Judges 3

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

Now Yahweh left these nations to test Israel, namely everyone in Israel who had not experienced any of the wars fought in Canaan.

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

(He did this to teach warfare to the new generation of the Israelites who had not known it before.)

3 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.

These are the nations: the five kings from the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal Hermon to Hamath Pass.

4 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.

These nations were left as a means by which Yahweh would test Israel, to confirm whether they would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.

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

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

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

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

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

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and forgot Yahweh their God. They worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.

8 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.

Therefore, the anger of Yahweh was set on fire against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. The people of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.

9 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.

When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would come to help the people of Israel, and who would rescue them: Othniel son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother).

10 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.

Yahweh's Spirit empowered him, and he judged Israel and he went out to war. Yahweh gave him victory over Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram. The hand of Othniel defeated Cushan-Rishathaim.

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

The land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 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.

After that, the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave strength to Eglon king of Moab to overpower the Israelites.

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

Eglon joined with the Ammonites and the Amalekites and they went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.

14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

The people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 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.

When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would help them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent him, with their tribute payment, to Eglon king of Moab.

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

Ehud made himself a sword that had two edges, one cubit in length; he strapped it on under his clothing on his right thigh.

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

He gave the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)

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

After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he left with those who had carried it in.

19 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.

As for Ehud himself, however, when he reached the place where the carved images were made near Gilgal, he turned and went back, and he said, “I have a secret message for you, my king.” Eglon said, “Silence!” So all those serving him left the room.

20 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.

Ehud came to him. The king was sitting by himself, alone in the coolness of the upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king got up out of his seat.

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

Ehud reached with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and he stabbed it into the king's body.

22 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.

The hilt of the sword also went into him following the blade. The tip of the sword came out of his back and the fat closed over it, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly.

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

Then Ehud went out on the porch and closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 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.

After Ehud had gone, the king's servants came; they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, so they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the coolness of the upper room.”

25 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.

They were growing more concerned until they felt they were neglecting their duty when the king still did not open the doors to the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there lay their master, fallen to the floor, dead.

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

While the servants were waiting, wondering what they should do, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the place where there were carved images of idols, and so he escaped to Seirah.

27 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.

When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hills, and he was leading them.

28 “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.

He said to them, “Follow me, for Yahweh is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites.” They followed him and they captured the fords of the Jordan across from the Moabites, and they did not allow anyone to cross the river.

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

At that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, and all were strong and capable men. Not one escaped.

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

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

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

After Ehud the next judge was Shamgar son of Anath who killed 600 men of the Philistines with a stick used to goad cattle. He also delivered Israel from danger.