Judges 3
3
1These are the nations the Lord did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan. 2(The only reason the Lord left those nations in the land was to teach the descendants of the Israelites who had not fought in those wars how to fight.) 3These are the nations: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4Those nations were in the land to test the Israelites—to see if they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors by Moses.
5The people of Israel lived with the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6The Israelites began to marry the daughters of those people, and they allowed their daughters to marry the sons of those people. Israel also served their gods.
Othniel, the First Judge
7The Israelites did what the Lord said was wrong. They forgot about the Lord their God and served the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8So the Lord was angry with Israel and allowed Cushan-Rishathaim king of Northwest Mesopotamia to rule over the Israelites for eight years. 9When Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord sent someone to save them. Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, saved the Israelites. 10The Spirit of the Lord entered Othniel, and he became Israel’s judge. When he went to war, the Lord handed over to him Cushan-Rishathaim king of Northwest Mesopotamia. 11So the land was at peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud, the Judge
12Again the people of Israel did what the Lord said was wrong. So the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power to defeat Israel because of the evil Israel did. 13Eglon got the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join him. Then he attacked Israel and took Jericho, the city of palm trees. 14So the people of Israel were ruled by Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15When the people cried to the Lord, he sent someone to save them. He was Ehud, son of Gera from the people of Benjamin, who was left-handed. Israel sent Ehud to give Eglon king of Moab the payment he demanded. 16Ehud made himself a sword with two edges, about eighteen inches long, and he tied it to his right hip under his clothes. 17Ehud gave Eglon king of Moab the payment he demanded. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18After he had given Eglon the payment, Ehud sent away the people who had carried it. 19When he passed the statues near Gilgal, he turned around and said to Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, King Eglon.”
The king said, “Be quiet!” Then he sent all of his servants out of the room. 20Ehud went to King Eglon, as he was sitting alone in the room above his summer palace.
Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king stood up from his chair, 21Ehud reached with his left hand and took out the sword that was tied to his right hip. Then he stabbed the sword deep into the king’s belly! 22Even the handle sank in, and the blade came out his back. The king’s fat covered the whole sword, so Ehud left the sword in Eglon. 23Then he went out of the room and closed and locked the doors behind him.
24When the servants returned just after Ehud left, they found the doors to the room locked. So they thought the king was relieving himself. 25They waited for a long time. Finally they became worried because he still had not opened the doors. So they got the key and unlocked them and saw their king lying dead on the floor!
26While the servants were waiting, Ehud had escaped. He passed by the statues and went to Seirah. 27When he reached the mountains of Ephraim he blew the trumpet. The people of Israel heard it and went down from the hills with Ehud leading them.
28He said to them, “Follow me! The Lord has helped you to defeat your enemies, the Moabites.” So Israel followed Ehud and captured the crossings of the Jordan River. They did not allow the Moabites to cross the Jordan River. 29Israel killed about ten thousand strong and able men from Moab; not one escaped. 30So that day Moab was forced to be under the rule of Israel, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
Shamgar, the Judge
31After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath saved Israel. Shamgar killed six hundred Philistines with a sharp stick used to guide oxen.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Judges 3
3
Some Nations Remain in the Land
1These are the nations that Yahweh left, to test Israel by them (that is, to test all those who had not experienced#Literally “did not know” any of the wars of Canaan, 2in order that the generations of Israel would know war, to teach those who had not experienced it#Literally “who had not known it” before): 3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” the Sidonians,#Hebrew “Sidonian” and the Hivites#Hebrew “Hivite” living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon up to Lebo-Hamath. 4They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors#Or “fathers” through the hand of Moses. 5And the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” lived in the midst of the Canaanites,#Hebrew “Canaanite” the Hittites,#Hebrew “Hittite” the Amorites,#Hebrew “Amorite” the Perizzites,#Hebrew “Perizzite” the Hivites,#Hebrew “Hivite” and the Jebusites.#Hebrew “Jebusite” 6And they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.#Or “worshiped their gods”
Othniel
7The Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They forgot Yahweh their God, and they served the Baals and the Asheroth.#Asheroth are cultic poles set up next to an altar symbolizing the goddess Asherah 8And the anger of Yahweh was kindled#Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot” against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9The Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10And the spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and he prevailed over#Literally “his hand was strong over” Cushan-Rishathaim. 11So the land rested forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12And again the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. 13He gathered to himself the Ammonites and Amalekites,#Literally “sons of Ammon and Amalek” or “children of Ammon and Amalek” and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms. 14And the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15And the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite and a left-handed man.#Literally “a man bound by his right hand” And the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” sent a tribute to Eglon king of Moab through him.#Literally “in his hand” 16Ehud made for himself a short, two-edged#Literally “with two mouths” sword (a cubit in length), and he fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18When Ehud#That is, Eglon had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19But he turned back from the sculptured stones#Or “Pesilim”; some translations translate the phrase as a proper name that were near Gilgal, and he said, “I have a secret message#Literally “a word of secrecy” for you, O king.” And he#Hebrew “he” said, “Silence!” So all those standing in his presence went out, 20and Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upper room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God#Literally “word of God” for you.” So he got up from his seat. 21Then Ehud reached with his left hand for the sword on his right thigh, and he thrust it into his#That is, Eglon’s stomach. 22And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not draw back the sword from his stomach; and it went protruding out the back.#The Hebrew is uncertain; some translations have “and the dirt/entrails came out” 23And Ehud went out the vestibule, and he closed the doors of the upper room and locked them behind him.
24After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they thought,#Hebrew “they said” “Surely he is relieving himself#Literally “covering his feet” in the cool inner room.” 25And they waited so long they became embarrassed because he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors, and there their lord was lying on the ground dead.
26And Ehud escaped while they delayed. He passed by the sculptured stones#Or “Pesilim;” some translations to translate the phrase as a proper name and escaped to Seirah. 27And when he arrived he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” went down from the hill country with him leading them. 28And he said to them, “Follow after me! Yahweh has given Moab your enemies into your hand.” So they went down after him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan toward Moab; and they did not allow anyone to cross over. 29And they struck Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all strong and able men;#Literally “all fat and men of strength” no one escaped. 30And Moab was subdued on that day under the hand of Israel. And the land rested eighty years.#Hebrew “year”
Shamgar
31And Shamgar son of Anath came after him, and he killed six hundred Philistines with the goad of an ox; he also delivered Israel.
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