Judges 3

Now those nations that God left for the testing of Israel by them, all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan,

only for the knowing of the generations of the sons of Israel, to teach them warfare, only who previously had not known them,

{were} the five rulers of the Philistines, and all of the Canaanite and the Sidonian and the Hivite, the dweller of the mountain of Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. \*

And they were for the testing of Israel by them, to know whether they would hear the commandments of God, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

So the sons of Israel dwelled in the midst of the Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

And they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods. \*

So the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of God. And they forgot God their God and they served the Baals and the Asherahs.

Then the nose of God burned against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim. And the sons of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. \*

Then the sons of Israel cried out to God, and God raised up a savior for the sons of Israel, and he saved them: Othniel, the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, the {one} younger than him.

And the Spirit of God was upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and God gave Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram, into his hand. So his hand was strong against Cushan-Rishathaim.

And the land rested 40 years. Then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died. \*

Then the sons of Israel resumed to do evil in the eyes of God. So God strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of God.

And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the City of Palms.

So the sons of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, 18 years. \*

Then the sons of Israel cried out to God, and God raised up a savior for them, Ehud, the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a man impeded in his right hand. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by his hand to Eglon, the king of Moab. \*

And Ehud made a sword for himself, and two mouths {were} to it; a cubit {was} its length. And he bound it onto his right thigh beneath his clothing.

Then he brought the tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab. Now Eglon {was} a very fat man.

Now it happened, when he had finished bringing the tribute, that he sent away the people, the bearers of the tribute. \*

But he, he turned back from the carved images that {were} at Gilgal, and he said, “A word of secrecy {is} to me for you, O king.” And he said, “Hush!” So all of the ones standing around him went out from around him.

Then Ehud came to him. Now he was sitting in the upper room of coolness that {was} to him, alone. And Ehud said, “A word from God {is} to me for you.” And he arose from upon the throne. \*

Then Ehud stretched out his left hand and took the sword from upon his right thigh, and he thrust it into his belly.

And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the handle, for he did not pull the sword from his belly, and excrement came out.

Then Ehud went out {to} the porch, and he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and bolted {them}. \*

And he went out, and his servants came, and they looked, and behold, the doors of the upper room {were} bolted. So they said, “Surely he is covering his feet in the chamber of coolness.”

So they waited until they felt ashamed, but behold, he was not opening the doors of the upper room. So they took the opener and they opened {them}, and behold, their lord {was} fallen on the ground, dead. \*

But Ehud escaped during their delaying, and he passed the carved images, and he fled to Seirah.

Now it happened at his coming that he blew on the shofar in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he {was} to the face of them. \*

Now he had said to them, “Follow after me, for God has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” So they went down after him and they captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over.

And they struck Moab at that time, about 10,000 men. Each {was} robust and each {was} a man of strength, but not one escaped.

So Moab was subdued on that day under the hand of Israel, and the land rested 80 years. \*

After him was Shamgar, the son of Anath, and he struck Philistines, 600 men, with a goad of the ox. So he also saved Israel. \*