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.
|