and they<n id="1" /> made the Israelites serve rigorously.<n id="2" />

They abandoned the <sc>Lordsc> and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">They worshiped<n id="1" /> their idols,p> <p class="poetry">which became a snare to them.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">If they obey and serve him,p> <p class="poetry">they live out their days in prosperityp> <p class="poetry">and their years in pleasantness.<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites did evil before<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> by worshiping<n id="2" /> the Baals.

They took the Canaanites&#8217; daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites;<n id="1" /> they worshiped<n id="2" /> their gods as well.p>

The Israelites were subject to<n id="1" /> King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.p>

They threw away the foreign gods they owned<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc>. Finally the <sc>Lordsc> grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.<n id="3" />p>

So the Israelites<n id="1" /> removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

They worshiped<n id="1" /> the disgusting idols<n id="2" /> in blatant disregard of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s command.<n id="3" />p>

They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know and that he did not permit them to worship.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites did evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> They forgot the <sc>Lordsc> their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.<n id="2" />

They abandoned the temple of the <sc>Lordsc> God of their ancestors,<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem.

<p class="bodytext">Pharaoh&#8217;s servants said to him, &#8220;How long<n id="1" /> will this man be a menace<n id="2" /> to us? Release the people so that they may serve the <sc>Lordsc> their God. Do you not know<n id="3" /> that Egypt is destroyed?&#8221;p>

Joshua told all the people, &#8220;Here is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says: &#8216;In the distant past your ancestors<n id="1" /> lived beyond the Euphrates River,<n id="2" /> including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped<n id="3" /> other gods,

The people worshiped<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> throughout Joshua&#8217;s lifetime and as long as the elderly men<n id="2" /> who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed<n id="3" /> all the great things the <sc>Lordsc> had done for Israel.<n id="4" />

The <sc>Lordsc> was furious with Israel<n id="1" /> and turned them over to<n id="2" /> King Cushan-Rishathaim<n id="3" /> of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim&#8217;s subjects<n id="4" /> for eight years.

Just as they have done<n id="1" /> from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you.

They abandoned all the commandments of the <sc>Lordsc> their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky,<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> Baal.

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites again did evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> They worshiped<n id="2" /> the Baals and the Ashtars,<n id="3" /> as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon,<n id="4" /> Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines.<n id="5" /> They abandoned the <sc>Lordsc> and did not worship<n id="6" /> him.