Hakim-hakim 2:11-13

A Monotonous Cycle

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ¹  the Lord by worshiping ²  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ³  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ⁴  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ⁵ 

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[2:11]  ² tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

[2:12]  ³ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Some English translations simply transliterate the plural Hebrew term (“Ashtaroth,” cf. NAB, NASB), pluralize the transliterated Hebrew singular form (“Ashtoreths,” cf. NIV), or use a variation of the name (“Astartes,” cf. NRSV).

[2:13]  sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Astarte.