Judges 2:11-17

A Monotonous Cycle

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ¹  the Lord by worshiping ²  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ³  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ⁴  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ⁵ 

2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁶  and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. ⁷  He turned them over to ⁸  their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. ⁹  2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, ¹⁰  the Lord did them harm, ¹¹  just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. ¹²  They suffered greatly. ¹³ 

2:16 The Lord raised up leaders ¹⁴  who delivered them from these robbers. ¹⁵  2:17 But they did not obey ¹⁶  their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped ¹⁷  them. They quickly turned aside from the path ¹⁸  their ancestors ¹⁹  had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. ²⁰ 

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[2:11]  ² tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

[2:12]  ³ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Some English translations simply transliterate the plural Hebrew term (“Ashtaroth,” cf. NAB, NASB), pluralize the transliterated Hebrew singular form (“Ashtoreths,” cf. NIV), or use a variation of the name (“Astartes,” cf. NRSV).

[2:14]  ⁶ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”

[2:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “robbers who robbed them.” (The verb שָׁסָה [shasah] appears twice in the verse.)

[2:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

[2:14]  ⁹ tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[2:15]  ¹⁰ tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.

[2:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”

[2:15]  ¹² tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”

[2:15]  ¹³ tn Or “they experienced great distress.”

[2:16]  ¹⁴ 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.”

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”

[2:17]  ¹⁶ tn Or “did not listen to.”

[2:17]  ¹⁷ tn Or “bowed before.”

[2:17]  ¹⁸ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:17]  ¹⁹ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “…walked, obeying the Lord’s commands. They did not do this.”