And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and lived there. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he swore unto their fathers…. He delivered all their enemies into their hand. Nothing failed…of any good thing that the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground that Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor.

Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that out lived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. Then all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baal: And they abandoned the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they abandoned the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

• And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites live with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
• Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would live in that land.
• Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
• Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became forced laborers.
• Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
• Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of these towns became forced laborers unto them.
• And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not permit them to come down to the valley.

And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, "I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no agreement with the inhabitants of this land; you shall throw down their altars: but you have not obeyed my voice: why have you done this?"

"Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders that robbed them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whenever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Nevertheless the LORD rose up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those who invaded them. And yet they would not listen unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it moved to pity the LORD because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

…The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites…. They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to the sons of these nations, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served Baal and the groves.

Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served him eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

The Spirit of the LORD came upon Othniel, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand.… And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And Eglon gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite….

And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. And he said unto them, "Follow after me: for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand."

And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and permitted not a man to pass over. And they killed of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that ruled in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, which lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

And Deborah, sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, ‘Go and draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? …I will draw unto you to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his men; and I will deliver him into your hand.’"

And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against him, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, "So let all your enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might." And the land had rest forty years.

REFERENCES

Joshua 21:43-45; Joshua 24:32a; Judges 2:7, 10; Judges 21: 25; Judges 2:11-13; Judges 1:21, 27, 29-31, 33-34; Judges 2:1-4; Judges 2:14-19; Judges 3:5-15, 27-30; Judges 4:1-7, 10, 23-24; Judges 5:1, 31.

CHAPTER 18