Richter 3
1 Dies sind die Heidenvölker, die der Herr dagelassen hat, um durch sie Israel zu erproben in all dem, was sie noch nicht gekannt, in den Kämpfen mit Kanaan,
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.
2 - nur damit die Geschlechter der Israeliten das Kriegshandwerk zu erlernen verstünden, einzig das, was sie vormals nicht gekannt haben -
3 die fünf Philisterfürsten, alle Kanaaniter, Sidonier und die Chiwiter, die auf dem Libanongebirge vom Berge Baal Hermon bis gegen Hamat saßen.
[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.
4 Sie waren da, um Israel an ihnen zu prüfen und zu erfahren, ob sie des Herrn Gebot gehorchten, das er ihren Vätern durch Moses gegeben hatte.
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.
5 So saßen die Israeliten mitten unter den Kanaanitern, Chittitern, Amoritern, Perizitern, Chiwitern und Jebusitern.
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.
6 Sie nahmen sich ihre Töchter zu Weibern, und ihre Töchter gaben sie ihren Söhnen und dienten ihren Göttern.
[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.
7 Die Israeliten nun taten, was dem Herrn mißfiel, vergaßen des Herrn und dienten den Baalen und den Ascheren.
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.
8 Da entbrannte des Herrn Zorn gegen Israel, und er verkaufte sie in die Hand des Kuschan Rischataim, des Königs von Mesopotamien. Und so dienten die Israeliten dem Kuschan Rischataim acht Jahre.
Yahweh became very angry with the Israelis. So he allowed king Cushan from Mesopotamia to conquer them and rule them for eight years.
9 Da schrien die Israeliten zum Herrn, und der Herr ließ den Israeliten einen Retter erstehen, der sie befreite, Otniel, des Kenaz Sohn, Kalebs jüngeren Bruder.
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.
10 Der Geist des Herrn kam auf ihn, und so richtete er Israel. Er zog zu Felde, und der Herr gab Arams König, Kuschan Rischataim, in seine Hand. Seine Hand lag schwer auf Kuschan Rischataim.
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.
11 So rastete das Land vierzig Jahre. Da starb des Kenaz Sohn Otniel.
After that, there was peace in the land for 40 years, until Othniel died.
12 Die Israeliten aber taten aufs neue, was dem Herrn mißfiel. Da gab der Herr dem Moabkönig Eglon Macht über Israel, weil sie getan, was dem Herrn mißfiel.
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.
13 Und er verband sich mit den Ammonitern und mit Amalek. So zog er hin, schlug Israel, und sie besetzten die Palmenstadt.
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’.
14 Die Israeliten dienten dem König Moabs, Eglon, achtzehn Jahre.
Then King Eglon ruled the Israelis for eighteen years.
15 Da schrien die Israeliten zum Herrn, und der Herr ließ ihnen einen Retter erstehen, Ehud, den Sohn Geras, den Benjaminiten, einen Linkshänder. Durch ihn sandten die Israeliten an Moabs König, Eglon, eine Spende.
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.
16 Da machte sich Ehud ein Schwert, zweischneidig und eine Spanne lang. Er gürtete es unter seinem Gewand an seine rechte Seite.
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.
17 So brachte er die Spende dem Eglon, Moabs König. Eglon aber war sehr beleibt. Er war eben von den Götzenbildern im Gilgal heimgekehrt.
He gave the money to King Eglon, who was a very fat man.
18 Als er die Spende überreicht hatte, entließ er die Leute, die Träger der Spende.
Then Ehud started to go back home with the men who had carried the money.
19 Er sprach: "König! Ein geheimes Wort habe ich an dich." Da sprach dieser: "Still!" Darauf gingen alle fort, die ihn umstanden.
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.
20 Ehud war nun an ihn herangetreten. Er aber saß in seinem kühlen Söller allein da. Ehud sprach nun: "Ich habe an dich ein Gotteswort." Da stand er vom Throne auf.
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,
21 Ehud aber streckte seine Linke aus, nahm das Schwert von seiner rechten Hüfte und stach es ihm in den Leib.
Ehud reached with his left hand and pulled the dagger from his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly.
22 Und er stieß nach der Klinge das Heft hinein, und das Fett umschloß die Klinge; denn er hatte das Schwert nicht aus seinem Leibe gezogen; dann verließ er den Flur.
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.
23 Hierauf ging Ehud durch den Mittelbau, verschloß die Türen des Obergemachs hinter sich und riegelte ab.
Then Ehud left the room. He went out to the porch. He shut the doors to the room and locked them.
24 Eben war er fortgegangen, da kamen seine (Eglons) Diener und fanden die Tür des Söllers verriegelt. Sie sprachen: "Er begießt wohl in der kühlen Kammer seine Füße."
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.”
25 So warteten sie endlos. Aber niemand öffnete die Tür des Söllers. Da holten sie den Schlüssel und schlossen auf. Ihr Herr lag tot am Boden.
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.
26 Ehud aber war während ihres Wartens entkommen und hatte die Götzenbilder umgestürzt, dann entkam er in den Busch.
Meanwhile, Ehud escaped. He passed by the stone carvings and arrived at Seirah, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived.
27 Wie er nun heimkam, stieß er auf dem Gebirge Ephraim in das Horn. Da stiegen mit ihm die Israeliten vorn Gebirge herab, er an ihrer Spitze.
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.
28 Er sprach zu ihnen: "Folgt mir schnell! Denn der Herr gibt eure Feinde, Moab, in eure Hand." Da stiegen sie hinab, ihm nach, besetzten die Jordanfurten gegen Moab und ließen niemand hinüber.
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].
29 Sie schlugen damals Moab, etwa zehntausend Mann, Lauter starke und streitbare Leute; und niemand entrann.
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.
30 Damals ward Moab unter Israels Hand gebeugt, und das Land hatte achtzig Jahre Ruhe.
On that day, the Israelis conquered the people of Moab. Then there was peace in their land for 80 years.
31 Nach ihm trat Anats Sohn, Samgar, auf. Er schlug die Philister, sechshundert Mann, mit einem Ochsenstecken. Auch er befreite Israel.
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).
