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.
Now, these, are the nations which Yahweh left, that he might, by them, put Israel to the proof, —all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan;
that the generations of the sons of Israel might certainly get to know, by being taught to make war, —such, at least, as aforetime knew nothing thereof: —
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.
five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites dwelling in Mount Lebanon, —from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entering in of 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.
So then [these] were [left], that, by them, he might put Israel to the proof, —to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Yahweh 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 thus, the sons of Israel, dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites, —the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
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 took their daughters to be their wives, their own daughters moreover, gave they unto their sons, and they served 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.
Thus did the sons of Israel the thing that was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and forgat Yahweh their God, —and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
8 Yahweh became very angry with the Israelis. So he allowed king Cushan from Mesopotamia to conquer them and rule them for eight years.
Then kindled the anger of Yahweh upon Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, —and the sons of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim, eight years.
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 the sons of Israel made outcry unto Yahweh, so Yahweh raised up a saviour unto the sons of Israel, who saved them, —even Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger 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 Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war, and Yahweh delivered into his hand, Chushan-rishathaim, king of Syria, —and his hand prevailed over Chushan-rishathaim.
11 After that, there was peace in the land for 40 years, until Othniel died.
And the land had rest forty years, —and Othniel son of Kenaz, died.
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.
And the sons of Israel again did the thing that was wicked, in the sight of Yahweh, —and Yahweh emboldened Eglon, king of Moab, against Israel, because they did the thing that was wicked in the sight of Yahweh;
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 unto him, the sons of Ammon, and Amalek, —and came and smote Israel, and took possession of the city of palm-trees.
14 Then King Eglon ruled the Israelis for eighteen years.
So the sons of Israel served Eglon king of Moab, eighteen years.
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.
And the sons of Israel made outcry unto Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up unto them a saviour, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-handed, —and the sons of Israel sent, by his hand, a present, unto 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.
So Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, —and girded it under his raiment, upon his right thigh.
17 He gave the money to King Eglon, who was a very fat man.
So he offered the present unto Eglon, king of Moab, —now, Eglon, was an exceedingly fat man.
18 Then Ehud started to go back home with the men who had carried the money.
And so it was, when he had made an end of offering the present, that he sent away the people who had been bearing the 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 himself, turned back from the images that were by Gilgal, and said, A secret word, have I, unto thee, O king! And he said—Silence! Thereupon went out from his presence all who had been standing near 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,
And, Ehud, came in unto him, he, having been sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself, alone, and Ehud said, A divine word, have I, unto thee. So he arose from off his seat.
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 took the sword from off his right thigh, —and thrust it into his body;
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.
and, the handle also, went in after the blade, and the flesh closed upon the blade, for he withdrew not the sword out of his body, —and he came out into the ante-chamber.
23 Then Ehud left the room. He went out to the porch. He shut the doors to the room and locked them.
And, when Ehud came out into the porch, he closed the doors of the parlour upon him, and bolted 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.”
When, he, had come out, his servants, went in, and looked, and lo! the doors of the parlour were bolted, —so they said, Surely he covereth his feet, in the summer 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.
But, though they tarried a long time, yet lo! he opened not the doors of the parlour, —so they took the key, and opened [them], when lo! their lord, fallen to the ground dead.
26 Meanwhile, Ehud escaped. He passed by the stone carvings and arrived at Seirah, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived.
But, Ehud, escaped while they delayed, —yea, he, passed the images, and escaped into 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 so it was, when he came, that he blew with a horn, throughout the hill country of Ephraim, —and the sons of Israel came down with him, out of the hill country, he, being 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].
And he said unto them—Come down after me, for Yahweh hath delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand. So they came down after him, and captured the fords of the Jordan, towards Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
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 smote of Moab, at that time, about ten thousand men, every one a mighty man, and every one a man of valour, —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.
And Moab was subdued on that day, under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years, and Ehud judged them until his death.
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, son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines, six hundred men, with an ox-goad, —and, he also, saved Israel.
