Fakamaau 3

1 Pea ko e ngaahi puleʻanga eni naʻe tuku ʻe Sihova ke ʻahiʻahi ʻaki ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻio, ʻakinautolu ʻi ʻIsileli, naʻe ʻikai tenau ʻilo ʻae ngaahi tau kotoa pē ʻoe kau Kēnani:

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 Koeʻuhi ke hoko ʻo ʻilo ai ʻe he ngaahi toʻutangata kotoa pē ʻo ʻIsileli, ke ako tau kiate kinautolu, koeʻuhi pē ko kinautolu naʻe ʻikai tenau tomuʻa ʻilo siʻi ia:

3 Ko e ʻeiki ʻe toko nima ʻoe kau Filisitia, mo e kau Kēnani kotoa pē, mo e kau Saitoni, mo e kau Hevi naʻe nofo ʻi he moʻunga ko Lepanoni, mei he moʻunga ko Peali-Heamoni ki he hūʻanga ki Hemati.

[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 Pea naʻe tuku ke ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻaki ʻa ʻIsileli ʻekinautolu, ke ʻilo pē tenau fanongo ki he ngaahi fekau ʻa Sihova, ʻaia naʻa ne fekau ki heʻenau ngaahi tamai ʻi he nima ʻo Mōsese.

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 Pea naʻe nofo ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli fakataha mo e kau Kēnani, mo e kau Heti, mo e kau ʻAmoli, mo e kau Pelesi, mo e kau Hevi, mo e kau Sepusi:

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 Pea naʻa nau ʻomi honau ngaahi ʻofefine ke hoko ko honau ngaahi uaifi, pea [naʻa nau ]ʻatu honau ngaahi ʻofefine ki honau ngaahi foha, ʻonau tauhi honau ngaahi ʻotua.

[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 Pea naʻe fai kovi ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova, ʻo fakangaloʻi ʻa Sihova ko honau ʻOtua, ʻonau tauhi ʻa Peali mo e ngaahi vao tapu.

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 Ko ia naʻe vela ai ʻae houhau ʻa Sihova ki ʻIsileli, ʻo ne fakatau ʻakinautolu ki he nima ʻo Kusani-Lisateimi ko e tuʻi ʻo Mesepotemia: pea naʻe tauhi ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻa Kusani-Lisateimi ʻi he taʻu ʻe valu.

Yahweh became very angry with the Israelis. So he allowed king Cushan from Mesopotamia to conquer them and rule them for eight years.

9 Pea ʻi he tangi ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli kia Sihova, naʻe fokotuʻu hake ʻe Sihova ʻae fakamoʻui ki he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻaia naʻa ne fakamoʻui ʻakinautolu, ʻio, ko Otinili ko e foha ʻo Kenasi, ko e tehina ʻo Kelepi.

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 Pea naʻe ʻiate ia ʻae Laumālie ʻo Sihova, pea ne fakamaauʻi ʻe ia ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻo ne fai ʻae tau: pea naʻe tukuange ʻe Sihova ʻa Kusani-Lisateimi ko e tuʻi ʻo Mesepotemia ki hono nima; pea naʻe mālohi hono nima kia Kusani-Lisateimi.

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 Pea naʻe nofo fiemālie pe ʻae fonua ʻi he taʻu ʻe fāngofulu. Pea naʻe pekia ʻa Otinili ko e foha ʻo Kenasi.

After that, there was peace in the land for 40 years, until Othniel died.

12 Pea naʻe toe fai angakovi ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova: pea naʻe fakamālohi ʻe Sihova ʻa Ekeloni ko e tuʻi ʻo Moape kia ʻIsileli, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻenau fai kovi ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova.

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 Pea ne ne fakataha kiate ia ʻae fānau ʻa ʻAmoni mo ʻAmaleki, ʻo ne ʻalu ʻo teʻia ʻa ʻIsileli, pea ne maʻu ʻe ia ʻae kolo ʻoe ʻakau ko e ponga.

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 Pea pehē, naʻe tauhi ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻa Ekeloni, ko e tuʻi ʻo Moape ʻi he taʻu ʻe hongofulu ma valu.

Then King Eglon ruled the Israelis for eighteen years.

15 Ka ʻi he tangi ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli kia Sihova, naʻe fokotuʻu hake ʻe Sihova ha fakamoʻui kiate kinautolu, ko ʻEhuti ko e foha ʻo Kela, ʻoe kakai Penisimani, ko e tangata hema: pea naʻe ʻave ʻiate ia ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻae meʻaʻofa kia Ekeloni ko e tuʻi ʻo Moape.

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 Pea naʻe ngaohi ʻe ʻEhuti haʻane hele fakatoumata, ko e hanga ʻe ua hono lōloa; pea naʻa ne nonoʻo ia ʻi hono lalo kofu ki hono tenga toʻomataʻu.

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 Pea ne ʻomi ʻe ia ʻae meʻaʻofa kia Ekeloni ko e tuʻi ʻo Moape: pea ko e tangata sino lahi ʻa Ekeloni.

He gave the money to King Eglon, who was a very fat man.

18 Pea hili ʻene ʻatu ʻae meʻaʻofa, naʻa ne fekau ke ʻalu ʻae kakai naʻe fua ʻae meʻaʻofa.

Then Ehud started to go back home with the men who had carried the money.

19 Ka naʻe foki mai ia mei he ngaahi maka kuo tā naʻe ofi ki Kilikali, ʻo ne pehē, “ʻE tuʻi, ʻoku ai ʻeku fekau fufū kiate koe:” pea naʻa ne pehē, “Ke longo pe.” Pea ko kinautolu kotoa pē naʻe tutuʻu ʻi ai naʻe ʻalu kituʻa.

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 Pea naʻe haʻu ʻa ʻEhuti kiate ia: naʻe nofo ia ʻi he fale fakahavilivili naʻa ne ngaohi moʻona pe. Pea pehē ʻe ʻEhuti, “Kuo u maʻu ʻae fekau mei he ʻOtua kiate koe.” Pea naʻe tuʻu hake ia mei hono nofoʻa.

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 Pea naʻe mafao atu hono nima toʻohema ʻe ʻEhuti, ʻo toʻo mai ʻae heletā mei hono tuʻatenga toʻomataʻu, pea ne hokaʻi ʻaki ia ʻi hono kete.

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

22 Pea naʻe mole ai ki loto hono fakavaka mo e mata ʻoe hele; pea ʻoposi ʻae matalavea ki he hele, ko ia naʻe ʻikai te ne mafai ke toe toho mai ʻae hele mei hono kete: pea naʻe haʻu kituʻa hono kovi.

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 Pea ʻalu ai ʻa ʻEhuti ki fale, pea ne tāpuni ʻae matapā ʻoe potu fale kiate ia, ke maʻu.

Then Ehud left the room. He went out to the porch. He shut the doors to the room and locked them.

24 Pea hili ʻene ʻalu kituaʻā, naʻe haʻu ai ʻene kau tamaioʻeiki: pea ʻi heʻenau mamata, pea vakai, kuo maʻu ʻae ngaahi matapā ʻoe potu fale, naʻa nau pehē, naʻa ʻoku fai ʻene meʻa ʻi hono potu fale.

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 Pea naʻa nau mā ʻi he tatali: pea, vakai, naʻe ʻikai toʻo ʻe ia ʻae ngaahi matapā ʻoe potu fale ko ia naʻa nau toʻo ai ʻae kī, pea vete ʻaki: pea vakai, kuo tō ʻo mate honau ʻeiki ki lalo ki he kelekele.

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 Pea naʻe hao ʻa ʻEhuti ʻi heʻenau fakatuai, pea mole atu ia ʻo mamaʻo ʻi he ngaahi potu ʻoe taʻanga maka, pea hao atu ia ki Seilati.

Meanwhile, Ehud escaped. He passed by the stone carvings and arrived at Seirah, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived.

27 Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi heʻene hoko atu, naʻe ifi leva ʻae meʻalea ʻi he moʻunga ʻo ʻIfalemi, pea ʻalu hifo mo ia ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli mei he moʻunga, pea muʻomuʻa ʻiate kinautolu.

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 Pea pehē ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, “Mou muimui mai ʻiate au: he kuo tukuange ʻe Sihova homou ngaahi fili ko e kakai Moape ki homou nima.” Pea naʻa nau ʻalu hifo ʻo muimui ʻiate ia, ʻonau maʻu ʻae ngaahi aʻaʻanga ʻo Sioatani ʻo hanga ki Moape, pea naʻe ʻikai tenau tuku ha tangata ʻe tokotaha ke aʻa ai.

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 Pea naʻa nau taaʻi ʻae kau tangata Moape ʻi he kuonga ko ia, ko e tokotaha mano nai, ko e kau tangata sino kotoa pē pea toʻa; pea naʻe ʻikai hao ha tangata ʻe tokotaha.

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 Pea naʻe fakamoʻulaloa ʻa Moape ʻi he ʻaho ko ia ki he nima ʻo ʻIsileli. Pea naʻe nofo fiemālie ʻae fonua ʻi he taʻu ʻe valungofulu.

On that day, the Israelis conquered the people of Moab. Then there was peace in their land for 80 years.

31 Pea naʻe hoko mo ia ʻa Samikaʻa ko e foha ʻo ʻAnati, ʻaia naʻe teʻia ʻae kau Filisitia ʻe toko onongeau ʻaki ʻae tao [ʻoku hoka ʻaki ]ʻae pulu: pea naʻa ne fakamoʻui foki ʻe ia ʻa ʻIsileli.

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).