2:1 耶和華的使者從吉甲上到波金，對以色列人說：「我使你們從埃及上來，領你們到我向你們列祖起誓應許之地。我又說：『我永不廢棄與你們所立的約。
2:2 你們也不可與這地的居民立約，要拆毀他們的祭壇。你們竟沒有聽從我的話！為何這樣行呢？』
2:3 因此我又說：『我必不將他們從你們面前趕出；他們必作你們肋下的荊棘。他們的上帝必作你們的網羅。』」
2:4 耶和華的使者向以色列眾人說這話的時候，百姓就放聲而哭；
2:5 於是給那地方起名叫波金（就是哭的意思）。眾人在那裡向耶和華獻祭。
2:6 從前約書亞打發以色列百姓去的時候，他們各歸自己的地業，佔據地土。
2:7 約書亞在世和約書亞死後，那些見耶和華為以色列人所行大事的長老還在的時候，百姓都事奉耶和華。
2:8 耶和華的僕人、嫩的兒子約書亞，正一百一十歲就死了。
2:9 以色列人將他葬在他地業的境內，就是在以法蓮山地的亭拿‧希烈，在迦實山的北邊。
2:10 那世代的人也都歸了自己的列祖。後來有別的世代興起，不知道耶和華，也不知道耶和華為以色列人所行的事。
2:11 以色列人行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，去事奉諸巴力，
2:12 離棄了領他們出埃及地的耶和華─他們列祖的上帝，去叩拜別神，就是四圍列國的神，惹耶和華發怒；
2:13 並離棄耶和華，去事奉巴力和亞斯她錄。
2:14 耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作，就把他們交在搶奪他們的人手中，又將他們付與四圍仇敵的手中，甚至他們在仇敵面前再不能站立得住。
2:15 他們無論往何處去，耶和華都以災禍攻擊他們，正如耶和華所說的話，又如耶和華向他們所起的誓；他們便極其困苦。
2:16 耶和華興起士師，士師就拯救他們脫離搶奪他們人的手。
2:17 他們卻不聽從士師，竟隨從叩拜別神，行了邪淫，速速地偏離他們列祖所行的道，不如他們列祖順從耶和華的命令。
2:18 耶和華為他們興起士師，就與那士師同在。士師在世的一切日子，耶和華拯救他們脫離仇敵的手。他們因受欺壓擾害，就哀聲歎氣，所以耶和華後悔了。
2:19 及至士師死後，他們就轉去行惡，比他們列祖更甚，去事奉叩拜別神，總不斷絕頑梗的惡行。
2:20 於是耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作。他說：「因這民違背我吩咐他們列祖所守的約，不聽從我的話，
2:21 所以約書亞死的時候所剩下的各族，我必不再從他們面前趕出，
2:22 為要藉此試驗以色列人，看他們肯照他們列祖謹守遵行我的道不肯。」
2:23 這樣耶和華留下各族，不將他們速速趕出，也沒有交付約書亞的手。
The
angel of the Lord went up from
Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the
land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant
with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people
of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed
me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not
drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will
become snares to you.’”
4 When
the angel of the Lord had spoken
these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and
they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
6 After
Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land,
each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua
and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua
son of Nun, the servant of the Lord,
died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the
land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres[b] in the hill
country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After
that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation
grew up who knew neither the Lord
nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did
evil in the eyes of the Lord and
served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out
of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.
They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because
they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his
anger against Israel the Lord gave
them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands
of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever
Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord
was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in
great distress.
16 Then
the Lord raised up judges,[c] who saved
them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not
listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped
them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been
obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever
the Lord raised up a judge for
them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as
long as the judge lived; for the Lord
relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted
them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways
even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and
serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and
stubborn ways.
20 Therefore
the Lord was very angry with
Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for
their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer
drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I
will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors
did.” 23 The Lord
had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by
giving them into the hands of Joshua.
***********
《士師記》是敘述以色列人的失敗歷史，使我們看見保羅在羅馬書7章18-20節所說的人性之問題：「我也知道，在我裡頭，就是我肉體之中，沒有良善。因為，立志為善由得我，只是行出來由不得我。故此，我所願意的善，我反不做；我所不願意的惡，我倒去做。若我去做所不願意做的，就不是我做的，乃是住在我裡頭的罪做的。」
也因為如此，以色列人就在”犯罪→受上帝懲罰→上帝設立士師拯救→士師過世→繼續犯罪”的循環中，一代過一代，雖然有祭司成為他們的教師，教導摩西的律法，去不將上帝的話放在心中，仍然我行我素，以自我為中心，並受四圍的迦南人影響。
其實基督徒的生命成長過程，也會遇見類似的情形，若不是聖靈的幫助，我們真的會向下沉淪，因為人受到罪行的影響，是悖逆上帝的，並且被罪惡敗壞，使人遠離上帝，最後命運就是死亡！而聖靈是要將耶穌基督的拯救實現在我們身上，使我們與上帝和好，繼續得到上帝的供應，就像一棵樹在溪水旁，永遠常青！因此，我們要存感謝的心來順服上帝，要不是祂預備這樣的救恩，我們怎麼會有永生之福？
