Judges 3

1 And these [are] the nations which Jehovah left, to try Israel by them, all who have not known all the wars of Canaan;

The following are the nations the Lord left and used to test all those Israelites who had not known what it was like to be part of any of the wars in Canaan.

2 (only for the sake of the generations of the sons of Israel's knowing, to teach them war, only those who formerly have not known them) —

(He did so to teach warfare to the later generations of Israel, particularly to those who had not previously experienced it.)

3 five princes of the Philistines, and all the Canaanite, and the Zidonian, and the Hivite inhabiting mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-Hermon unto the entering in of Hamath;

They are: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 and they are to prove Israel by them, to know whether they obey the commands of Jehovah that He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

They were left there be to a test for the Israelites, to find out whether the Israelites would keep the Lord's commandments which he had given their forefathers through Moses.

5 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,

They lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6 and take their daughters to them for wives, and their daughters have given to their sons, and they serve their gods;

The Israelites intermarried with them, marrying their daughters, giving their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.

7 and the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and forget Jehovah their God, and serve the Baalim and the shrines.

The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight. They ignored the Lord their God and worshiped the images of Baals and Asherahs.

8 And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aram-Naharaim, and the sons of Israel serve Chushan-Rishathaim eight years;

The Lord became angry with Israel, so he sold them to Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim. The Israelites were subject to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.

9 and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, and Jehovah raiseth a saviour to the sons of Israel, and he saveth them — Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother;

But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord to help them, he provided someone to rescue them, Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, and he saved them.

10 and the Spirit of Jehovah is upon him, and he judgeth Israel, and goeth out to battle, and Jehovah giveth unto his hand Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aram, and strong is his hand against Chushan-Rishathaim;

The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he became Israel's judge. He went to war with Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram, and the Lord handed the king over to Othniel, who was victorious.

11 and the land resteth forty years. And Othniel son of Kenaz dieth,

As a result, the country was a peace for forty years until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.

12 and the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah; and Jehovah strengtheneth Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because that they have done the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah;

But once again the Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight, and because they did this the Lord gave power to Eglon, king of Moab, to conquer Israel.

13 and he gathereth unto him the Bene-Ammon and Amalek, and goeth and smiteth Israel, and they possess the city of palms;

Eglon had the Ammonites and the Amalekite join him, and then attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

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

The Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.

15 And the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, and Jehovah raiseth to them a saviour, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite (a man — shut of his right hand), and the sons of Israel send by his hand a present to Eglon king of Moab;

Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord to help them, and he provided someone to rescue them, Ehud, son of Gera the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent him to pay the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab.

16 and Ehud maketh for himself a sword, and it hath two mouths (a cubit [is] its length), and he girdeth it under his long robe on his right thigh;

Ehud had made for himself a cubit long double-edged sword, and he strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes.

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

He came and presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.

18 And it cometh to pass, when he hath finished to bring near the present, that he sendeth away the people bearing the present,

Then after delivering the tribute he sent home those who had helped carry it.

19 and he himself hath turned back from the graven images which [are] at Gilgal, and saith, 'A secret word I have unto thee, O king;' and he saith, 'Hush!' and go out from him do all those standing by him.

But when he reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He went to see Eglon, and told him, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.” The king told his attendants, “Silence!” and they all left.

20 And Ehud hath come unto him, and he is sitting in the upper chamber of the wall which he hath for himself, and Ehud saith, 'A word of God I have unto thee;' and he riseth from off the throne;

Ehud then went over to where Eglon was sitting alone in his cool upstairs room, and told him, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king got up from his seat,

21 and Ehud putteth forth his left hand, and taketh the sword from off his right thigh, and striketh it into his belly;

Ehud grabbed his sword with his left hand from his right thigh and drove it into Eglon's belly.

22 and the haft also goeth in after the blade, and the fat shutteth on the blade, that he hath not drawn the sword out of his belly, and it goeth out at the fundament.

The handle went in with the blade and the fat closed over it. So Ehud didn't pull the sword out, and the king defecated.

23 And Ehud goeth out at the porch, and shutteth the doors of the upper chamber upon him, and hath bolted [it];

Then Ehud closed and locked the doors, and escaped through the toilet.

24 and he hath gone out, and his servants have come in, and look, and lo, the doors of the upper chamber are bolted, and they say, 'He is only covering his feet in the inner chamber of the wall.'

After he had left, the servants came and saw that the doors of the room were locked. “He must be using the toilet,” they concluded.

25 And they stay till confounded, and lo, he is not opening the doors of the upper chamber, and they take the key, and open, and lo, their lord is fallen to the earth — dead.

So they waited until they couldn't stand it any more, and since he still hadn't opened the doors of the room, they went and found the key and opened the doors. There was their lord, lying dead on the floor.

26 And Ehud escaped during their tarrying, and hath passed by the images, and is escaped to Seirath.

While the servants delayed acting, Ehud escaped, passing the stone idols and on to Seirah.

27 And it cometh to pass, in his coming in, that he bloweth with a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim, and go down with him do the sons of Israel from the hill-country, and he before them;

When he got there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites joined him. They went down from the hills, with Ehud leading them.

28 and he saith unto them, 'Pursue after me, for Jehovah hath given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand;' and they go down after him, and capture the passages of the Jordan towards Moab, and have not permitted a man to pass over.

He told them, “Follow me, for the Lord has handed Moab, your enemy, over to you.” So they followed him down and took control of the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab. They didn't let anyone cross.

29 And they smite Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all robust, and every one a man of valour, and not a man hath escaped,

Then they attacked the Moabites and killed around 10,000 of their best and strongest fighting men. Not a single one escaped.

30 and Moab is humbled in that day under the hand of Israel; and the land resteth eighty years.

Moab was conquered that day and made subject to Israel, and the country was at peace for eighty years.

31 And after him hath been Shamgar son of Anath, and he smiteth the Philistines — six hundred men — with an ox-goad, and he saveth — he also — Israel.

After Ehud was Shamgar, son of Anath, who killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He also rescued Israel.