Judges 3
1 At that time there were still many people-groups in Canaan. Yahweh left them there to test the Israeli people. But many of the Israelis in Canaan were ones who had not fought in any of the wars in Canaan. So Yahweh also left those people-groups in Canaan so that the descendants of those who had not fought in any of the wars might learn how to fight.
These nowe are the nations which the Lord left, that he might proue Israel by them (euen as many of Israel as had not knowen all the warres of Canaan,
Only to make the generations of the children of Israel to know, and to teach them warre, which doutles their predecessors knew not)
3 [This is a list of] the people-groups that Yahweh left there: The Philistines and their five leaders, the people living in the area near Sidon [city], the descendants of Canaan, and the descendants of Hiv who were living in the mountains of Lebanon between Baal-Hermon Mountain and Lebo-Hamath.
Fiue princes of the Philistims, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hiuites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon vntill one come to Hamath.
4 Yahweh left these people-groups there to test the Israelis, to see if they would obey his commands which he had told Moses to give them.
And these remayned to proue Israel by them, to wit, whether they would obey the commandements of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 The Israelis lived among the Canaan people-group, the Hiv people-group, the Amor people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group.
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hiuites, and the Iebusites,
6 [Moses had told the people not to associate with any of those people]. But the Israelis took daughters of people from those people-groups [to be their own wives], and gave their own daughters to men of those groups, to marry them. And [as a result] they started to worship the gods of those people-groups.
And they tooke their daughters to bee their wiues, and gaue their daughters to their sonnes, and serued their gods.
7 The Israelis did things that Yahweh said were very evil. They forgot about Yahweh, their God, and they started to worship [the idols that represented] the god Baal and the goddess Asherah.
So the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord, and forgate the Lord their God, and serued Baalim, and Asheroth.
8 Yahweh became very angry with the Israelis. So he allowed king Cushan from Mesopotamia to conquer them and rule them for eight years.
Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he solde them into the hand of Chushan rishathaim King of Aram-naharaim, and the children of Israel serued Chushan rishathaim eyght yeeres.
9 But when they pleaded to Yahweh [to help them], he gave them a leader to rescue them. He was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz.
And when the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lord, the Lord stirred vp a sauiour to ye children of Israel, and he saued them, euen Othniel the sonne of Kenaz, Calebs yonger brother.
10 Yahweh’s Spirit came upon him, and he became their leader. He [led an army that] fought against [the army of] Cushan, and defeated them.
And the spirite of the Lord came vpon him, and he iudged Israel, and went out to warre: and the Lord deliuered Chushan rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and his hand preuailed against Chushan rishathaim.
11 After that, there was peace in the land for 40 years, until Othniel died.
So the lande had rest fourtie yeeres, and Othniel the sonne of Kenaz dyed.
12 After that, the Israelis again did things that Yahweh said were very evil. As a result, he allowed the army of King Eglon, who ruled [the] Moab [area], to defeat the Israelis.
Then the children of Israel againe committed wickednesse in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon King of Moab against Israel, because they had committed wickednesse before the Lord.
13 Eglon persuaded the leaders of the Ammon and Amalek people-groups to join their armies with his army to attack Israel. They captured [Jericho, which was called] ‘The City of Palm Trees’.
And he gathered vnto him the children of Ammon, and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and they possessed the citie of palme trees.
14 Then King Eglon ruled the Israelis for eighteen years.
So the children of Israel serued Eglon king of Moab eighteene yeeres.
15 But then the Israelis again pleaded to Yahweh [to help them]. So he gave them another leader to rescue them. He was Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera, from the descendants of Benjamin. The Israelis sent him to King Eglon to give him their yearly protection money.
But when the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord, the Lord stirred them vp a sauiour, Ehud the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini, a man lame of his right hande: and the children of Israel sent a present by him vnto Eglon King of Moab.
16 Ehud had with him a double-edged dagger, about a foot and a half long. He strapped it to his right thigh, under his clothes.
