THE BOOK OF
JUDGES
Judges 3 ©
A catalogue of the heathen people, which God left in Canaan to try Israel, v. 1, etc. Israel, falling off from God, is delivered up into the hand of the king of Mesopotamia, 5. From whose tyranny being delivered by Othniel, they relapse into former wickedness, and are punished and oppressed by Eglon, king of the Moabites, 9. From whom God delivers them by judge Ehud, 15. As also afterward from the Philistines by judge Shamgar, 31.
NOW these are the nations which the LORD left, to 1prove Israel by them, even as 2many of Israel as had not known all the 3wars of Canaan;
Only that the 4generations of the children of Israel 5might know, 6to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;
Namely, five 7lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the 8Hivites that dwelt in mount 9Lebanon, from mount 10Baal-hermon unto the entering in of 11Hamath.
And they were to 12prove Israel by them, to know whether they would 13hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the 14hand 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 forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the 15groves.
¶Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he 16sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of 17Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim 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 18Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
And the 19Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he 20judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of 21Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand 22prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.
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 23strengthened 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 24city 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 25Benjamite, a man 26lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
But Ehud made him a dagger 27which had two edges, of a cubita 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 28sent away the people that bare the present.
But he himself turned again from the 29quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, 30Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a 31summer parlour, 32which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he 33arose 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 haftb also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, 34so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and 35the dirt came out.
Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour 36upon him, and 37locked them.
When he was gone out, 38his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he 39covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, 40he opened not the doors of the parlour;c therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was 41fallen down dead on the earth.
And Ehud escaped while 42they tarried, and passed beyond the 43quarries, and escaped unto 44Seirath.
And it came to pass, when he was come, that he 45blew 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, 46Follow 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 47lusty,d and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
¶And after him 48was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an 49ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.