 1 These are the nations that the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, as many 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 those who before knew nothing of it: 3 five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baalhermon to the border of Hamath. 4 They were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would heed the commandments of the Lord that He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods. 7 The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and He sold them into the hand of King Chushanrishathaim of Mesopotamia. The children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. 9 When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel and went to war. The Lord delivered King Chushanrishathaim of Mesopotamia into his hand and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. 11 The land had rest 40 years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12 The children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. The Lord made King Eglon of Moab strong against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek. He went forth and struck Israel, and took the city of palm trees. 14 So the children of Israel served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years. 15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord and the Lord raised up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left handed man. So the children of Israel sent a present to King Eglon of Moab. 16 But Ehud made a dagger for himself that had two edges, a cubit long. He tied it under his clothing upon his right thigh. 17 He brought the present to King Eglon of Moab and Eglon was a very fat man. 18 When he had finished offering the present, he sent the people who carried the present away. 19 But he himself turned again from the graven images by Gilgal and said, I have a secret message for you O king. He said, Keep silence. Then all who stood by him went away from him. 20 Ehud came to him. He was sitting in the cool roof room that he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. He rose out of his seat. 21 Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 The haft also went in after the blade. The fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly. The dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the room upon him, and locked them. 24 When he had gone out, his servants came. They looked, and, behold, the doors of the roof room were locked, they said, Surely he is covering his feet in his cool roof room. 25 They waited until they were ashamed. And, behold, he did not open the doors of the room. They took a key and opened them. And behold, their lord had fallen down dead on the earth. 26 Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the graven images, and escaped to Seirath. 27 When he had come, he blew a ram's horn in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountain, and he before them. 28 He said to them, Follow after me. For the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites to you. They went down after him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and did not allow a man to pass over. 29 They killed about 10,000 of the men of Moab at that time, all lusty, and all men of might. There did not escape a man. 30 So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day. The land had rest 80 years. 31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also delivered Israel.
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