A reading from the book of judges.

The children of Israel offended the Lord by serving balls, abandoning the Lord, the God of their fathers,

and who led them out of the land of Egypt,

and followed the other gods and the various nations around them.

By their worship of these gods, they provoked the Lord.

Because they had thus abandoned him and served Ball and Astor,

the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel, and he delivered them over to plunderers,

plunderers who despoiled them. He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about,

whom they were no longer able to withstand. Whatever they undertook, the Lord turned into disaster for them, as in his

warning he had sworn he would do till they were in great distress. Even when the Lord raised up judges

to deliver them from the power of their despoilers, they did not listen to their judges, but

abandon themselves to the worship of other gods.

They were quick, distraved from their fathers had taken, from the way their fathers had taken,

and did not follow the example of obedience to the commandments of the Lord.

Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, he would be the judge and save them from the power of their enemies,

as long as the judge lived.

It was thus the Lord took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors.

But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,

following other gods and service and

worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or suffering conduct. The word of the Lord.

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. us so Lord as you favor your people they did not exterminate

the peoples as the Lord had commanded them but mingled with the nations and learned their works

...