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;

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;

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) —

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:

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;

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.

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, 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.

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,

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

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

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

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;

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.

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;

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.

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 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.

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

The land had rest forty years. And Othniel the 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;

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.

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

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

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

The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab 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;

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.

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 made him a sword which had two edges, eighteen inches in length; and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

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

He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon 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,

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.'

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."

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.

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.

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

Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped 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;

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.

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 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.

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,

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.

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

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.

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.

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.