah melanggar perjanjian yang Aku perintahkan kepada nenek moyang mereka dan tidak menaati perkataan-Ku,
21 So will I also for my part not drive out henceforth any man from before them out of the nations which Joshua left when he died;
maka Aku tidak akan lagi mengusir bangsa apa pun yang masih tinggal di negeri itu setelah Yosua meninggal.
22 In order to prove through them the Israelites, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
Aku akan membiarkan bangsa-bangsa itu tetap di sana untuk menguji bangsa Israel, apakah mereka akan kembali hidup menurut jalan-Ku seperti generasi sebelumnya, atau tidak.”
23 And thus did the Lord leave these nations, so as not to drive them out speedily; and he delivered them not into the hand of Joshua.
Itulah alasan TUHAN tidak menyerahkan bangsa-bangsa itu ke tangan bangsa Israel pada zaman Yosua. Dia membiarkan musuh-musuh tetap di negeri itu dan tidak segera mengusir mereka.
