Judges 3

1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of 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 only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of 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 namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount 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, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of 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 The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hethites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the 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 and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served 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 children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

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 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim; and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim 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 When the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother; and he obeyed him.

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 judged Israel; and he went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.

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 The land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

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

12 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

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 He gathered to him the people of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.

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 children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

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

15 But when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the 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 made him a sword which had two edges, eighteen inches in length; and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

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 offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man.

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

18 When he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people who bore the tribute.

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 he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Keep silence." All who stood by him went out from him.

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 came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God to you, O king." He arose out of 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 And it happened as he rose up that Ehud put forth his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.

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

22 And the handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he didn't draw the sword out of his belly; and it came out behind.

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 went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them.

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

24 Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and look, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, "Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room."

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 They waited until they were ashamed; and look, he did not open the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them, and look, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

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 Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.

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

27 It happened, when he had come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he before 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 said to them, "Follow after me; for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." They went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow a man to pass over.

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 They struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man.

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 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. Then the land had rest eighty years. And Ehud judged them until he died.

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

31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who alone struck down six hundred men of the Philistines with an oxgoad. And he also saved 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.