Judges 2:14-16

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 

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

² tn Heb “robbers who robbed them.” (The verb שָׁסָה [shasah] appears twice in the verse.)

³ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

⁴ tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

⁵ tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.

⁶ tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”

⁷ tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”

⁸ tn Or “they experienced great distress.”

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.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”