And it came to pass when the judge died, that they turned back and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them: they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
Judges 2:17 But they did not even hearken to their judges, for they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves to them; they turned quickly out of the way that their fathers had walked in, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; they did not so.
Judges 2:18 And when Jehovah raised them up judges, then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented Jehovah because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them.
Judges 2:19 And it came to pass when the judge died, that they turned back and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them: they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
Judges 2:20 And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel; and he said, Because this nation hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and hath not hearkened unto my voice,
Judges 2:21 I also will not henceforth dispossess from before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died;
The verse centers on "came", "pass", "judge", "died", "turned", "back", "corrupted", and "themselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "pass", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And when Jehovah raised them up judges..." into verse 20's "And the anger of Jehovah was hot...", so "came" and "pass" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "pass" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.