1
And these are the nations which Jehovah let stay to tempt Israel by them, all those that had not known all the battles of Canaan;
2
only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, only those who knew not before;
3
five satraps of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites that dwell in the mountain of Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to the coming in of Ḥamath.
4
And they were there to tempt Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5
And the sons of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
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and they took their daughters unto them for wives, and gave their daughters unto their sons, and served their gods.
7
And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God, and served the Baalim and the groves.
8
And the anger of Jehovah was fierce against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
9
And the sons of Israel cried unto Jehovah, and Jehovah raised up a saviour to the sons of Israel, and he saved them; Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, younger than he.
10
And the spirit of Jehovah was upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war; and Jehovah gave Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram, into his hand; and his hand was strong against Cushan-rishathaim.
11
And the land was quiet for forty years; and Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12
And the sons of Israel did evil again in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah made Eglon, the king of Moab, firm against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Jehovah.
13
And he gathered unto him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
14
And the sons of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15
And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, and Jehovah raised up a saviour for them, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a left-handed man, and by his hand the sons of Israel sent a gift offering to Eglon the king of Moab.
16
And Ehud made for himself a sword, and it had two mouths, a gomed in length; and he did gird it under his robe upon his right thigh.
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And he offered the gift to Eglon king of Moab; and Eglon was a very well fed man.
18
And it was, when he completed offering the gift offering and sent away the people that bore the gift offering;
19
that he himself turned back from the graven images which were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word unto thee, O king; and he said, Keep silent! And all that stood by him went out from him.
20
And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in the cool upper room, which was for himself alone; and Ehud said, I have a word of God for thee, and he arose from off his throne.
21
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from upon his right thigh, and fixed it in his belly:
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and the haft also came in after the blade; and the fat closed over the blade, so that he drew not the sword from his belly; and it went out the hind parts.
23
And Ehud went out by the ante-chamber and closed the doors of the upper room upon him and locked them.
24
And he went out, and his servants came in; and they saw and behold, the doors of the upper room were locked, and they said, Surely he covers his feet in the cool chamber.
25
And they waited until they were ashamed; and behold, no one opened the doors of the upper room; and they took the key and opened it; and behold their lord had fallen to the earth dead.
26
And Ehud escaped while they lingered, and he passed by the graven images, and escaped unto Seirath.
27
And it was, when he was come, that he sounded a shophar in the mountain of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel went down with him from the mount and he before them.
28
And he said, Pursue after me, for Jehovah has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand. And they went down after him and captured the fords of the Jordan to Moab, and allowed not a man to cross over.
29
And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all vigorous and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man.
30
And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet for eighty years.
31
And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, and he smote of the Philistines six hundred men with a cattle goad; and he also saved Israel.
