with the tribe of Judah, and they took possession of the highlands. However, they didn't drive out those who lived in the plain because they had iron chariots. 20They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had commanded, and they drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 21But the people of Benjamin didn't drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem today.
22In the same way, Joseph's household went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23When they sent men to spy on Bethel, previously named Luz, 24the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, "Show us the way into the city, and we'll be loyal to you in return."25So he showed them the way into the city. They killed the city's people with their swords, but they let that man and all his relatives go. 26The man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city. He named it Luz, which is still its name today.
27The tribe of Manasseh didn't drive out the people in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, or any of their villages. The Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28When Israel became stronger they forced the Canaanites to work for them, but they didn't completely drive them out. 29The tribe of Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites kept on living there with them.
30The tribe of Zebulun didn't drive out the people living in Kitron or Nahalol. These Canaanites lived with them but were forced to work for them. 31The tribe of Asher didn't drive out the people living in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32The people of Asher settled among the Canaanites in the land because they couldn't drive them out. 33The tribe of Naphtali didn't drive out the people living in Beth-shemesh or Beth-anath but settled among the Canaanites in the land. The people living in Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were forced to work for them.
34The Amorites pushed the people of Dan back into the highlands because they wouldn't allow them to come down to the plain. 35The Amorites were determined to live in Har-heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but Joseph's household became strong, and the Amorites were forced to work for them. 36The border of the Amorites ran from the Akrabbim pass, from Sela, and upward.
The LORD's messenger condemns
Judges 2The LORD's messenger came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you,2and you are not to make a covenant with those who live in this land. You should break down their altars.' But you didn't obey me. What have you done?3So now I tell you, I won't drive them out before you, but they'll be a probleme for you, and their gods will be a trap for you."4When the LORD's messenger spoke these words to all the Israelites, they raised their voices and cried out loud. 5So they named that place Bochim,f and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD there.
Death of Joshua and his generation
6When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites each went to settle on their own family property in order to take possession of the land. 7The people served the LORD throughout the rest of Joshua's life and throughout the next generation of elders who outlived him, those who had seen all the great things that the LORD had done for Israel. 8Joshua, Nun's son and the LORD's servant, died when he was 110 years old. 9They buried him within the boundaries of his family property in Timnath-heres in the highlands of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10When that whole generation had passed away, another generation came after them who didn't know the LORD or the things that he had done for Israel.
Israel's pattern of sin and punishment
11Then the Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil: They served the Baals; 12and they went away from the LORD, their ancestors' God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the surrounding peoples, they worshipped them, and they angered the LORD. 13They went away from the LORD and served Baal and the Astartes. 14So the LORD became angry with Israel, and he handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He let them be defeated by their enemies around them, so that they were no longer able to stand up to them. 15Whenever the Israelites marched out, the LORD's power worked against them, just as the LORD had warned them. And they were very distressed.
16Then the LORD raised up leadersg to rescue them from the power of these raiders. 17But they wouldn't even obey their own leaders because they were unfaithful, following other gods and worshipping them. They quickly deviated from the way of their ancestors, who had obeyed the LORD's commands, and didn't follow their example.
18The LORD was moved by Israel's groaning under those who oppressed and crushed them. So the LORD would raise up leaders for them, and the LORD would be with the leader, and he would rescue Israel from the power of their enemies as long as that leader lived.
19But then when the leader died, they would once again act in ways that weren't as good as their ancestors', going after other gods, to serve them and to worship them. They wouldn't drop their bad practices or hardheaded ways. 20So the LORD became angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated my covenant that I required of their ancestors and hasn't obeyed me,21I in turn will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died."22As a test for Israel, to see whether they would carefully walk in the LORD's ways just as their ancestors had done, 23the LORD left these nations instead of driving them out immediately or handing them over to Joshua.
Nations remaining in the land
Judges 3These are the nations that the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the wars of Canaan. 2They survived only to teach war to the generations of Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the earlier wars: 3the five rulers of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites who lived in the highlands of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4They were to be the test for Israel, to find out whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had made to their ancestors through Moses. 5So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6But the Israelites intermarried with them and served their gods.
Othniel, the model judge
7The Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil, and they forgot the LORD their God. They served the Baals and the Asherahs.h 8The LORD became angry with Israel and gave them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. The Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9But then they cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, Othniel, Kenaz's son, Caleb's younger brother, who rescued them. 10The LORD's spirit was in Othniel, and he led Israel. When he marched out for war, the LORD handed over Aram's King Cushan-rishathaim. Othniel overpowered Cushan-rishathaim, 11and the land was peaceful for forty years, until Othniel, Kenaz's son, died.
Ehud
12The Israelites again did things that the LORD saw as evil, and the LORD put Moab's King Eglon in power over them, because they did these things that the LORD saw as evil. 13He convinced the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, defeated Israel, and took possession of Palm City. 14So the Israelites served Moab's King Eglon eighteen years.
15Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud, Gera's son, a Benjaminite, who was left-handed. The Israelites sent him to take their tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon. 16Now Ehud made for himself a double-edged sword that was about a foot and a half long, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17Then he presented the tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18When he had finished delivering the tribute payment, Ehud sent on their way the people who had carried it. 19But