Judges 3

1 Now these are the nations which YHWH left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in 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:

if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:

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.

the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 They were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of YHWH, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.

5 The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hethites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6 and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of YHWH, and forgot YHWH their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

8 Therefore the anger of YHWH 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.

Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.

9 When the children of Israel cried to YHWH, YHWH 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.

But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.

10 The Spirit of YHWH came on him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and YHWH delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.

The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

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

So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

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

Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

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.

After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

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

The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

15 But when the children of Israel cried to YHWH, YHWH 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 again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute 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.

Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak

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

and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.

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

After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.

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.

But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left 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.

Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.

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 reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s 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.

Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied.

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

Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.

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."

After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.

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.

So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.

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

Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

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.

On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.

28 He said to them, "Follow after me; for YHWH 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.

“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross 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.

At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them 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.

So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest 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.

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.