Hakim-hakim 2:12-15

2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ¹  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ²  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ³ 

2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁴  and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. ⁵  He turned them over to ⁶  their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. ⁷  2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, ⁸  the Lord did them harm, ⁹  just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. ¹⁰  They suffered greatly. ¹¹ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Or “fathers.”

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

[2:13]  ³ 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.

[2:14]  ⁴ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”

[2:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “robbers who robbed them.” (The verb שָׁסָה [shasah] appears twice in the verse.)

[2:14]  sn The expression robbers who plundered them is a derogatory reference to the enemy nations, as the next line indicates.

[2:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

[2:14]  ⁷ tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[2:15]  ⁸ tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.

[2:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”

[2:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “they experienced great distress.”