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Judges 3
- 1
- 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;
- 2
- Only that the generations of the children of Israel
might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing
thereof;
- 3
- Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the
Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon,
from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
- 4
- 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.
- 5
- And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites,
Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
- 6
- And they took their daughters to be their wives, and
gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
- 7
- And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
- 8
- Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel,
and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and
the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.
- 9
- 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.
- 10
- And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged
Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of
Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.
- 11
- And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son
of Kenaz died.
- 12
- 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.
- 13
- And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and
Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
- 14
- So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab
eighteen years.
- 15
- 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
lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the
king of Moab.
- 16
- 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.
- 17
- And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and
Eglon was a very fat man.
- 18
- And when he had made an end to offer the present, he
sent away the people that bare the present.
- 19
- 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.
- 20
- And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer
parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from
God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
- 21
- And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger
from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
- 22
- 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.
- 23
- Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the
doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
- 24
- When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they
saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he
covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
- 25
- And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he
opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened
them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
- 26
- And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond
the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
- 27
- 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.
- 28
- 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.
- 29
- And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand
men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
- 30
- So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel.
And the land had rest fourscore years.
- 31
- 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.
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