Judges 3

1 The following are the nations the Lord left and used to test all those Israelites who had not known what it was like to be part of any of the wars in Canaan.

And these [are] the nations which YHWH left, to try Israel by them, all who have not known all the wars of Canaan;

2 (He did so to teach warfare to the later generations of Israel, particularly to those who had not previously experienced it.)

(only for the sake of the generations of the sons of Israel knowing, to teach them war, only those who formerly have not known them)—

3 They are: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

five princes of the Philistines, and all the Canaanite, and the Zidonian, and the Hivite inhabiting Mount Lebanon, from Mount Ba‘al-Hermon to the entering in of Hamath;

4 They were left there be to a test for the Israelites, to find out whether the Israelites would keep the Lord's commandments which he had given their forefathers through Moses.

and they are to prove Israel by them, to know whether they obey the commands of YHWH that He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

5 They lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

And the sons of Israel have dwelt in the midst of the Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite,

6 The Israelites intermarried with them, marrying their daughters, giving their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.

and take their daughters to them for wives, and have given their daughters to their sons, and they serve their gods;

7 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight. They ignored the Lord their God and worshiped the images of Baals and Asherahs.

and the sons of Israel do evil in the eyes of YHWH, and forget their God YHWH, and serve the Ba‘alim and the Asheroth.

8 The Lord became angry with Israel, so he sold them to Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim. The Israelites were subject to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.

And the anger of YHWH burns against Israel, and He sells them into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aram-Naharaim, and the sons of Israel serve Chushan-Rishathaim eight years;

9 But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord to help them, he provided someone to rescue them, Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, and he saved them.

and the sons of Israel cry to YHWH, and YHWH raises a savior to the sons of Israel, and he saves them—Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother;

10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he became Israel's judge. He went to war with Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram, and the Lord handed the king over to Othniel, who was victorious.

and the Spirit of YHWH is on him, and he judges Israel, and goes out to battle, and YHWH gives Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and his hand is strong against Chushan-Rishathaim;

11 As a result, the country was a peace for forty years until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.

and the land rests forty years. And Othniel son of Kenaz dies,

12 But once again the Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight, and because they did this the Lord gave power to Eglon, king of Moab, to conquer Israel.

and the sons of Israel add to do evil in the eyes of YHWH; and YHWH strengthens Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because that they have done evil in the eyes of YHWH;

13 Eglon had the Ammonites and the Amalekite join him, and then attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

and he gathers the sons of Ammon and Amalek to himself, and goes and strikes Israel, and they possess the city of palms;

14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.

and the sons of Israel serve Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord to help them, and he provided someone to rescue them, Ehud, son of Gera the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent him to pay the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab.

And the sons of Israel cry to YHWH, and YHWH raises a savior to them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite (a man [with] his right hand bound), and the sons of Israel send a present by his hand to Eglon king of Moab;

16 Ehud had made for himself a cubit long double-edged sword, and he strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes.

and Ehud makes a sword for himself, and it has two mouths (its length [is] a cubit), and he girds it under his long robe on his right thigh;

17 He came and presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.

and he brings the present near to Eglon king of Moab, and Eglon [is] a very fat man.

18 Then after delivering the tribute he sent home those who had helped carry it.

And it comes to pass, when he has finished to bring the present near, that he sends the people carrying the present away,

19 But when he reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He went to see Eglon, and told him, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.” The king told his attendants, “Silence!” and they all left.

and he himself has turned back from the carved images which [are] at Gilgal and says, “I have a secret word for you, O king”; and he says, “Hush!” And all those standing by him go out from him.

20 Ehud then went over to where Eglon was sitting alone in his cool upstairs room, and told him, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king got up from his seat,

And Ehud has come to him, and he is sitting in the cool upper chamber which he has for himself, and Ehud says, “I have a word of God for you”; and he rises from off the throne;

21 Ehud grabbed his sword with his left hand from his right thigh and drove it into Eglon's belly.

and Ehud puts forth his left hand, and takes the sword from off his right thigh, and thrusts it into his belly;

22 The handle went in with the blade and the fat closed over it. So Ehud didn't pull the sword out, and the king defecated.

and the hilt also goes in after the blade, and the fat shuts on the blade, that he has not drawn the sword out of his belly, and he goes out [through] the antechamber [[or and the dung came out]].

23 Then Ehud closed and locked the doors, and escaped through the toilet.

And Ehud goes out at the porch, and shuts the doors of the upper chamber on him, and has bolted [it];

24 After he had left, the servants came and saw that the doors of the room were locked. “He must be using the toilet,” they concluded.

and he has gone out, and his servants have come in, and look, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber are bolted, and they say, “He is surely covering his feet, [relieving himself, ] in the cool inner chamber.”

25 So they waited until they couldn't stand it any more, and since he still hadn't opened the doors of the room, they went and found the key and opened the doors. There was their lord, lying dead on the floor.

And they stay until confounded, and behold, he is not opening the doors of the upper chamber, and they take the key, and open, and behold, their lord is fallen to the earth—dead.

26 While the servants delayed acting, Ehud escaped, passing the stone idols and on to Seirah.

And Ehud escaped during their lingering, and has passed by the images, and escapes to Seirath.

27 When he got there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites joined him. They went down from the hills, with Ehud leading them.

And it comes to pass, in his coming in, that he blows with a horn in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel go down with him from the hill-country, and he before them;

28 He told them, “Follow me, for the Lord has handed Moab, your enemy, over to you.” So they followed him down and took control of the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab. They didn't let anyone cross.

and he says to them, “Pursue after me, for YHWH has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand”; and they go down after him, and capture the passages of the Jordan toward Moab, and have not permitted a man to pass over.

29 Then they attacked the Moabites and killed around 10,000 of their best and strongest fighting men. Not a single one escaped.

And they strike Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all robust, and everyone a man of valor, and no man has escaped,

30 Moab was conquered that day and made subject to Israel, and the country was at peace for eighty years.

and Moab is humbled in that day under the hand of Israel; and the land rests [for] eighty years.

31 After Ehud was Shamgar, son of Anath, who killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He also rescued Israel.

And after him has been Shamgar son of Anath, and he strikes the Philistines—six hundred men—with an ox-goad, and he also saves Israel.