Judges 2:7-12, 19

The people faithfully worshiped YAHWEH all the days of Joshua and through all the days of the elders who outlived him. They had all experienced the many astounding miracles YAHWEH had done for Israel. YAHWEH’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of one hundred and ten and the people buried him on his own parcel of land in the hill country of Ephraim at Timnath Serah, north of Mount Gaash. Eventually, after that entire generation died and was buried, the next generation forgot YAHWEH and all that he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of YAHWEH and worshiped the images of Baal. Israel deserted YAHWEH, the God of their ancestors, who had rescued them from Egypt. They found new gods to worship—the gods of the people around them. They bowed down to them and provoked YAHWEH to anger.

But when their champion died, then the people would relapse into their former idolatry. They would worship other gods, bow down to them, and refuse to give up their evil ways. And each generation behaved worse than the one before it.