Judges 2

¹ The angel of God go from Gilgal to Bochim and tell the Israelites say, “I take una out of Egypt and bring una come the land wey I promise una ancestors. I talk say, ‘I no go ever break my covenant with una.

² Make una no make any covenant with the people wey dey live for this land. Una must tear down their altars.’ But una never do wetin I tell una. Na the opposite una don do!

³ So now I dey tell una say I no go drive these people out as una don think. Dem go be una enemies, and the worship of their gods go trap una.”

⁴ When the angel don say this, naso all the people of Israel start to dey cry,

⁵ And na the reason why dem dey call the place Bochim be that. Dem offer sacrifice to God for there.

⁶ Joshua send the people of Israel go their way, and each man go take possession of him share of the land.

⁷ People of Israel serve God, as long as Joshua dey alive, and after him don die dem continue to dey serve God as long as the leaders dey alive wey don see for themselves all the great things wey God don do for Israel.

⁸ The servant of God Joshua son of Nun con die at age of 110.

⁹ Dem bury him for him own part of the land for Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ All of that generation die too, and the next generation forget God and wetin he don do for Israel.

¹¹ Then the people of Israel con sin against God and dem start to dey serve Baals.

¹² Dem stop to dey worship the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God wey bring them out of Egypt, and dem start to dey serve other gods, the gods of the people wey dey around them. Dem bow down to them and dem vex God.

¹³ Dem stop to dey worship God and dem serve Baals and Astartes.

¹⁴ Naso God vex with Israel and he con allow the robbers attack and rob them. He allow all the enemies wey dey around them get power on top them, and the Israelites no fit protect themselves again.

¹⁵ God dey always dey against them, every time wey dem go battle, just as he don talk say he go be. Dem dey for great pain.

¹⁶ Then God give the Israelites leaders wey save them from those wey attack them.

¹⁷ But the Israelites no pay attention to their leaders. Israel no dey faithful to God and dem worship other gods. Their fathers don obey the command of God, but this new generation no dey gree do so.

¹⁸ Anytime God give Israel leader, God go help that leader and he go save the people from their enemies so far that leader dey alive. God go get mercy on them because dem cry when dem dey under suffering and oppression.

¹⁹ But when the leader die, the people dey always go back to the old ways and dem dey behave bad pass the generation wey don come before. Dem go serve and worship other gods, and dem no dey gree stop to dey do evil.

²⁰ Then God go vex with Israel and he go talk say, “This nation don break the covenant wey I command their ancestors to keep. Because dem never obey me,

²¹ I no go drive any of the nations wey dey the land out again when Joshua die.

²² I go use them find out if these Israelites go follow my ways as their ancestors do, or dem no go follow am.”

²³ Naso God allow those nations make dem remain in the land; he no give Joshua victory over them, or drive them out after Joshua don die.