Judges 3

1 And these [are] the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel with them, all that had not known the wars of Chanaan.

Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them, even as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

2 Only for the sake of the generations of Israel, to teach them war, only the men before them knew them not.

only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at least those who knew nothing of it before:

3 The five lordships of the Phylistines, and every Chananite, and the Sidonian, and the Evite who lived in Libanus from the mount of Aermon to Laboemath.

the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

4 And [this] was done in order to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he charged their fathers by the hand of Moses.

They were left to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the LORD’s commandments, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.

5 And the children of Israel lived in the midst of the Chananite, and the Chettite, and the Amorite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite.

The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

6 And they took their daughters for wives to themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

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

7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

The children of Israel did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

8 And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and sold them into the hand of Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers: and the children of Israel served Chusarsathaim eight years.

Therefore the LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim eight years.

9 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and the Lord raised up a saviour to Israel, and he saved them, Gothoniel the son of Kenez, the brother of Chaleb younger than himself.

When the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war against Chusarsathaim: and the Lord delivered into his hand Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers, and his hand prevailed against Chusarsathaim.

The LORD’s Spirit came on him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. His hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.

11 And the land was quiet forty years; and Gothoniel the son of Kenez died.

The land had rest forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglom king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil before the Lord.

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the LORD’s sight.

13 And he gathered to himself all the children of Ammon and Amalec, and went and struck Israel, and took possession of the city of Palm-trees.

He gathered the children of Ammon and Amalek to himself; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.

14 And the children of Israel served Eglom the king of Moab eighteen years.

The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and he raised up to them a saviour, Aod the son of Gera a son of Jemeni, a man who used both hands alike: and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglom king of Moab.

But when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a savior for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

16 And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges, of a span long, and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh.

Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh.

17 And he went, and brought the presents to Eglom king of Moab, and Eglom [was] a very handsome man.

He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

18 And it came to pass when [Aod] had made an end of offering his gifts, that he dismissed those that brought the gifts.

When Ehud had finished offering the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.

19 And he himself returned from the quarries that are by Galgal; and Aod said, I have a secret errand to you, O king! and Eglom said to him, Be silent: and he sent away from his presence all who waited upon him.

But he himself turned back from the stone idols that were by Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” The king said, “Keep silence!” All who stood by him left him.

20 And Aod went in to him; and he sat in his own upper summer chamber quite alone; and Aod said, I have a message from God to you, O king: and Eglom rose up from his throne near him.

Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” He arose out of his seat.

21 And it came to pass as he arose, that Aod stretched forth his left hand, and took the dagger off his right thigh, and plunged it into his belly;

Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body.

22 and drove in also the haft after the blade, and the fat closed in upon the blade, for he drew not out the dagger from his belly.

The handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.

23 And Aod went out to the porch, and passed out by the appointed [guards], and shut the doors of the chamber upon him, and locked [them].

Then Ehud went out onto the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them.

24 And he went out: and Eglom's servants came, and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber [were] locked; and they said, Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber?

After he had gone, his servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They said, “Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room.”

25 And they waited till they were ashamed, and, behold, there was no one that opened the doors of the upper chamber; and they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth.

They waited until they were ashamed; and behold, he did not open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their lord had fallen down dead on the floor.

26 And Aod escaped while they were in a tumult, and no one paid attention to him; and he passed the quarries, and escaped to Setirotha.

Ehud escaped while they waited, passed beyond the stone idols, and escaped to Seirah.

27 And it came to pass when Aod came into the land of Israel, that he blew the horn in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came down with him from the mountain, and he [was] before them.

When he had come, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he led them.

28 And he said to them, Come down after me, for the Lord God has delivered our enemies, even Moab, into our hand; and they went down after him, and seized on the fords of Jordan before Moab, and he did not suffer a man to pass over.

He said to them, “Follow me; for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” They followed him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow any man to pass over.

29 And they struck Moab on that day about ten thousand men, every [lusty] person and every mighty man; and not a man escaped.

They struck at that time about ten thousand men of Moab, every strong man and every man of valor. No man escaped.

30 So Moab was humbled in that day under the hand of Israel, and the land had rest eighty years; and Aod judged them till he died.

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

31 And after him rose up Samegar the son of Dinach, and struck the Philistines to the number of six hundred men with a ploughshare [such as is drawn by] oxen; and he too delivered Israel.

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel.