Judges 3

And these are the nations which Yahweh left, to test Israel by them— all who have not known all the wars of Canaan; 2 only for the sake of the generations of the sons of Israel’s knowing, to teach them war, only those who formerly have not known them— 3 five princes of the Philistines, and all the Canaanite, and the Sidonian, and the Hivite dwelling in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-Chermon unto the entrance of Hamath; 4 and they were to test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 And the sons of Israel dwelt in the inwards of the Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, 6 and took their daughters to them for women, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods; 7 and the sons of Israel did the bad in the eyes of Yahweh, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 And the nose of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushite Two-Wickedness, king of Aram Two-Rivers, and the sons of Israel served Cushite Two-Wickedness eight years; 9 and the sons of Israel called unto Yahweh, and Yahweh raised a savior to the sons of Israel, and he saved them—Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother; 10 and the spirit of Yahweh was upon him, and he judged Israel, and went forth to war, and Yahweh gave into his hand Cushite Two-Wickedness, king of Aram, and strong was his hand against Cushite Two-Wickedness; 11 and the land had quiet forty years. And Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 And the sons of Israel added to do the bad in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, in that they had done the bad in the eyes of Yahweh; 13 and he gathered unto him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and they possessed the City of Palms; 14 and the sons of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 And the sons of Israel called unto Yahweh, and Yahweh stood up unto them a savior, Ehud son of Gera, the Benjamite—a man fastened of his right hand—and the sons of Israel sent forth by his hand tribute unto Eglon king of Moab; 16 and Ehud made unto himself a sword, and it had two mouths—a cubit was its length—and he girded it under his long robe upon his right thigh; 17 and he brought near the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, and Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And it came to be, when he had finished bringing near the tribute, that he sent forth the people bearing the tribute, 19 and he himself turned back from the carvings which are at Gilgal, and said: A covert word I have unto thee, king; and he said: Hush! and all those standing before him went forth from him.

20 And Ehud came unto him, and he was sitting in a cool upper room that was his alone, and Ehud said: A word of God I have unto thee; and he stood up from off his throne; 21 and Ehud sent forth his left hand, and took the sword from off his right thigh, and drove it into his belly; 22 and the post also went in after the flame, and the fat shut on the flame, in that he drew not the sword from his belly, and the dung came forth. 23 And Ehud came forth at the porch, and the doors of the upper room he shut on him, and locked; 24 and he came forth, and his servants came, and saw, and lo—the doors of the upper room were locked, and they said: He is only covering his feet in his cool chamber. 25 And they waited until ashamed, and lo, he was not opening the doors of the upper room; and they took the key, and opened, and lo, their lord—fallen to the land—dead. 26 And Ehud escaped during their delaying, and crossed the carvings, and escaped to Seirath. 27 And it came to be, in his coming, that he blew with a shofar in the mountainland of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel went down with him from the mountainland, and he before them; 28 and he said unto them, “Pursue after me, for Yahweh hath given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand;” and they went down after him, and captured the passages of the Jordan unto Moab, and did not give it to any man to cross over. 29 And they smote Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all stout, and all men of valor, and there escaped not a man, 30 and Moab was laid low in that day under the hand of Israel; and the land had quiet eighty years.

31 And after him was Shamgar son of Anath, and he smote the Philistines—six hundred men—with an ox-prod, and he saved—he also—Israel.