Israel’s Disobedience
1 Now the aangel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, b“I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the cland that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, d‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and eyou shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; fyou shall break down their altars.’ gBut you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, hI will not drive them out before you, but they shall become ithorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim.1 And they sacrificed there to the Lord.
The Death of Joshua
6 When Joshua jdismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 kAnd the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had lseen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who mdid not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
11 And the people of Israel ndid what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they oabandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, pwho had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the qgods of the peoples who were around them, and rbowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the sanger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to tplunderers, who plundered them. And he usold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that vthey could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, was the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The Lord Raises Up Judges
16 Then the Lord xraised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they ywhored after other gods and bowed down to them. They zsoon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was awith the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was bmoved to pity by their cgroaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, dthey turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have etransgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 fI will no longer drive out before them any of the gnations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to htest Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
1 Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2 It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. 3 These are the nations: the ifive lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4 They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 So the people of Israel lived among jthe Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And ktheir daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
Othniel
7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They lforgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the manger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord nraised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 oThe Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he pjudged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had qrest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12 And the people of Israel ragain did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the scity of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the people of Israel tcried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a uleft-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit2 in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch3 and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he vsounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the wfords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had xrest for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed y600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
Book Five
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
1 Oh kgive thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let lthe redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has mredeemed from trouble1
3 and ngathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some owandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 pThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 qLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he rsatisfies the longing soul,
and sthe hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some tsat in udarkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the vcounsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with wnone to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he xshatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they yloathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer zsacrifices of thanksgiving,
and atell of his deeds in songs of joy!
Life in the Spirit
1 There is therefore now no acondemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 2 For the blaw of the Spirit of life has set you2 cfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done dwhat the law, eweakened by the flesh, could not do. fBy sending his own Son gin the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the hrighteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who iwalk jnot according to the flesh but kaccording to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh lset their minds on mthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on nthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 oFor the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God pdwells in you. Anyone who does not have the qSpirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is rin you, although the sbody is dead because of sin, the Spirit is tlife because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of uhim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also vgive life to your mortal bodies wthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.
Heirs with Christ
12 So then, brothers,5 we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For xif you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you yput to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are zled by the Spirit of God are sons6 of God. 15 For you did anot receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of badoption as sons, by whom we cry, c“Abba! Father!” 16 dThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then eheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, fprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Future Glory
18 For I consider that gthe sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with hthe glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For ithe creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that jthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits kof the Spirit, lgroan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this mhope we were saved. Now hope nthat is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself ointercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And phe who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because7 the Spirit intercedes for the saints qaccording to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who rlove God sall things work together for good,8 for those who are called according to his tpurpose. 29 For those whom he uforeknew he also vpredestined to be wconformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be xthe firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also ycalled, and those whom he called he also zjustified, and those whom he justified he also aglorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 bWhat then shall we say to these things? cIf God is for us, who can be9 against us? 32 dHe who edid not spare his own Son but gave him up for us fall, ghow will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 hWho shall bring any charge against God’s ielect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is jto condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—kwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.10 35 Who shall separate us from the llove of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
m“For your sake we are being killed nall the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than oconquerors through him who ploved us. 38 For I am sure that qneither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor rheight nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
