Discovery BoxJudges 2:14-18 
Context2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel 1 and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. 2 He turned them over to 3 their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. 4 2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, 5 the Lord did them harm, 6 just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. 7 They suffered greatly. 8
2:16 The Lord raised up leaders 9 who delivered them from these robbers. 10 2:17 But they did not obey 11 their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped 12 them. They quickly turned aside from the path 13 their ancestors 14 had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 15 2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people 16 from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them 17 when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. 18
1 tn Or “The
2 tn Heb “robbers who robbed them.” (The verb שָׁסָה [shasah] appears twice in the verse.)
sn The expression robbers who plundered them is a derogatory reference to the enemy nations, as the next line indicates.
3 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
4 tn The word “attacks” is supplied in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
5 tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.
6 tn Heb “the
7 tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”
8 tn Or “they experienced great distress.”
9 tn Or more traditionally, “judges” (also in vv. 17, 18 [3x], 19). Since these figures carried out more than a judicial function, also serving as rulers and (in several instances) as military commanders, the translation uses the term “leaders.”
10 tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”
11 tn Or “did not listen to.”
12 tn Or “bowed before.”
13 tn Or “way [of life].”
14 tn Or “fathers.”
15 tn Heb “…walked, obeying the
16 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn The phrase “for them” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “the ones oppressing them and afflicting them.” The synonyms “oppressing” and “afflicting” are joined together in the translation as “harsh oppressors” to emphasize the cruel character of their enemies.
