1 O anjo do Senhor subiu de Gálgala a Boquim e disse: Eu vos fiz subir do Egito e vos conduzi a esta terra que eu tinha prometido com juramento a vossos pais. E vos tinha dito: jamais hei de romper a aliança que fiz convosco;2 vós, porém, não fareis aliança com os habitantes desta terra e lançareis por terra os seus altares! Ora, vós não obedecestes à minha voz.3 Por que fizestes isso? Por essa razão eu disse: não os expulsarei de diante de vós; eles permanecerão ao vosso lado e os seus deuses vos serão um laço.4 Ao dizer o anjo do Senhor estas palavras aos filhos de Israel, o povo pôs-se a chorar.5 Pelo que chamaram àquele lugar Boquim, e ofereceram ali sacrifícios ao Senhor.6 Josué despediu o povo, e os israelitas foram cada um para a sua herança, a fim de tomar posse da terra.7 Durante toda a vida de Josué e dos anciãos que lhe sobreviveram, e que tinham testemunhado a grande obra que o Senhor tinha feito em favor de Israel, o povo serviu o Senhor.8 Josué, filho de Nun, servo do Senhor, morreu com a idade de cento e dez anos.9 Sepultaram-no no território de sua possessão, em Tamnat-Heres, na montanha de Efraim, ao norte do monte de Gaas.10 Toda aquela geração se foi também unir a seus pais, e sucedeu-lhe outra que não conhecia o Senhor, nem o que ele tinha feito em favor de Israel.11 Os israelitas fizeram então o mal aos olhos do Senhor e serviram os Baal.12 Abandonaram o Senhor, o Deus de seus pais, que os tinha tirado do Egito, e seguiram outros deuses, os dos povos que habitavam em torno deles; prostraram-se diante deles, excitando assim a cólera do Senhor.13 Abandonaram o Senhor para servirem Baal e Astarot.14 A cólera do Senhor inflamou-se contra Israel, e ele entregou-os nas mãos de piratas, que os despojaram, e vendeu-os aos inimigos dos arredores, de sorte que não puderam mais resistir-lhes.15 Para onde quer que fossem, a mão do Senhor estava contra eles para fazer-lhes mal, como o Senhor lhes tinha dito e jurado, e viram-se em grande aflição.16 {Entretanto} o Senhor suscitava-lhes juízes que os livraram das mãos dos opressores,17 mas nem mesmo os seus juízes ouviam e continuavam prostituindo-se a outros deuses, adorando-os. Abandonaram depressa o caminho que tinham seguido seus pais, na obediência aos mandamentos do Senhor, e não os imitaram.18 Ora, quando o Senhor suscitava juízes, ele estava com o juiz para livrá-los de seus inimigos enquanto vivesse o juiz: o Senhor compadecia-se dos gemidos que soltavam diante de seus inimigos e de seus opressores.19 Mas, depois que o juiz morria, corrompiam-se e se tornavam ainda piores do que seus pais, seguindo outros deuses, servindo-os e adorando-os; e não renunciavam aos seus crimes e à sua obstinação.20 Inflamou-se, pois, contra Israel a cólera do Senhor: Visto que este povo violou o meu pacto, dizia ele, a aliança que eu tinha feito com seus pais, e não obedeceram à minha voz,21 também eu não expulsarei de diante deles nenhuma das nações que Josué deixou ao morrer.22 Por elas, queria o Senhor provar os israelitas, e ver se eles seguiriam ou não o caminho do Senhor, como o tinham feito seus pais.23 E o Senhor deixou subsistir todas essas nações que não tinha entregue nas mãos de Josué, e não as quis expulsar logo.

1 And the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I brought you up out of Egypt and caused you to enter into the land which I swore unto your fathers, and I said, I will never break my covenant with you2 as long as ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; to the contrary, ye shall throw down their altars, but ye have not heard my voice; why have ye done this?3 Therefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.4 And when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the sons of Israel the people lifted up their voice, and wept.5 And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.6 For Joshua had let the people go, and the sons of Israel had each gone unto his inheritance to possess the land.7 And the people had served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the LORD that he had done with Israel.8 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, [being] one hundred and ten years old.9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres in the mount of Ephraim on the north side of the mount of Gaash.10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them which did not know the LORD nor the work which he had done to Israel.11 And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baalim.12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that [were] round about them, and bowed themselves unto them and provoked the LORD to anger.13 And they forsook the LORD and served Baal and Ashtaroth.14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said and as the LORD had sworn unto them; and thus they were greatly distressed.16 Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they fornicated after other gods and bowed themselves unto them; they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers had walked hearing the commandments of the LORD; [but they] did not do so.18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of that judge; for the LORD repented because of their groanings by reason of those that oppressed them and afflicted them.19 But when the judge was dead, [then] they would return, and corrupt [themselves] more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them; they did not diminish from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he said, Because these people transgress my covenant which I commanded their fathers and do not hearken unto my voice;21 neither will I drive out any longer from before them any of these Gentiles which Joshua left when he died,22 that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD by walking therein as their fathers kept [it], or not.23 Therefore, the LORD left those Gentiles, without driving them out hastily; neither did he deliver them into the hand of Joshua.: