Iudicum 3

1 Hæ sunt gentes, quas Dominus dereliquit, ut erudiret in eis Israelem, et omnes, qui non noverant bella Chananæorum:

These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan,

2 ut postea discerent filii eorum certare cum hostibus, et habere consuetudinem præliandi:

if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:

3 quinque satrapas Philisthinorum, omnemque Chananæum, et Sidonium, atque Hevæum, qui habitabat in monte Libano, de monte Baal Hermon usque ad introitum Emath.

the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 Dimisitque eos, ut in ipsis experiretur Israelem, utrum audiret mandata Domini quæ præceperat patribus eorum per manum Moysi, an non.

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.

5 Itaque filii Israel habitaverunt in medio Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Iebusæi:

Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6 et duxerunt uxores filias eorum, ipsique filias suas filiis eorum tradiderunt, et servierunt diis eorum.

And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 Feceruntque malum in conspectu Domini, et obliti sunt Dei sui, servientes Baalim et Astaroth.

So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

8 Iratusque contra Israel Dominus, tradidit eos in manus Chusan Rasathaim regis Mesopotamiæ, servieruntque ei octo annis.

Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.

9 Et clamaverunt ad Dominum: qui suscitavit eis salvatorem, et liberavit eos, Othoniel videlicet filium Cenez, fratrem Caleb minorem:

But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.

10 fuitque in eo Spiritus Domini, et iudicavit Israel. Egressusque est ad pugnam, et tradidit Dominus in manus eius Chusan Rasathaim regem Syriæ, et oppressit eum.

The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

11 Quievitque terra quadraginta annis, et mortuus est Othoniel filius Cenez.

So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 Addiderunt autem filii Israel facere malum in conspectu Domini: qui confortavit adversum eos Eglon regem Moab: quia fecerunt malum in conspectu eius.

Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13 Et copulavit ei filios Ammon, et Amalec: abiitque et percussit Israel, atque possedit Urbem palmarum.

After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

14 Servieruntque filii Israel Eglon regi Moab decem et octo annis:

The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

15 et postea clamaverunt ad Dominum: qui suscitavit eis salvatorem vocabulo Aod, filium Gera, filii Iemini, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur. Miseruntque filii Israel per illum munera Eglon regi Moab.

And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

16 Qui fecit sibi gladium ancipitem, habentem in medio capulum longitudinis palmæ manus, et accinctus est eo subter sagum in dextro femore.

Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak

17 Obtulitque munera Eglon regi Moab. Erat autem Eglon crassus nimis.

and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.

18 Cumque obtulisset ei munera, prosecutus est socios, qui cum eo venerant.

After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.

19 Et reversus de Galgalis, ubi erant idola, dixit ad Regem: Verbum secretum habeo ad te o Rex. Et ille imperavit silentium: egressisque omnibus, qui circa eum erant,

But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.

20 ingressus est Aod ad eum: sedebat autem in æstivo cœnaculo solus, dixitque: Verbum Dei habeo ad te. Qui statim surrexit de throno.

Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.

21 Extenditque Aod sinistram manum, et tulit sicam de dextro femore suo, infixitque eam in ventre eius

And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.

22 tam valide, ut capulus sequeretur ferrum in vulnere, ac pinguissimo adipe stringeretur. Nec eduxit gladium, sed ita ut percusserat, reliquit in corpore: statimque per secreta naturæ alvi stercora proruperunt.

Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied.

23 Aod autem clausis diligentissime ostiis cœnaculi, et obfirmatis sera,

Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.

24 per posticum egressus est. Servique regis ingressi viderunt clausas fores cœnaculi, atque dixerunt: Forsitan purgat alvum in æstivo cubiculo.

After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.

25 Expectantesque diu donec erubescerent, et videntes quod nullus aperiret, tulerunt clavem: et aperientes invenerunt dominum suum in terra iacentem mortuum.

So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.

26 Aod autem, dum illi turbarentur, effugit, et pertransiit Locum idolorum, unde reversus fuerat. Venitque in Seirath:

Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

27 et statim insonuit buccina in monte Ephraim: descenderuntque cum eo filii Israel, ipso in fronte gradiente.

On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.

28 Qui dixit ad eos: Sequimini me: tradidit enim Dominus inimicos nostros Moabitas in manus nostras. Descenderuntque post eum, et occupaverunt vada Iordanis quæ transmittunt in Moab: et non dimiserunt transire quemquam:

“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

29 sed percusserunt Moabitas in tempore illo, circiter decem millia, omnes robustos et fortes viros. nullus eorum evadere potuit.

At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.

30 Humiliatusque est Moab in die illo sub manu Israel: et quievit Terra octoginta annis.

So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

31 Post hunc fuit Samgar filius Anath, qui percussit de Philisthiim sexcentos viros vomere: et ipse quoque defendit Israel.

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.