Judges 3

1 Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to prove by them the Israelites, namely, all those who had not experienced all the wars of Canaan;

2 Only in order that the future generations of the children of Israel might obtain knowledge, to teach them war; but only such as before had learned nothing thereof;

3 Namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt on mount Lebanon, from mount Ba'al-chermon unto the entrance of Chamath.

4 And they were left to prove by them the Israelites, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

5 And the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Emorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;

6 And they took their daughters to themselves for wives, and their daughters they gave to their sons; and they served their gods.

7 And the children of Israel did [thus] the evil in the eyes of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served the Be'alim and the groves.

8 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rish'athayim the king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-rish'athayim eight years.

9 And the children of Israel cried then unto the Lord, and the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, namely, 'Othniel the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb.

10 And the spirit of the Lord came over him, and he judged Israel, and went out to battle: and the Lord delivered Cushan-rish'athayim the king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rish'athayim.

11 And the land had rest forty years; and then died 'Othniel the son of Kenaz.

12 And the children of Israel did again the evil in the eyes of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened 'Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done the evil in the eyes of the Lord.

13 And he gathered unto him the children of 'Ammon and 'Amalek, and they went and smote Israel, and took possession of the city of palm-trees.

14 And the children of Israel served 'Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15 But the children of Israel cried then unto the Lord; and the Lord raised up unto them a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera a Benjamite, a man who was lamed in his right hand; and the children of Israel sent by him a present unto 'Eglon the king of Moab.

16 But Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his garments upon his right thigh.

17 And he brought the present near unto 'Eglon the king of Moab; now 'Eglon was a very fat man.

18 And it came to pass when he had made an end to offer the present, that he sent away the people who had borne the present.

19 But he himself returned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word unto thee, O King. And he said, Keep silence. And thereupon went out from his presence all that stood by him.

20 And Ehud came in unto him; and he was sitting in the summer upper chamber, which was for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a word of God unto thee. And he arose out of his chair.

21 And Ehud stretched forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body.

22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade; for he did not draw the sword out of his body, and it passed into the fundament.

23 And Ehud went forth into the ante-room, and shut the doors of the upper chamber after him, and locked them.

24 He was just gone out, when his servants came; and they saw, behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said, Surely he covereth his feet in the summer chamber.

25 And they tarried till they were ashamed; and behold, he opened not the doors of the upper chamber; wherefore they took the key and opened them: and, behold, their lord was lying dead on the floor.

26 And Ehud had escaped while they were tarrying, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Se'irah.

27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew the cornet on the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountain, and he before them.

28 And he said unto them, Pursue after me; for the Lord hath delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand. And they went down after him, and seized on the fords of the Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

29 And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man.

30 And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

31 And after him was Shamgar the son of 'Anath, who smote of the philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad; and he also delivered Israel.