Judges 2

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The Angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bethel and said, 'I have brought you out of Egypt and ledyou into this country, which I promised on oath to your ancestors. I said, "I shal never break my covenant withyou.	1 And an Angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to the Place of Weeping, and he said: “I led you away from Egypt, and I led you into the land, about which I swore to your fathers. And I promised that I would not nullify my covenant with you, even forever:
2 You for your part must make no covenant with the inhabitants of this country; you wil destroy theiraltars." But you have not listened to my voice. What is the reason for this?	2 but only if you would not form a pact with the inhabitants of this land. Instead, you should overturn their altars. Yet you were not willing to listen to my voice. Why have you done this?
3 Very wel , I now say this, "I am not going to drive these nations out before you. They will become youroppressors, and their gods wil be a snare for you."	3 For this reason, I am not willing to destroy them before your face, so that you may have enemies, and so that their gods may be your ruin.”
4 When the angel of Yahweh had spoken these words to al the Israelites, the people began to wail at thetop of their voices.	4 And when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, they lifted up their voice, and they wept.
5 And they called the place Bochim, and offered sacrifices to Yahweh there.	5 And the name of that place was called, the Place of Weeping, or the Place of Tears. And they immolated victims to the Lord in that place.
6 Joshua having dismissed the people, the Israelites then went away, each one to his own heritage, tooccupy the country.	6 Then Joshua dismissed the people, and the sons of Israel went away, each one to his own possession, so that they might obtain it.
7 The people served Yahweh throughout the lifetime of Joshua and throughout the lifetime of those elderswho outlived Joshua and had known al the great deeds which Yahweh had done for the sake of Israel.	7 And they served the Lord, during all his days, and during all the days of the elders, who lived for a long time after him, and who knew all the works of the Lord, which he had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, was a hundred and ten years old when he died.	8 Then Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.
9 He was buried on the estate which he had received as his heritage at Timnath-Heres in the highlands ofEphraim, north of Mount Gaash.	9 And they buried him in the parts of his possession at Timnath-Serah, on Mount Ephraim, before the northern side of Mount Gaash.
10 And when that whole generation had been gathered to its ancestors, another generation fol owed itwhich knew neither Yahweh nor the deeds which he had done for the sake of Israel.	10 And that entire generation was gathered to their fathers. And there rose up others, who had not known the Lord and the works that he had done for Israel.
11 The Israelites then did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes and served the Baals.	11 And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they served the Baals.
12 They deserted Yahweh, God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt, and they followedother gods, from those of the surrounding peoples. They bowed down to these; they provoked Yahweh;	12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had led them away from the land of Egypt. And they followed foreign gods and the gods of the peoples who were living around them, and they adored them. And they provoked the Lord to wrath,
13 they deserted Yahweh to serve Baal and Astartes.	13 forsaking him, and serving Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 Then Yahweh's anger grew hot against Israel. He handed them over to pil agers who plundered them;he delivered them to the enemies surrounding them, and they were no longer able to resist their enemies.	14 And the Lord, having become angry against Israel, delivered them into the hands of plunderers, who seized them and sold them to the enemies that were living on all sides. Neither were they able to withstand their adversaries.
15 Whenever they mounted an expedition, Yahweh's hand was there to foil them, as Yahweh had toldthem and as Yahweh had sworn to them, so that they were in dire distress.	15 Instead, wherever they wanted to go, the hand of the Lord was upon them, just as he said and just as he swore to them. And they were greatly afflicted.
16 Yahweh then appointed them judges, who rescued them from the hands of their plunderers.	16 And the Lord raised up judges, who would free them from the hands of their oppressors. But they were not willing to listen to them.
17 But even to their judges they refused to listen. They prostituted themselves to other gods and boweddown before these. Very quickly they left the path which their ancestors had trodden in obedience to the ordersof Yahweh; they did not fol ow their example.	17 Fornicating with foreign gods and adoring them, they quickly deserted the way along which their fathers had advanced. And having heard the commandments of the Lord, they did all things to the contrary.
18 When Yahweh appointed judges for them, Yahweh was with the judge and rescued them from thehands of their enemies as long as the judge lived, since Yahweh relented at their groans under their persecutorsand oppressors.	18 And while the Lord was raising up the judges, in their days, he was moved to mercy, and he listened to the groaning of the afflicted, and he freed them from the slaughter of their oppressors.
19 But once the judge was dead, they relapsed into even worse corruption than their ancestors. Theyfol owed other gods; they served them and bowed before them and would not give up the practices and stubbornways of their ancestors at al .	19 But after a judge had died, they turned back, and they were doing much worse things than their fathers had done, following strange gods, serving them, and adoring them. They did not abandon their pursuits and their very stubborn way, by which they were accustomed to walk.
20 Yahweh's anger then blazed out against Israel, and he said, 'Since this people has broken thecovenant which I laid down for their ancestors, since they have not listened to my voice,	20 And the fury of the Lord was enraged against Israel, and he said: “For this people has made void my covenant, which I had formed with their fathers, and they have despised listening to my voice.
21 in future I shal not drive before them any one of those nations which Joshua left when he died,	21 And so, I will not destroy the nations that Joshua left behind when he died,
22 in order, by means of them, to put Israel to the test, to see whether or not they would tread the paths ofYahweh as once their ancestors had trodden them.'	22 so that, by them, I may test Israel, as to whether or not they will keep the way of the Lord, and walk in it, just as their fathers kept it.”
23 Hence, Yahweh allowed these nations to remain; he did not hurry to drive them out, and did not deliverthem into the hands of Joshua.	23 Therefore, the Lord left all these nations, and he was not willing to quickly overthrow them, nor did he deliver them into the hands of Joshua.