Judges 2:10-15·~1 min

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

A new generation arises that does not know the LORD or what He has done for Israel. They turn from the God who brought them from Egypt and give themselves to the gods of the surrounding peoples.

A¹⁰fter that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel. ¹¹And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. ¹²Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, ¹³for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

The LORD's anger burns against Israel, and He gives them into the hands of plunderers and enemies. Wherever they go out, His hand is against them, and they are brought into great distress.

¹⁴Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. ¹⁵Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.

Section summaryAfter the passing of the generation that knew the LORD's works, a new one rises without that memory and turns to the Baals and Ashtoreths. In response, the LORD gives Israel over to plunderers and surrounding enemies, so that their campaigns end not in victory but in distress.

Role in the chapterThis section names the decisive break between generations. It explains why Israel's life in the land turns from inheritance to judgment.