Judges 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 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.