JudgesChapter 3

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¹These are the nations the LORD left in the land to test the Israelites. These Israelites had not been through any of the wars in Canaan. ²He did it to teach war to the later generations of Israel. This was mostly for those who had never known war before. ³These were the nations: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites. The Hivites lived in the mountains of Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. ⁴These nations were left to test the Israelites. God wanted to find out if they would keep the LORD's commands. He had given these commands to their fathers through Moses. ⁵So the Israelites kept living among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁶They married the daughters of these people. They gave their own daughters to marry their sons. And they served their gods. ⁷So the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God. They served the Baals and the Asherahs. ⁸Then the LORD's anger burned against Israel. He sold them into the power of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram-naharaim. The Israelites served him for eight years. ⁹But the Israelites cried out to the LORD. So he gave them a man to rescue them. It was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. ¹⁰The Spirit of the LORD came on him. He became Israel's judge and went out to war. The LORD handed Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram over to Othniel. Othniel won against him. ¹¹So the land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died. ¹²Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. So he made Eglon king of Moab strong against Israel. He did this because they had done evil in the eyes of the LORD. ¹³Eglon got the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him. Then he attacked Israel and beat them. He took over the City of Palms. ¹⁴The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. ¹⁵Again they cried out to the LORD. So he gave them a man to rescue them. It was Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man from Benjamin. The Israelites sent him to bring their tax payment to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶Now Ehud had made a sword for himself. It had two sharp edges and was about 18 inches long. He tied it to his right thigh under his clothes.a ¹⁷He brought the tax payment to Eglon king of Moab. Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸Ehud finished giving the payment. Then he sent away the men who had carried it. ¹⁹But when he got to the idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Quiet!" And all his servants left him. ²⁰Then Ehud came up to him. The king was sitting alone in his cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And the king stood up from his seat. ²¹Ehud reached with his left hand. He pulled the sword from his right thigh. He pushed it deep into Eglon's belly. ²²Even the handle went in after the blade. Eglon's fat closed over it. Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. And Eglon's bowels emptied out. ²³Then Ehud went out through the porch. He shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. ²⁴After Ehud left, Eglon's servants came. They found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be going to the bathroom in the cool room." ²⁵So they waited until they got worried. He still had not opened the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors. And there was their master, lying dead on the floor! ²⁶But Ehud had gotten away while the servants waited. He went past the idols and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷When he got to Seirah, he blew the ram's horn all through the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down from the hills with him. He was their leader. ²⁸"Follow me," he told them. "The LORD has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you." So they followed him down. They took control of the shallow crossings of the Jordan that led to Moab. They did not let anyone cross over. ²⁹At that time they killed about ten thousand Moabites. All of them were strong, brave men. Not one of them got away. ³⁰So that day Moab was brought under Israel's control. And the land had peace for eighty years. ³¹After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. He also saved Israel. He killed six hundred Philistines with a stick used to drive oxen.