27Manasseh did not dispossess [the inhabitants of] Beth-shean and its dependencies, or [of] Taanach and its dependencies, or the inhabitants of Dor and its dependencies, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its dependencies, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its dependencies. The Canaanites persisted in dwelling in this region. 28And when Israel gained the upper hand, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor; but they did not dispossess them. 29Nor did Ephraim dispossess the Canaanites who inhabited Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in their midst at Gezer.
30Zebulun did not dispossess the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt in their midst, but they were subjected to forced labor. 31Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. 32So the Asherites dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not dispossess them. 33Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or the inhabitants of Bethanath. But they settled in the midst of the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath had to perform forced labor for them.
34The Amorites pressed the Danites into the hill country; they would not let them come down to the plain. 35The Amorites also persisted in dwelling in Har-heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. But the hand of the House of Joseph bore heavily on them and they had to perform forced labor. 36The territory of the Amoritesg extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim—from Sela—onward.
2 An angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and I took you into the land which I had promised on oath to your fathers. And I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2And you, for your part, must make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you must tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me—look what you have done! 3Therefore, I have resolved not to drive them out before you; they shall become your oppressors,a and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4As the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people broke into weeping. 5So they named that place Bochim,b and they offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
6When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites went to their allotted territories and took possession of the land. 7The people served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the older people who lived on after Joshua and who had witnessed all the marvelous deeds that the LORD had wrought for Israel. 8Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten years, 9and was buried on his own property, at Timnath-heresc in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10And all that generation were likewise gathered to their fathers.
Another generation arose after them, which had not experienced [the deliverance of] the LORD or the deeds that He had wrought for Israel. 11And the Israelites did what was offensive to the LORD. They worshiped the Baalim 12and forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples around them, and bowed down to them; they provoked the LORD. 13They forsook the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtaroth.d 14Then the LORD was incensed at Israel, and He handed them over to foese who plundered them. He surrendered them to their enemies on all sides, and they could no longer hold their own against their enemies. 15In all their campaigns, the hand of the LORD was against them to their undoing, as the LORD had declared and as the LORD had sworn to them; and they were in great distress. 16Then the LORD raised up chieftains who delivered them from those who plundered them. 17But they did not heed their chieftains either; they went astray after other gods and bowed down to them. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had followed in obedience to the commandments of the LORD; they did not do right. 18When the LORD raised up chieftains for them, the LORD would be with the chieftain and would save them from their enemies during the chieftain’s lifetime; for the LORD would be moved to pity by their moanings because of those who oppressed and crushed them. 19But when the chieftain died, they would again act basely, even more than f-the preceding generation-f—following other gods, worshiping them, and bowing down to them; they omitted none of their practices and stubborn ways.
20Then the LORD became incensed against Israel, and He said, “Since that nation has transgressed the covenant that I enjoined upon their fathers and has not obeyed Me, 21I for My part will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.” 22For it was in order to test Israel by them—[to see] whether or not they would faithfully walk in the ways of the LORD, as their fathers had done—23that the LORD had left those nations, instead of driving them out at once, and had not delivered them into the hands of Joshua.
3 aThese are the nations that the LORD left so that He might test by them all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars of Canaan, 2so that succeeding generations of Israelites might be made to experience war—but only those who had not known the b-former wars:-b 3the five principalitiesc of the Philistines and all the Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites who inhabited the hill country of the Lebanon from Mount Baalhermon to Lebo-hamath.d 4These served as a means of testing Israel, to learn whether they would obey the commandments which the LORD had enjoined upon their fathers through Moses.
5The Israelites settled among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; 6they took their daughters to wife and gave their own daughters to their sons, and they worshiped their gods. 7The Israelites did what was offensive to the LORD; they ignored the LORD their God and worshiped the Baalim and the Asheroth. 8The LORD became incensed at Israel and surrendered them to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites were subject to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. 9The Israelites cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised a champion for the Israelites to deliver them: Othniel the Kenizzite, a younger kinsman of Caleb. 10The spirit of the LORD descended upon him and he became Israel’s chieftain. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram into his hands. He prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim, 11and the land had peace for forty years.
When Othniel the Kenizzite died, 12the Israelites again did what was offensive to the LORD. And because they did what was offensive to the LORD, the LORD let King Eglon of Moab prevail over Israel. 13[Eglon] brought the Ammonites and the Amalekites together under his command, and went and defeated Israel and occupied the City of Palms. 14The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
15Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up a champion for them: the Benjaminite Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man. It happened that the Israelites sent tribute to King Eglon of Moab through him. 16So Ehud made for himself a two-edged dagger, a gomed in length, which he girded on his right side under his cloak. 17He presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very stout man. 18When [Ehud] had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had conveyed the tribute. 19But he himself returned from Pesilim, near Gilgal, and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.” [Eglon] thereupon commanded, “Silence!” So all those in attendance left his presence; 20and when Ehud approached him, he was sitting alone in his cool upper chamber. Ehud said, “I have a message for you from God”; whereupon he rose from his seat. 21Reaching with his left hand, Ehud drew the dagger from his right side and drove it into [Eglon’s]e belly. 22The fat closed over the blade and the hilt went in after the blade— for he did not pull the dagger out of his belly—and the filthf came out.
23Stepping out into the vestibule,f Ehud shut the doors of the upper chamber on him and locked them. 24After he left, the courtiers returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper chamber were locked, they thought, “He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber.” 25They waited a long time; and when he did not open the doors of the chamber, they took the key and opened them—and there their master was lying dead on the floor! 26But Ehud had made good his escape while they delayed; he had passed Pesilim and escaped to Seirah. 27When he got there, he had the ram’s horn sounded through the hill country of Ephraim, and all the Israelites descended with him from the hill country; and he took the lead. 28“Follow me closely,” he said, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hands.” They followed him down and seized the
