Judges 3

1 Now these are the nations which the Lord kept in the land for the purpose of testing Israel by them, all those who had had no experience of all the wars of Canaan;

These ben the folkis whiche the Lord lefte, that in hem he schulde teche Israel, and alle men that knewen not the batels of Cananeis;

2 Only because of the generations of the children of Israel, for the purpose of teaching them war — only those who up till then had no experience of it;

and that aftirward `the sones of hem schulden lerne to fiyte with enemyes,

3 The five chiefs of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites and the Zidonians and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from the mountain Baal-hermon as far as Hamath:

and to haue custom of batel He lefte fyue princes of Filistees, and al Cananei, and the puple of Sidon, and Euey that dwelliden in the hil Liban, fro the hil Baal Hermon `til to the entryng of Emath.

4 For the purpose of testing Israel by them, to see if they would give ear to the orders of the Lord, which he had given to their fathers by the hand of Moses.

And he lefte hem, that in hem he schulde asaie Israel, whethir thei wolden here the `heestis of the Lord, whiche he comaundide to her fadris bi the hond of Moises, ethir nai.

5 Now the children of Israel were living among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

And so the sones of Israel dwelliden in the myddis of Cananei, of Ethei, and of Ammorrei, and of Feresei, and of Euey,

6 And they took as wives the daughters of these nations and gave their daughters to their sons, and became servants to their gods.

and of Jebusey, and weddiden wyues, the douytris of hem; and the sones of Israel yauen her douytris to `the sones of hem, and serueden `the goddis of hem.

7 And the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and put out of their minds the Lord their God, and became servants to the Baals and the Astartes.

And the sones of Israel diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord, and foryaten her Lord God, and serueden Baalym, and Astaroth.

8 So the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he gave them up into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel were his servants for eight years.

And the Lord was wrooth ayens Israel, and bitook hem in to the hondis of Cusanrasathaym, kyng of Mesopotanye, and thei serueden hym eiyte yeer.

9 And when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

And thei crieden to the Lord, and he reiside to hem a sauyour, and delyuerede hem, that is, Othonyel, sone of Ceneth, `the lesse brothir of Caleph.

10 And the spirit of the Lord came on him and he became judge of Israel, and went out to war, and the Lord gave up Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hands and he overcame him.

And the spirit of the Lord was in hym, and he demyde Israel. And he yede out to batel, and the Lord bitook in to hise hondis Cusanrathaym, kyng of Sirie; and Othonyel oppresside hym.

11 Then for forty years the land had peace, till the death of Othniel, the son of Kenaz.

And the lond restide fourti yeer; and Othonyel, sone of Ceneth, diede.

12 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord; and the Lord made Eglon, king of Moab, strong against Israel, because they had done evil in the Lord's eyes.

Forsothe the sones of Israel addiden to do yuel in the `siyt of the Lord; and he coumfortide ayens hem Eglon, the kyng of Moab, for `thei diden yuel in the `siyt of the Lord.

13 And Eglon got together the people of Ammon and Amalek, and they went and overcame Israel and took the town of palm-trees.

And the Lord couplide to hym the sones of Amon and Amalech; and he yede, and smoot Israel, and hadde in possessioun the citee of Palmes.

14 And the children of Israel were servants to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.

And the sones of Israel serueden Eglon, kyng of Moab, eiytene yeer.

15 Then when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man; and the children of Israel sent an offering by him to Eglon, king of Moab.

And aftirward thei crieden to the Lord; and he reiside to hem a sauyour, Aioth bi name, the sone of Gera, sone of Gemyny, which Aioth vside euer either hond for the riyt hond. And the sones of Israel senten bi him yiftis, `that is, tribute, to Eglon, kyng of Moab;

16 So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.

which Aioth made to hym a swerd keruynge on euer either side, hauynge in the myddis a pomel of the lengthe of the pawm of an hond; and he was gird therwith vndir `the sai, `that is, a knyytis mentil, `in the riyt hipe.