And Ehud made him a dagger with two edges of a cubite length, and he did gird it vnder his rayment vpon his right thigh,
17 He gave the money to King Eglon, who was a very fat man.
And he presented ye gift vnto Eglon King of Moab (and Eglon was a very fat man)
18 Then Ehud started to go back home with the men who had carried the money.
And when he had now presented the present, he sent away the people that bare ye present,
19 When they arrived at the stone carvings near Gilgal, [he told the other men to go on, but] he himself turned around and went back [to the king of Moab. When he arrived at the palace], he said to the king, “Your majesty, I have a secret message for you.” So the king told all his servants to be quiet, and sent them out of the room.
But he turned againe from the quarris, that were by Gilgal, and said, I haue a secret errand vnto thee, O King. Who said, Keepe silence: and all that stoode about him, went out from him.
20 Then, as Eglon was sitting alone in the upstairs room of his summer palace, Ehud came close to him and said, “I have a message for you from God.” As the king got up from his chair,
Then Ehud came vnto him. (and he sate alone in a sommer parler, which he had) and Ehud said, I haue a message vnto thee from God. Then he arose out of his throne,
21 Ehud reached with his left hand and pulled the dagger from his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly.
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and tooke the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his bellie,
22 He thrust it in so far that the handle went into the king’s belly, and the blade came out the king’s back. Ehud did not pull the dagger out. [He left it there, with] the handle buried in the king’s fat.
So that the hafte went in after the blade, and the fatte closed about the blade, so that he could not drawe the dagger out of his bellie, but the dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud left the room. He went out to the porch. He shut the doors to the room and locked them.
Then Ehud gate him out into the porch, and shut the doores of the parler vpon him, and locked them.
24 After he had gone, King Eglon’s servants came back, but they saw that the doors of the room were locked. They said, “The king must be defecating in the inner room.”
And when he was gone out, his seruantes came: who seeing that the doores of the parler were locked, they sayd, Surely he doeth his easement in his sommer chamber.
25 So they waited, but when the king did not open the doors of the room, after a while they were worried. They got a key and unlocked the doors. And they saw that their king was lying on the floor, dead.
And they taryed till they were ashamed: and seeing he opened not the doores of the parler, they tooke the key, and opened them, and behold, their lord was fallen dead on the earth.
26 Meanwhile, Ehud escaped. He passed by the stone carvings and arrived at Seirah, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived.
So Ehud escaped (while they taried) and was passed the quarris, and escaped vnto Seirah.
27 There he blew a trumpet [to signal that the people should join him to fight the people of Moab]. So the Israelis went with him from the hills. They went down [toward the Jordan river], with Ehud leading them.
And when he came home, he blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel went downe with him from the mountaine, and he went before them.
28 He said to the men, “Yahweh is going to allow us to defeat your enemies, the people of Moab. So follow me!” So they followed him down to the river, and they stationed some of their men at the place where people can walk across the river, in order that they could [kill any people from Moab who tried to] cross the river [to escape].
Then said he vnto them, Follow me: for the Lord hath deliuered your enemies, euen Moab into your hand. So they went downe after him, and tooke the passages of Iorden towarde Moab, and suffred not a man to passe ouer.
29 At that time, the Israelis killed about 10,000 people from Moab. They were all strong and capable men, but not one of them escaped.
And they slewe of the Moabites the same time about ten thousand men, all fed men, and all were warriours, and there escaped not a man.
30 On that day, the Israelis conquered the people of Moab. Then there was peace in their land for 80 years.
So Moab was subdued that daye, vnder the hand of Israel: and the land had rest fourescore yeeres.
31 After Ehud [died], Shamgar became their leader. He rescued the Israelis [from the Philistines. In one battle] he killed 600 Philistines with an (ox goad/sharp wooden pole).
And after him was Shamgar the sonne of Anath, which slewe of the Philistims sixe hundreth men with an oxe goade, and he also deliuered Israel.
