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Judges 3
EasyEnglish Bible

3 The Lord allowed some nations to stay in Canaan. He would use them to test the Israelites who had not yet fought wars in Canaan. 2 He wanted to teach the young men of Israel how to fight their enemies, because they had not fought battles before. 3 The nations who remained were:

the Philistines, with their five kings,

all the Canaanites,

the Sidonians,

the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath.

4 These nations were still there to test the Israelites. The Lord wanted to know if his people would obey his commands. Those were the commands that he had told Moses to give to the ancestors of the Israelites.

5 So the Israelites lived among those other nations, the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 Some Israelites married young women from these nations. They also let their daughters marry Canaanite men. As a result, the Israelites started to worship the Canaanite gods.[a]

Othniel

7 The Israelites forgot to serve the Lord their God. They did things that he saw were evil. They worshipped idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 The Lord was very angry with the Israelites. He let King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim attack them. They were under his power for eight years.

9 Then the Israelites called out to the Lord for help. So he chose Othniel to be their leader. He was the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. Othniel rescued them from their enemies. 10 The Lord's Spirit gave Othniel power to lead Israel. Othniel led them to fight against King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram. The Lord helped Othniel to win the battle against the king. 11 As a result, the land of Israel had peace for 40 years. Then Kenaz's son Othniel died.

Ehud

12 Once again the Israelites did things that the Lord saw were evil. Because of this, the Lord gave Eglon, the king of Moab, power over Israel. 13 King Eglon made an agreement with the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join together to attack Israel. They attacked Jericho, ‘The City of Palm Trees’, and they took it for themselves. 14 The Israelites were under King Eglon's power for 18 years.

15 Again the Israelites called out to the Lord for help. He chose Ehud to be their leader. He was the son of Gera, from Benjamin's tribe. Ehud's strong hand was his left hand. The Israelites sent him to pay their taxes to King Eglon of Moab.

16 Ehud made a short sword that was sharp on both sides.[b] He tied it to the top of his right leg and he hid it under his coat. 17 He took the money to give to King Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had given the money to the king, he sent back home the men who had carried it. 19 But when Ehud reached the stone idols at Gilgal, he turned round to go back to the king. He said to King Eglon, ‘I have a secret message for you, sir!’ So the king said, ‘Leave us alone.’ All his servants went out. 20 The king was now sitting alone in his cool room on the roof of the palace. Ehud went near to the king and he said, ‘I have a message from God for you.’ The king started to get up from his chair. 21 Then Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right leg. He pushed it deep into the king's stomach. 22 The king's fat covered the whole sword, even its handle. Its point came out through the king's back. Ehud did not pull out the sword. He left it there. 23 Ehud went out of the room and he locked the doors. Then he escaped from the palace.

24 The king's servants came up to the room on the roof. They saw that the doors were locked. They thought that the king was using the toilet inside. 25 They waited for a long time and they started to worry. But the king still did not open the doors of his room. So they took the key and they opened the doors. Then they saw their master, the king! He was lying on the floor and he was dead.

26 While the servants were waiting outside the king's room, Ehud had escaped. He went past the stone idols, and he ran to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he made a loud noise with a trumpet. He led the Israelites down from the hills. 28 He said to them, ‘Follow me! The Lord will put your enemy, the Moabites, under your power!’ The Israelites followed him to the Jordan River, near the border of Moab. They would not let anyone go across the river. 29 That day they killed about 10,000 Moabite soldiers. They were all strong, brave fighters, but none of them escaped. 30 The Israelites won the fight against Moab that day. The land of Israel had peace for 80 years.

Shamgar

31 After this, Anath's son Shamgar became Israel's leader. One time, he used a stick with a sharp point to kill 600 Philistines.[c] He rescued the Israelites from their enemies, as Ehud had done.

Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Many nations of people lived in Canaan before God gave it to the Israelites. The Philistines were sailors who lived in five cities near the Mediterranean Sea. The Moabites and the Ammonites were cousins of the Israelites. See Genesis 19:36-38. All these people worshipped false gods.
  2. 3:16 Ehud's sword was like a long knife, about 45 centimetres long.
  3. 3:31 They used sticks like this to push oxen to make them move and do work.
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Judges 3
Lexham English Bible

Some Nations Remain in the Land

3 These are the nations that Yahweh left, to test Israel by them (that is, to test all those who had not experienced[a] any of the wars of Canaan, 2 in order that the generations of Israel would know war, to teach those who had not experienced it[b] before): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites,[c] the Sidonians,[d] and the Hivites[e] living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon up to Lebo-Hamath. 4 They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors[f] through the hand of Moses. 5 And the Israelites[g] lived in the midst of the Canaanites,[h] the Hittites,[i] the Amorites,[j] the Perizzites,[k] the Hivites,[l] and the Jebusites.[m] 6 And they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.[n]

Othniel

7 The Israelites[o] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They forgot Yahweh their God, and they served the Baals and the Asheroth.[p] 8 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled[q] against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites[r] served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 The Israelites[s] cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for the Israelites[t] who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 And the spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and he prevailed over[u] Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So the land rested forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

12 And again the Israelites[v] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and Amalekites,[w] and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the Israelites[x] served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

15 And the Israelites[y] cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite and a left-handed man.[z] And the Israelites[aa] sent a tribute to Eglon king of Moab through him.[ab] 16 Ehud made for himself a short, two-edged[ac] sword (a cubit in length), and he fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud[ad] had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he turned back from the sculptured stones[ae] that were near Gilgal, and he said, “I have a secret message[af] for you, O king.” And he[ag] said, “Silence!” So all those standing in his presence went out, 20 and Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upper room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God[ah] for you.” So he got up from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand for the sword on his right thigh, and he thrust it into his[ai] stomach. 22 And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not draw back the sword from his stomach; and it went protruding out the back.[aj] 23 And Ehud went out the vestibule, and he closed the doors of the upper room and locked them behind him.

24 After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they thought,[ak] “Surely he is relieving himself[al] in the cool inner room.” 25 And they waited so long they became embarrassed because he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors, and there their lord was lying on the ground dead.

26 And Ehud escaped while they delayed. He passed by the sculptured stones[am] and escaped to Seirah. 27 And when he arrived he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites[an] went down from the hill country with him leading them. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me! Yahweh has given Moab your enemies into your hand.” So they went down after him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan toward Moab; and they did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And they struck Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all strong and able men;[ao] no one escaped. 30 And Moab was subdued on that day under the hand of Israel. And the land rested eighty years.[ap]

Shamgar

31 And Shamgar son of Anath came after him, and he killed six hundred Philistines with the goad of an ox; he also delivered Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:1 Literally “did not know”
  2. Judges 3:2 Literally “who had not known it”
  3. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  4. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Sidonian”
  5. Judges 3:3 Hebrew “Hivite”
  6. Judges 3:4 Or “fathers”
  7. Judges 3:5 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  8. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  9. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Hittite”
  10. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Amorite”
  11. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  12. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Hivite”
  13. Judges 3:5 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  14. Judges 3:6 Or “worshiped their gods”
  15. Judges 3:7 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Judges 3:7 Asheroth are cultic poles set up next to an altar symbolizing the goddess Asherah
  17. Judges 3:8 Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot”
  18. Judges 3:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  19. Judges 3:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  20. Judges 3:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  21. Judges 3:10 Literally “his hand was strong over”
  22. Judges 3:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  23. Judges 3:13 Literally “sons of Ammon and Amalek” or “children of Ammon and Amalek”
  24. Judges 3:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  25. Judges 3:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  26. Judges 3:15 Literally “a man bound by his right hand”
  27. Judges 3:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  28. Judges 3:15 Literally “in his hand”
  29. Judges 3:16 Literally “with two mouths”
  30. Judges 3:18 That is, Eglon
  31. Judges 3:19 Or “Pesilim”; some translations translate the phrase as a proper name
  32. Judges 3:19 Literally “a word of secrecy”
  33. Judges 3:19 Hebrew “he”
  34. Judges 3:20 Literally “word of God”
  35. Judges 3:21 That is, Eglon’s
  36. Judges 3:22 The Hebrew is uncertain; some translations have “and the dirt/entrails came out”
  37. Judges 3:24 Hebrew “they said”
  38. Judges 3:24 Literally “covering his feet”
  39. Judges 3:26 Or “Pesilim;” some translations to translate the phrase as a proper name
  40. Judges 3:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  41. Judges 3:29 Literally “all fat and men of strength”
  42. Judges 3:30 Hebrew “year”
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Judges 2
Judges 4
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