| Chapter 3
|
| 1 | Now these are
the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of
Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; |
|
2 | Only that the generations of the children of Israel
might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing
thereof; |
| 3 | Namely, five
lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the
Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in
of Hamath. |
| 4 | And they
were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the
commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses. |
| 5 | And the children
of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites,
and Hivites, and Jebusites: |
| 6 |
And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters
to their sons, and served their gods. |
|
7 | And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and
forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. |
| 8 | Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot
against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of
Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight
years. |
| 9 | And when the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the
children of Israel, who delivered 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 went out to
war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his
hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. |
| 11 | And the land had rest forty years. And
Othniel the son of Kenaz died. |
| 12
| And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD:
and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they
had done evil in the sight of the LORD. |
| 13 | And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and
Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. |
| 14 | So the children of Israel
served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. |
| 15 | But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD,
the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man
lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the
king of Moab. |
| 16 | But
Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird
it under his raiment upon his right thigh. |
| 17 | And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and
Eglon was a very fat man. |
| 18 |
And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people
that bare the present. |
| 19 |
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and
said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all
that stood by him went out from him. |
|
20 | And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor,
which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto
thee. And he arose out of his seat. |
|
21 | And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his
right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: |
| 22 | And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat
closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly;
and the dirt came out. |
| 23 |
Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor
upon him, and locked them. |
| 24
| When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that,
behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his
feet in his summer chamber. |
| 25
| And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not
the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and,
behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. |
| 26 | And Ehud escaped while they tarried,
and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. |
| 27 | And it came to pass, when he was come,
that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel
went down with him from the mount, and he before them. |
| 28 | And he said unto them, Follow after
me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And
they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and
suffered not a man to pass over. |
|
29 | And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all
lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man. |
| 30 | So Moab was subdued that day under the
hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. |
| 31 | And after him was Shamgar the son of
Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he
also delivered Israel. |
