1And the Malakh יהוה came up from Gilgal to Bokhim. And he said, “I made you to go up out of Mitzrayim, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you;’ 2and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars; but you have not hearkened unto My voice; what is this you have done? 3Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be unto you as snares, and their gods shall be a trap unto you’.” 4And it came to pass, when the Malakh יהוה spoke these words unto all B’nei Yisra’el, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5And they called the name of that place Bokhim; and they sacrificed there unto יהוה .
6Now when Yehoshua had sent the people away, B’nei Yisra’el went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 7And the people served יהוה all the days of Yehoshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Yehoshua, who had seen all the great work of יהוה , that He had wrought for Yisra’el. 8And Yehoshua Bin Nun, the servant of יהוה , died, being a hundred and ten years old. 9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnat-kheres, in the hill country of Efrayim, on the north of the mountain of Ga’ash. 10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, that knew not יהוה , nor yet the work which He had wrought for Yisra’el.
11And B’nei Yisra’el did that which was evil in the sight of יהוה , and served the Ba’alim. 12And they forsook יהוה , the Elohim of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Mitzrayim, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and worshipped them; and they provoked יהוה . And13 they forsook יהוה , and served Ba’al and the Ashtarot. 14And the anger of יהוה was kindled against Yisra’el, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He gave them over into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15Wherever they went out, the hand of יהוה was against them for evil, as יהוה had spoken, and as יהוה had sworn unto them; and they were sore distressed. 16And יהוה raised up shoftim, who saved them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17And yet they hearkened not unto their shoftim, for they went astray after other gods, and worshipped them; they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the mitzvot of יהוה ; they did not so. 18And when יהוה raised them up shoftim, then יהוה was with the shofet, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the shofet; for יהוה relented because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them. 19But it came to pass, when the shofet was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to worship them; they left nothing undone of their practices, nor of their stubborn way. 20And the anger of יהוה was kindled against Yisra’el; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not hearkened unto My voice, 21I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Yehoshua left when he died, 22that by them I may prove Yisra’el, whether they will keep the way of יהוה to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.” 23So יהוה left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Yehoshua.
אוַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ יהוה מִן הַגִּלְגָּל אֶל הַבֹּכִים; וַיֹּאמֶר אַעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם וָאֹמַר לֹא אָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם לְעוֹלָם. בוְאַתֶּם לֹא תִכְרְתוּ בְרִית לְיוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיהֶם תִּתֹּצוּן; וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹלִי מַה זֹּאת עֲשִׂיתֶם. גוְגַם אָמַרְתִּי לֹא אֲגָרֵשׁ אוֹתָם מִפְּנֵיכֶם; וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לְצִדִּים וֵאלֹהֵיהֶם יִהְיוּ לָכֶם לְמוֹקֵשׁ. דוַיְהִי כְּדַבֵּר מַלְאַךְ יהוה אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיִּשְׂאוּ הָעָם אֶת קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ. הוַיִּקְרְאוּ שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא בֹּכִים; וַיִּזְבְּחוּ שָׁם לַיהוה .
ווַיְשַׁלַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הָעָם; וַיֵּלְכוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ לְנַחֲלָתוֹ לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ. זוַיַּעַבְדוּ הָעָם אֶת יהוה כֹּל יְמֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ; וְכֹל יְמֵי הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר הֶאֱרִיכוּ יָמִים אַחֲרֵי יְהוֹשׁוּעַ אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ אֵת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה יהוה הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. חוַיָּמָת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן עֶבֶד יהוה בֶּן מֵאָה וָעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים. טוַיִּקְבְּרוּ אוֹתוֹ בִּגְבוּל נַחֲלָתוֹ בְּתִמְנַת חֶרֶס בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם מִצְּפוֹן לְהַר גָּעַשׁ. יוְגַם כָּל הַדּוֹר הַהוּא נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל אֲבוֹתָיו; וַיָּקָם דּוֹר אַחֵר אַחֲרֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ אֶת יהוה וְגַם אֶת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
יאוַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יהוה ; וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת הַבְּעָלִים. יבוַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת יהוה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתָם הַמּוֹצִיא אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים מֵאֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבוֹתֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם; וַיַּכְעִסוּ אֶת יהוה . יגוַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת יהוה ; וַיַּעַבְדוּ לַבַּעַל וְלָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת. ידוַיִּחַר אַף יהוה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד שֹׁסִים וַיָּשֹׁסּוּ אוֹתָם; וַיִּמְכְּרֵם בְּיַד אוֹיְבֵיהֶם מִסָּבִיב וְלֹא יָכְלוּ עוֹד לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי אוֹיְבֵיהֶם. טובְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ יַד יהוה הָיְתָה בָּם לְרָעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יהוה וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יהוה לָהֶם; וַיֵּצֶר לָהֶם מְאֹד. טזוַיָּקֶם יהוה שֹׁפְטִים; וַיּוֹשִׁיעוּם מִיַּד שֹׁסֵיהֶם. יזוְגַם אֶל שֹׁפְטֵיהֶם לֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כִּי זָנוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם: סָרוּ מַהֵר מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הָלְכוּ אֲבוֹתָם לִשְׁמֹעַ מִצְוֹת יהוה לֹא עָשׂוּ כֵן. יחוְכִי הֵקִים יהוה לָהֶם שֹׁפְטִים וְהָיָה יהוה עִם הַשֹּׁפֵט וְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִיַּד אֹיְבֵיהֶם כֹּל יְמֵי הַשּׁוֹפֵט: כִּי יִנָּחֵם יהוה מִנַּאֲקָתָם מִפְּנֵי לֹחֲצֵיהֶם וְדֹחֲקֵיהֶם. יטוְהָיָה בְּמוֹת הַשּׁוֹפֵט יָשֻׁבוּ וְהִשְׁחִיתוּ מֵאֲבוֹתָם לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעָבְדָם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לָהֶם: לֹא הִפִּילוּ מִמַּעַלְלֵיהֶם וּמִדַּרְכָּם הַקָּשָׁה. כוַיִּחַר אַף יהוה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל; וַיֹּאמֶר יַעַן אֲשֶׁר עָבְרוּ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה אֶת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת אֲבוֹתָם וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלִי. כאגַּם אֲנִי לֹא אוֹסִיף לְהוֹרִישׁ אִישׁ מִפְּנֵיהֶם מִן הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָזַב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיָּמֹת. כבלְמַעַן נַסּוֹת בָּם אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל: הֲשֹׁמְרִים הֵם אֶת דֶּרֶךְ יהוה לָלֶכֶת בָּם כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְרוּ אֲבוֹתָם אִם לֹא. כגוַיַּנַּח יהוה אֶת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה לְבִלְתִּי הוֹרִישָׁם מַהֵר; וְלֹא נְתָנָם בְּיַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 