Judges 2:16-3:6

New International Version

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[a](A) who saved^(B) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(C) themselves to other gods^(D) and worshiped them.^(E) They quickly turned^(F) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(G) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(H) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(I) because of their groaning^(J) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(K) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(L) than those of their ancestors,^(M) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(N) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(O) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(P) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(Q) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(R) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(S) 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.^(T)

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test^(U) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan ² (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): ³ the five^(V) rulers of the Philistines,^(W) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites^(X) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon^(Y) to Lebo Hamath.^{(Z) 4} They were left to test^(AA) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

⁵ The Israelites lived^(AB) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,^(AC) Hivites and Jebusites.^{(AD) 6} They took their daughters^(AE) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.^(AF)