Juízes 3

¹ Now these are the nations which Yahweh 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 sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as formerly knew nothing of it:

³ [namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

⁴ And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by 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:

⁶ and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

⁷ And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth.

⁸ Therefore the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

⁹ And when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the sons of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

¹⁰ And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Yahweh delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim.

¹¹ And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh: and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

¹³ And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees.

¹⁴ And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised them up a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

¹⁶ And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment on his right thigh.

¹⁷ And he offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man.

¹⁸ And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people who bore the tribute.

¹⁹ But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret message to you, O king. And he said, Keep silent. And all who stood by him went out from him.

²⁰ And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. And he arose out of his seat.

²¹ And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:

²² and the handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.

²³ Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them.

²⁴ Now when he had gone out, his slaves came; and they saw, and noticed that the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is relieving himself in the upper chamber.

²⁵ And they tarried until they were ashamed; and saw that he didn't open the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened [them], and saw that their lord had fallen down dead on the earth.

²⁶ And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when he came, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he [was] before them.

²⁸ And he said to them, Follow after me; for Yahweh has delivered your{+} enemies the Moabites into your{+} hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn't allow a man to pass over.

²⁹ And they struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every robust man, and every man of valor; and not a man escaped.

³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest 80 years.

³¹ And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.