Lyrics · Judges
The Cycle Began
Judges 1:1-2:23
[Verse 1]
Judah rose with Simeon and the hill towns felt the sword,
Hebron lost the sons of Anak, Debir bowed before the LORD.
Yet the iron filled the valley, and the nations stayed within,
Every border left unfinished held a doorway back to sin.
[Pre-Chorus]
At Bochim came the warning,
And the people wept aloud.
[Chorus]
The cycle began when the covenant broke,
They cried in their chains, then forgot when they rose.
A judge brought deliverance, the land found release,
Then the next generation turned away from peace.
[Verse 2]
Joshua's elders passed from memory, and children did not know
How the river opened wide or how the walls of Jericho fell low.
Baalim took the altars, Ashtaroth received their praise,
And the God who led their fathers gave them to the raiders' ways.
[Bridge]
Mercy raised a rescuer whenever anguish filled the land,
But after every judge was buried, idols gathered strength again.
Nations stayed to test the heart, a thorn beside the road,
Would Israel keep the ancient way, or choose another god?
[Final Chorus]
The cycle began when the covenant broke,
They cried in their chains, then forgot when they rose.
A judge brought deliverance, the land found release,
Then the next generation turned away from peace.
[Outro]
The conquest stood unfinished,
And the test remained within.

