2:11 The Israelites did evil before 6 the Lord by worshiping 7 the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors 8 who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped 9 them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. 10
2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel 11 and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. 12 He turned them over to 13 their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. 14 2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, 15 the Lord did them harm, 16 just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. 17 They suffered greatly. 18
2:16 The Lord raised up leaders 19 who delivered them from these robbers. 20 2:17 But they did not obey 21 their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped 22 them. They quickly turned aside from the path 23 their ancestors 24 had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 25 2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people 26 from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them 27 when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. 28 2:19 When a leader died, the next generation 29 would again 30 act more wickedly than the previous one. 31 They would follow after other gods, worshiping them 32 and bowing down to them. They did not give up 33 their practices or their stubborn ways.
2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. 34 He said, “This nation 35 has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors 36 by disobeying me. 37 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 38 to test 39 Israel. I wanted to see 40 whether or not the people 41 would carefully walk in the path 42 marked out by 43 the Lord, as their ancestors 44 were careful to do.” 2:23 This is why 45 the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; 46 he did not hand them over to Joshua.