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
2:16 The Lord raised up leaders 12 who delivered them from these robbers. 13 2:17 But they did not obey 14 their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped 15 them. They quickly turned aside from the path 16 their ancestors 17 had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 18 2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people 19 from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them 20 when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. 21 2:19 When a leader died, the next generation 22 would again 23 act more wickedly than the previous one. 24 They would follow after other gods, worshiping them 25 and bowing down to them. They did not give up 26 their practices or their stubborn ways.
2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. 27 He said, “This nation 28 has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors 29 by disobeying me. 30 2:21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 2:22 Joshua left those nations 31 to test 32 Israel. I wanted to see 33 whether or not the people 34 would carefully walk in the path 35 marked out by 36 the Lord, as their ancestors 37 were careful to do.” 2:23 This is why 38 the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; 39 he did not hand them over to Joshua.