First ReadingJudges 2:11-19
From the Book of Judges
11The children of Israel did thatwhich was evil in the Lord’s sight,and served the Baals.12They abandoned the Lord,the God of their fathers,who brought them out of the land of Egypt,and followed other gods,of the gods of the peoples who were around them,and bowed themselves down to them;and they provoked the Lord to anger.13They abandoned the Lord,and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.14The Lord’s anger burned against Israel,and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them.He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around,so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.15Wherever they went out,the Lord’s hand was against them for evil,as the Lord had spoken,and as the Lord had sworn to them;and they were very distressed.16The Lord raised up judges,who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.17Yet they didn’t listen to their judges;for they prostituted themselves to other gods,and bowed themselves down to them.They quickly turned away from the way inwhich their fathers walked,obeying the Lord’s commandments.They didn’t do so.18When the Lord raised up judges for them,then the Lord was with the judge,and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge;for it grieved the Lordbecause of their groaning by reason of thosewho oppressed them and troubled them.19But when the judge was dead,they turned back,and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve themand to bow down to them.They didn’t cease what they were doing,or give up their stubborn ways.