1 And the Angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: I led you up from Egypt and brought you into the land of which I had sworn to your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with you.

2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall pull down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?

3 Therefore I also have said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.

4 And it came about, when the Angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5 Thus they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there unto Jehovah.

6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

7 Thus the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged their days after Joshua, who had seen all the great works of Jehovah which He had done for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.

9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.

10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who had not known Jehovah nor the work which He had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and served the Baals;

12 and they forsook Jehovah the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they went after other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked Jehovah to anger.

13 They forsook Jehovah and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

15 Wherever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had said, and as Jehovah had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

16 Nevertheless, Jehovah raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

17 Yet they would not heed their judges, but they committed adultery with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked, to obey the commandments of Jehovah; they did not do so.

18 And when Jehovah raised up judges for them, Jehovah was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Jehovah was moved to pity before their groaning because of those oppressing and thrusting at them.

19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, by going after other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They have not failed from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

20 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel; and He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I have commanded their fathers, and has not obeyed My voice,

21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua has left when he died,

22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah, to walk in it as their fathers have kept it, or not.

23 Therefore Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out quickly; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

1 O anjo do Senhor subiu de Gilgal a Boquim e disse: "Tirei vocês do Egito e os trouxe para a terra que prometi com juramento que daria a seus antepassados. Eu disse: Jamais quebrarei a minha aliança com vocês.

2 E vocês não farão acordo com o povo desta terra, mas demolirão os altares deles. Por quê vocês não me obedeceram?

3 Portanto, agora lhes digo que não os expulsarei da presença de vocês; eles serão seus adversários, e os deuses deles serão uma armadilha para vocês".

4 Quando o anjo do Senhor acabou de falar a todos os israelitas, o povo chorou em alta voz,

5 e ao lugar chamaram Boquim. Ali ofereceram sacrifícios ao Senhor.

6 Depois que Josué despediu os israelitas, eles saíram para ocupar a terra, cada um a sua herança.

7 O povo prestou culto ao Senhor durante toda a vida de Josué e dos líderes que continuaram vivos depois de Josué e que tinham visto todos os grandes feitos que o Senhor realizara em favor de Israel.

8 Josué, filho de Num, servo do Senhor, morreu com a idade de cento e dez anos.

9 Foi sepultado na terra de sua herança, em Timnate-Heres, nos montes de Efraim, ao norte do monte Gaás.

10 Depois que toda aquela geração foi reunida a seus antepassados, surgiu uma nova geração que não conhecia o Senhor e o que ele havia feito por Israel.

11 Então os israelitas fizeram o que o Senhor reprova e prestaram culto aos baalins.

12 Abandonaram o Senhor, o Deus dos seus antepassados, que os havia tirado do Egito, e seguiram e adoraram vários deuses dos povos ao seu redor, provocando a ira do Senhor.

13 Abandonaram o Senhor e prestaram culto a Baal e aos postes sagrados.

14 A ira do Senhor se acendeu contra Israel, e ele os entregou nas mãos de invasores que os saquearam. Ele os entregou aos inimigos ao seu redor, aos quais já não conseguiam resistir.

15 Sempre que os israelitas saíam para a batalha, a mão do Senhor era contra eles para derrotá-los, conforme lhes havia advertido e jurado. Grande angústia os dominava.

16 Então o Senhor levantou juízes, que os libertaram das mãos daqueles que os atacavam.

17 Mesmo assim eles não quiseram ouvir os juízes, antes se prostituíram com outros deuses e os adoraram. Ao contrário dos seus antepassados, logo se desviaram do caminho pelo qual os seus antepassados tinham andado, o caminho da obediência aos mandamentos do Senhor.

18 Sempre que o Senhor lhes levantava um juiz, ele estava com o juiz e os salvava das mãos de seus inimigos enquanto o juiz vivia; pois o Senhor tinha misericórdia por causa dos gemidos deles diante daqueles que os oprimiam e os afligiam.

19 Mas, quando o juiz morria, o povo voltava a caminhos ainda piores do que os caminhos dos seus antepassados, seguindo outros deuses, prestando-lhes culto e adorando-os. Recusavam-se a abandonar suas práticas e seu caminho obstinado.

20 Por isso a ira do Senhor acendeu-se contra Israel, e ele disse: "Como este povo violou a aliança que fiz com os seus antepassados e não tem ouvido a minha voz,

21 não expulsarei de diante deles nenhuma das nações que Josué deixou quando morreu.

22 Eu as usarei para pôr Israel à prova e ver se guardarão o caminho do Senhor e se andarão nele como o fizeram os seus antepassados".

23 O Senhor havia permitido que essas nações permanecessem; não as expulsou de imediato, e não as entregou nas mãos de Josué.