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Por Engjelli i Zotit u ngjit nga Gilgali në Bokim dhe tha: "Unë ju nxora nga Egjipti dhe ju çova në vendin që isha betuar t’u jepja etërve tuaj. Kisha thënë gjithashtu: "Nuk do ta prish kurrë besëlidhjen time me ju.

Por ju nuk do të lidhni asnjë aleancë me banorët e këtij vendi dhe do të shembni altarët e tyre". Por ju nuk iu bindët zërit tim. Pse e bëtë këtë?

Kështu unë po ju them tani: Unë nuk do t’i dëboj para jush; por ata do të jenë si gjemba në ijet tuaja, dhe perënditë e tyre do të jenë për ju si një lak".

Sapo Engjëlli i Zotit mbaroi së thëni këto fjalë tërë bijve të Izraelit, populli ngriti zërin dhe filloi të qajë.

Prandaj ky vend u quajt Bokim dhe u bënë flijime për Zotin.

Jozueu i dha urdhër popullit të largohet dhe bijtë e Izraelit shkuan secili në trashëgiminë e tij për të marrë në zotërim vendin.

Populli i shërbeu Zotit gjatë gjithë jetës së Jozueut dhe gjatë gjithë jetës së pleqve që jetuan pas Jozueut, dhe që kishin parë të gjitha veprat e mëdha që Zoti kishte bërë për Izraelin.

Pastaj Jozueu, bir i Nunit dhe shërbëtor i Zotit, vdiq në moshën njëqind e dhjetë vjeç,

dhe e varrosën në territorin e trashëgimisë së tij në Timath-Heres, në krahinën malore të Efraimit, në veri të malit Gaash.

10 Kur tërë ai brez u bashkua me etërit e vet, mbas atij doli një brez i ri që nuk e njihte Zotin, as veprat që kishte bërë për Izraelin.

11 Bijtë e Izraelit bënë atë që ishte keq në sytë e Zotit dhe u vunë në shërbim të Baalit;

12 ata braktisën Zotin, Perëndinë e etërve të tyre, i cili i kishte nxjerrë nga Egjipti, dhe adhuruan perëndi të tjera ndërmjet perëndive të popujve që i rrethonin, ranë përmbys para tyre dhe kështu provokuan zemërimin e Zotit;

13 ata brakisën Zotin dhe u vunë në shërbim të Baalit dhe të Ashtarothit.

14 Dhe zemërimi i Zotit u ndez kundër Izraelit dhe e dha në dorë të kusarëve që e zhveshën; dhe ai i shiti në duart e armiqve të tyre që ndodheshin rreth e qark, të cilëve nuk qenë më në gjendje t’u bënin ballë.

15 Kudo që shkonin dora e Zotit ishte kundër tyre dhe u sillte mjerime, ashtu si kishte thënë Zoti, ashtu siç u ishte betuar ai; dhe u hidhëruan shumë.

16 Pastaj Zoti nxirrte gjyqtarë, që i lironin nga duart e atyre që i zhvishnin.

17 Mjerisht ata nuk i dëgjonin as gjyqtarët e tyre, por kurvëroheshin përpara perëndive të tjera dhe binin përmbys para tyre. Ata braktisën shpejt rrugën e ndjekur nga etërit e tyre, të cilët u ishin bindur urdhrave të Zotit; por ata nuk vepruan ashtu.

18 Kur Zoti u nxirrte gjyqtarë, Zoti ishte me gjyqtarin dhe i lironte nga dora e armiqve të tyre gjatë gjithë jetës së gjyqtarit; sepse Zoti prekej nga vajtimet e tyre të shkaktuara nga ata që i shtypnin dhe i mundonin.

19 Por kur gjyqtari vdiste, ata vazhdonin të korruptoheshin më shumë se etërit e tyre, duke ndjekur perëndi të tjera dhe duke rënë përmbys para tyre; dhe nuk hiqnin dorë aspak nga veprat e tyre dhe nga sjellja e tyre kokëforte.

20 Prandaj mëria e Zotit u ndez kundër Izraelit, dhe ai tha: "Duke qenë se ky komb ka shkelur besëlidhjen që unë kisha përfunduar me etërit e tyre dhe ata nuk i janë bindur zërit tim,

21 edhe unë nuk do të dëboj më para tyre asnjë prej kombeve që Jozueu la kur vdiq;

22 kështu me anë tyre do të vë në provë Izraelin për të parë në se do t’i përmbahen rrugës së Zotit dhe do të ecin në të siç bënë etërit e tyre, ose jo".

23 Prandaj Zoti i la këto kombe të qëndrojnë aty pa i dëbuar menjëherë, dhe nuk i dha në duart e Jozueut.

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

The angel of the Lord(A) went up from Gilgal(B) to Bokim(C) and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt(D) and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.(E) I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,(F) and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,(G) but you shall break down their altars.(H)’ Yet you have disobeyed(I) me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;(J) they will become traps(K) for you, and their gods will become snares(L) to you.’”

When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,(M) and they called that place Bokim.[a](N) There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat(O)

After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.(P)

Joshua son of Nun,(Q) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres[b](R) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.(S) 11 Then the Israelites did evil(T) in the eyes of the Lord(U) and served the Baals.(V) 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods(W) of the peoples around them.(X) They aroused(Y) the Lord’s anger(Z) 13 because they forsook(AA) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.(AB) 14 In his anger(AC) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands(AD) of raiders who plundered(AE) them. He sold them(AF) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.(AG) 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them(AH) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.(AI)

16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[c](AJ) who saved(AK) them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted(AL) themselves to other gods(AM) and worshiped them.(AN) They quickly turned(AO) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.(AP) 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved(AQ) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented(AR) because of their groaning(AS) under those who oppressed and afflicted(AT) them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt(AU) than those of their ancestors,(AV) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.(AW) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn(AX) ways.

20 Therefore the Lord was very angry(AY) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant(AZ) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out(BA) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test(BB) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 2:5 Bokim means weepers.
  2. Judges 2:9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30)
  3. Judges 2:16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19

And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

Wherefore 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.

And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.

And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

And the people 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 did for Israel.

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people 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 not any longer stand before their enemies.

15 Whithersoever 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 they were greatly distressed.

16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not 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 the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

20 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.