Chapter Three 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, only that
the generations of the children of Israel might know to teach them more,
at the least such as before knew nothing thereof, namely five lords of the
Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that
dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon unto the entering inn of Hamath.
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.
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites,
and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.
And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their
sons, and served their gods.
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord
their God, and served Balaam and the groves.
Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the
hand of Cushon Rishithaim, king of Mesopotamia.
And the children of Israel served Cushon Rishithaim eight years.
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.
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war.
And the Lord delivered Cushon Rishithaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand.
And his hand prevailed against Cushon Rishithaim.
And the land had rest forty years, and Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
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.
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote
Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
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 left-handed.
And by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
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.
And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab.
And Eglon was a very fat man.
And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bear
the present.
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.
And Ehud came unto him.
And he was sitting in a summer parlor which he had for himself alone.
And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee.
And he arose out of his seat, and Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger
from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
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.
Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him,
and locked them.
When he was gone out, his servants came.
And when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked,
they said, Surely he covereth his feet in the summer chamber.
And they tarried till they were ashamed.
And, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor.
Therefore they took a key, and opened them.
And, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries,
and escaped unto Sirath.
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.
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.
And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty and all men of
valor.
And there escaped not a man.
So Moab was subdued that day unto the hand of Israel, and the land had rest fourscore
years.
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.