Zayin

Heth

Teth

Israel's Disobedience

2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to ^(A)Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ^(B)‘I will never break my covenant with you, ^2 (C)and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ^(D)you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? ³ So now I say, ^(E)I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become ^(F)thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” ⁴ As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵ And they called the name of that place Bochim.^[a] And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

The Death of Joshua

⁶ When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. ^7 (G)And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. ⁹ And they buried him within the boundaries of ^(H)his inheritance in Timnath-heres, ^(I)in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. ¹⁰ And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Israel's Unfaithfulness

^11 (J)And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. ^12 (K)And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. ^(L)They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and ^(M)bowed down to them. ^(N)And they provoked the Lord to anger. ¹³ They abandoned the Lord ^(O)and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. ^14 (P)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he ^(Q)gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. ^(R)And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, ^(S)so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵ Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, ^(T)and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

^16 (U)Then the Lord raised up judges, ^(V)who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for ^(W)they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. ^(X)They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. ¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, ^(Y)the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. ^(Z)For the Lord was moved to pity by ^(AA)their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. ¹⁹ But ^(AB)whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. ^20 (AC)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people ^(AD)have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, ^21 (AE)I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, ²² in order ^(AF)to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Sons and Heirs

4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,^[a] though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, ^(A)were enslaved to the elementary principles^[b] of the world. ⁴ But ^(B)when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^(C)born ^(D)of woman, born ^(E)under the law, ^5 (F)to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ^(G)adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(H)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^(I)an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

⁸ Formerly, when you ^(J)did not know God, you ^(K)were enslaved to those that by nature ^(L)are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^(M)to be known by God, ^(N)how can you turn back again to ^(O)the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ^10 (P)You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid ^(Q)I may have labored over you in vain.

¹² Brothers,^{[c] (R)}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^(S)You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was ^(T)because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^(U)at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^(V)as an angel of God, ^(W)as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by ^(X)telling you the truth?^{[d] 17} They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^(Y)not only when I am present with you, ^19 (Z)my little children, ^(AA)for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^(AB)is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^(AC)one by a slave woman and ^(AD)one by a free woman. ²³ But ^(AE)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^(AF)the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two ^(AG)covenants. ^(AH)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;^[e] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But ^(AI)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

²⁸ Now you,^[f] brothers, ^(AK)like Isaac, ^(AL)are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^(AM)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(AN)so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? ^(AO)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but ^(AP)of the free woman.