Hakim-hakim 2:14-17

2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel ¹  and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. ²  He turned them over to ³  their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. ⁴  2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, ⁵  the Lord did them harm, ⁶  just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. ⁷  They suffered greatly. ⁸ 

2:16 The Lord raised up leaders ⁹  who delivered them from these robbers. ¹⁰  2:17 But they did not obey ¹¹  their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped ¹²  them. They quickly turned aside from the path ¹³  their ancestors ¹⁴  had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. ¹⁵ 

[2:14]  ¹ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”

[2:14]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

[2:14]  ⁴ tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[2:15]  ⁵ tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.

[2:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”

[2:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”

[2:15]  ⁸ tn Or “they experienced great distress.”

[2:16]  ⁹ tn Or more traditionally, “judges” (also in vv. 17, 18 [3x], 19). Since these figures carried out more than a judicial function, also serving as rulers and (in several instances) as military commanders, the translation uses the term “leaders.”

[2:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “did not listen to.”

[2:17]  ¹² tn Or “bowed before.”

[2:17]  ¹³ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “…walked, obeying the Lord’s commands. They did not do this.”