2:16 The Lord raised up leaders 5 who delivered them from these robbers. 6 2:17 But they did not obey 7 their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped 8 them. They quickly turned aside from the path 9 their ancestors 10 had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 11 2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people 12 from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them 13 when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. 14 2:19 When a leader died, the next generation 15 would again 16 act more wickedly than the previous one. 17 They would follow after other gods, worshiping them 18 and bowing down to them. They did not give up 19 their practices or their stubborn ways.
2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. 20 He said, “This nation 21 has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors 22 by disobeying me. 23 2:21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 2:22 Joshua left those nations 24 to test 25 Israel. I wanted to see 26 whether or not the people 27 would carefully walk in the path 28 marked out by 29 the Lord, as their ancestors 30 were careful to do.” 2:23 This is why 31 the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; 32 he did not hand them over to Joshua.