Iudicum 3
1 Hæ sunt gentes quas Dominus dereliquit, ut erudiret in eis Israëlem, et omnes qui non noverant bella Chananæorum:
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 ut postea discerent filii eorum certare cum hostibus, et habere consuetudinem præliandi:
(He did so to teach warfare to the later generations of Israel, particularly to those who had not previously experienced it.)
3 quinque satrapas Philisthinorum, omnemque Chananæum, et Sidonium, atque Hevæum, qui habitabat in monte Libano, de monte Baal Hermon usque ad introitum Emath.
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 Dimisitque eos, ut in ipsis experiretur Israëlem, utrum audiret mandata Domini quæ præceperat patribus eorum per manum Moysi, an non.
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 Itaque filii Israël habitaverunt in medio Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Jebusæi:
They lived 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.
The Israelites intermarried with them, marrying their daughters, giving their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.
7 Feceruntque malum in conspectu Domini, et obliti sunt Dei sui, servientes Baalim et Astaroth.
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 Iratusque contra Israël Dominus, tradidit eos in manus Chusan Rasathaim regis Mesopotamiæ, servieruntque ei octo annis.
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 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 to help them, he provided someone to rescue them, Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, and he saved them.
10 fuitque in eo spiritus Domini, et judicavit Israël. Egressusque est ad pugnam, et tradidit Dominus in manus ejus Chusan Rasathaim regem Syriæ, et oppressit eum.
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 Quievitque terra quadraginta annis, et mortuus est Othoniel filius Cenez.
As a result, the country was a peace for forty years until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.
12 Addiderunt autem filii Israël facere malum in conspectu Domini: qui confortavit adversum eos Eglon regem Moab, quia fecerunt malum in conspectu ejus.
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 Et copulavit ei filios Ammon, et Amalec: abiitque et percussit Israël, atque possedit urbem palmarum.
Eglon had the Ammonites and the Amalekite join him, and then attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.
14 Servieruntque filii Israël Eglon regi Moab decem et octo annis.
The Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.
15 Et postea clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem vocabulo Aod, filium Gera, filii Jemini, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur. Miseruntque filii Israël per illum munera Eglon regi 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 Qui fecit sibi gladium ancipitem, habentem in medio capulum longitudinis palmæ manus, et accinctus est eo subter sagum in dextro femore.
Ehud had made for himself a cubit long double-edged sword, and he strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes.
17 Obtulitque munera Eglon regi Moab. Erat autem Eglon crassus nimis.
He came and presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
18 Cumque obtulisset ei munera, prosecutus est socios, qui cum eo venerant.
Then after delivering the tribute he sent home those who had helped carry 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 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 ingressus est Aod ad eum: sedebat autem in æstivo cœnaculo solus: dixitque: Verbum Dei habeo ad te. Qui statim surrexit de throno.
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 Extenditque Aod sinistram manum, et tulit sicam de dextro femore suo, infixitque eam in ventre ejus
Ehud grabbed his sword with his left hand from his right thigh and drove 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.
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 Aod autem clausis diligentissime ostiis cœnaculi, et obfirmatis sera,
Then Ehud closed and locked the doors, and escaped through the toilet.
24 per posticum egressus est. Servique regis ingressi viderunt clausas fores cœnaculi, atque dixerunt: Forsitan purgat alvum in æstivo cubiculo.
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 Expectantesque diu donec erubescerent, et videntes quod nullus aperiret, tulerunt clavem: et aperientes invenerunt dominum suum in terra jacentem mortuum.
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 Aod autem, dum illi turbarentur, effugit, et pertransiit locum idolorum, unde reversus fuerat. Venitque in Seirath:
While the servants delayed acting, Ehud escaped, passing the stone idols and on to Seirah.
27 et statim insonuit buccina in monte Ephraim, descenderuntque cum eo filii Israël, ipso in fronte gradiente.
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 Qui dixit ad eos: Sequimini me: tradidit enim Dominus inimicos nostros Moabitas in manus nostras. Descenderuntque post eum, et occupaverunt vada Jordanis quæ transmittunt in Moab: et non dimiserunt transire quemquam:
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 sed percusserunt Moabitas in tempore illo, circiter decem millia, omnes robustos et fortes viros. Nullus eorum evadere potuit.
Then they attacked the Moabites and killed around 10,000 of their best and strongest fighting men. Not a single one escaped.
30 Humiliatusque est Moab in die illo sub manu Israël: et quievit terra octoginta annis.
Moab was conquered that day and made subject to Israel, and the country was at peace for eighty years.
31 Post hunc fuit Samgar filius Anath, qui percussit de Philisthiim sexcentos viros vomere: et ipse quoque defendit Israël.
After Ehud was Shamgar, son of Anath, who killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He also rescued Israel.