17 And he took the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.

And he brouyte yiftis to Eglon, the kyng of Moab; forsothe Eglon was ful fat.

18 And after giving the offering, he sent away the people who had come with the offering.

And whanne he hadde youe yiftis to the kyng, he pursuede felowis that camen with hym; and he turnede ayen fro Galgalis,

19 But he himself, turning back from the stone images at Gilgal, said, I have something to say to you in secret, O king. And he said, Let there be quiet. Then all those who were waiting before him went out.

where idolis weren, and he seide to the kyng, A kyng, Y haue a priuei word to thee. And he comaundide silence. And whanne alle men weren goon out, that weren aboute hym, Aioth entride to hym;

20 Then Ehud came in to him while he was seated by himself in his summer-house. And Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. And he got up from his seat.

forsothe he sat aloone in a somer parlour. And Aioth seide, Y haue the word of God to thee.

21 And Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right side, and sent it into his stomach;

Which roos anoon fro the trone. And Aioth helde forth the left hond, and took the swerd fro his riyt hype; and he

22 And the hand-part went in after the blade, and the fat was joined up over the blade; for he did not take the sword out of his stomach. And he went out into the ...

fastnede in to the `wombe of the kyng so strongli, that the pomel, `ether hilte, suede the yrun in the wounde, and was holdun streite `in the thickeste fatnesse with ynne; and he drow not out the swerd, but so as he hadde smyte, he lefte in the bodi; and anoon bi the priuetees of kynde the tordis of the wombe braste out.

23 Then Ehud went out into the covered way, shutting the doors of the summer-house on him and locking them.

Forsothe whanne the doris of the parlour weren closid moost diligentli, and fastned with lok,

24 Now when he had gone, the king's servants came, and saw that the doors of the summer-house were locked; and they said, It may be that he is in his summer-house for a private purpose.

Aioth yede out bi a posterne. And the `seruauntis of the king entriden, not in the parlour, but in the porche, and thei sien the doris of the parlour closid, and seiden, In hap he purgith the wombe in the somer parlour.

25 And they went on waiting till they were shamed, but the doors were still shut; so they took the key, and, opening them, saw their lord stretched out dead on the floor.

And thei abididen longe, til thei weren aschamed; and thei sien that no man openede, and thei token the keie, and thei openyden, and founden her lord liggynge deed in the erthe.

26 But Ehud had got away while they were waiting and had gone past the stone images and got away to Seirah.

Sotheli while thei weren disturblid, Aioth fledde out, and passide the place of idols, fro whennus he turnede ayen; and he cam in to Seirath.

27 And when he came there, he had a horn sounded in the hill-country of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he at their head.

And anoon he sownede with a clarioun in the hil of Effraym; and the sones of Israel camen doun with hym, and he yede in the frount.

28 And he said to them, Come after me; for the Lord has given the Moabites, your haters, into your hands. So they went down after him and took the crossing-places of Jordan against Moab, and let no one go across.

Which seide to hem, Sue ye me, for the Lord hath bitake oure enemyes, Moabitis, in to oure hondis. And thei camen doun after hym, and ocupieden the forthis of Jordan, that ledde ouer in to Moab.

29 At that time they put about ten thousand men of Moab to the sword, every strong man and every man of war; not a man got away.

And thei suffriden not ony man to passe, but thei smytiden Moabitis in that tyme aboute ten thousande, alle myyti men and stronge; no man of hem myyte ascape.

30 So Moab was broken that day under the hand of Israel. And for eighty years the land had peace.

And Moab was maad low in that dai vndur the hond of Israel, and the lond restide fourescoor yeer.

31 And after him came Shamgar, the son of Anath, who put to death six hundred Philistines with an ox-stick; and he was another saviour of Israel.

Aftir hym was Samgar, the sone of Anath, that smoot of Filisteis sixe hundrid men with a schar; and he also defendide Israel.