Judges 3

1These are the nations Yahweh let remain to test Israel by them, all those in Israel who had not known all the wars of Canaan.

2only so that the generations of Israel's children would know, to teach them war, only such as before had not known it.

3five 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.

4They were to test Israel through them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of Yahweh that he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

5The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6They took their daughters as wives for themselves and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7The sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, forgot Yahweh their gods, and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

8Yahweh's anger burned against Israel, so he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

9The sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a savior for the sons of Israel who saved them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

10The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel; he went out to battle, and Yahweh gave Cushan Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.

11The land rested forty years. Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12The sons of Israel again did evil in Yahweh's sight, and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil in Yahweh's sight.

13He gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites to himself, went and struck Israel, and they took possession of the city of palm trees.

14The sons of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen years.

15The sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud son of Gera the Benjamite, a left-handed man; and the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

16Ehud made himself a two-edged dagger a cubit long and girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

17He brought the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, and Eglon was a very fat man.

18When he finished presenting the offering, he sent away the people carrying the offering.

19But he turned back from the idols near Gilgal and said, "I have a secret word for you, O king." The king said, "Silence!" All who stood by him went out from him.

20Ehud came to him while he sat alone in his private upper summer chamber. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you." He rose from the throne.

21Ehud reached out with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and drove it into his belly.

22Even the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because he did not draw the sword from his belly; and the dung came out.

23Ehud went out to the porch, shut the doors of the upper room behind him, and locked them.

24After he went out, his servants came and saw the upper room doors locked, and they said, "Surely he is covering his feet in the summer chamber."

25They waited until they were ashamed, and behold, he was not opening the doors of the upper room, so they took the key and opened them; and behold, their lord was fallen dead to the earth.

26Ehud escaped while they lingered, and he passed the quarries and escaped to Seirah.

27When he arrived, he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, and he was before them.

28He said to them, "Pursue after me, for Yahweh has given your enemies Moab into your hand." They went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan to Moab, and allowed no man to cross.

29They struck down about ten thousand Moabites at that time, every robust man and every warrior, and no man escaped.

30Moab was subjugated that day under Israel's hand. The land rested eighty years.

31After him was Shamgar son of Anath, who struck six hundred Philistine men with an ox goad and also saved Israel.