and also unto their judges they have not hearkened, but have gone a-whoring after other gods, and bow themselves to them; they have turned aside <FI>with<Fi> haste out of the way <FI>in<Fi> which their fathers walked to obey the commands of Jehovah--they have not done so.
Judges 2:15 in every <FI>place<Fi> where they have gone out, the hand of Jehovah hath been against them for evil, as Jehovah hath spoken, and as Jehovah hath sworn to them, and they are distressed--greatly.
Judges 2:16 And Jehovah raiseth up judges, and they save them from the hand of their spoilers;
Judges 2:17 and also unto their judges they have not hearkened, but have gone a-whoring after other gods, and bow themselves to them; they have turned aside <FI>with<Fi> haste out of the way <FI>in<Fi> which their fathers walked to obey the commands of Jehovah--they have not done so.
Judges 2:18 And when Jehovah raised up to them judges--then was Jehovah with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repenteth Jehovah, because of their groaning from the presence of their oppressors, and of those thrusting them away.
Judges 2:19 And it hath come to pass, at the death of the judge--they turn back and have done corruptly above their fathers, to go after other gods, to serve them, and to bow themselves to them; they have not fallen from their doings, and from their stiff way.
The verse centers on "judges", "hearkened", "gone", "a-whoring", "after", "other", "gods", and "themselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "judges" and "hearkened", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And Jehovah raiseth up judges and they..." into verse 18's "And when Jehovah raised up to them...", so "judges" and "hearkened" 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 "judges" and "hearkened" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.