16-17 But then God raised up judges who saved them from their plunderers. Still they wouldn’t listen to them instead prostituting themselves to other gods— by worshiping them! They lost no time leaving the straight and narrow road of their parents that obedience to God commands but refused to have anything to do with it.
18-19 When God set up judges for them, He would be by their side: He would save them from their enemies’ oppression for God was moved to compassion when he heard their groaning from beatings. But when the judge died, the people went right back to their old ways—even worse than before!—running after other gods, serving and worshiping them. Stubborn as mules, they didn’t drop a single evil practice.
20-22 And so God’s anger blazed against Israel. He said,“Because these people have thrown out my covenant and haven’t listened to me, I’m not driving out one more person from the many nations that Joshua left behind when he died. Instead, I’ll use them to test Israel and see whether they can stay on God’s road and walk down it as their parents did.”
23 And God did as He promised. He left those pagan nations in the land of Canaan. He did not drive them away immediately, nor did He give them into the hands of Joshua and his armies.
Judges 2:16-23, The Message
Related articles
- Basic Study of the Book of Judges (azMattanZeem.wordpress.com)
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