Judges 3
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
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 parlour, 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 parlour upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants
came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour 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 parlour; 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 valour; 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.
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