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Judges 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Lord Tests Israel

3 These are the nations the Lord left in order to test Israel, since the Israelites had fought none of these in[a] any of the wars with Canaan.(A) 2 This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before.[b] 3 These nations included: the five rulers(B) of the Philistines(C) and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians,(D) and the Hivites(E) who lived in the Lebanese mountains[c] from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.[d] 4 The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands He had given their fathers through[e] Moses.(F) 5 But they settled among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.(G)

Othniel, the First Judge

7 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; they forgot the Lord their God(H) and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to[f] Cushan-rishathaim[g] king of Aram-naharaim,[h](I) and the Israelites served him eight years.

9 The Israelites cried out to the Lord.(J) So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother,(K) as a deliverer(L) to save the Israelites. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him. 11 Then the land was peaceful(M) 40 years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

12 The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave Eglon king of Moab(N) power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 13 After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms.[i](O) 14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab 18 years.

15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed(P) Benjaminite,[j] as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him to Eglon king of Moab with tribute(Q) money.

16 Ehud made himself a double-edged sword 18 inches long.[k] He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes 17 and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an extremely fat man. 18 When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 19 At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, “King Eglon, I have a secret message for you.” The king called for silence, and all his attendants left him. 20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a word from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne.[l] 21 Ehud[m] reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. 22 Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s insides came out. 23 Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him.

24 Ehud was gone when Eglon’s servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself[n] in the cool room. 25 The servants waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!

26 Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He crossed over the Jordan near the carved images and reached Seirah. 27 After he arrived, he sounded the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader. 28 He told them, “Follow me, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.(R) 29 At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong and able-bodied men. Not one of them escaped. 30 Moab became subject to Israel that day, and the land was peaceful 80 years.

Shamgar

31 After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He delivered Israel by striking down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:1 Lit had known
  2. Judges 3:2 Lit not known it
  3. Judges 3:3 LXX reads in Lebanon
  4. Judges 3:3 Or as Lebo-hamath
  5. Judges 3:4 Lit by the hand of
  6. Judges 3:8 Lit into the hand of
  7. Judges 3:8 Lit Doubly-Evil
  8. Judges 3:8 = Mesopotamia
  9. Judges 3:13 = Jericho; Dt 34:3; Jdg 1:16; 2Ch 28:15
  10. Judges 3:15 = son of the right hand
  11. Judges 3:16 Lit sword a gomed in length
  12. Judges 3:20 LXX reads “A word of my God for you, O king,” and Eglon rose up from the throne near him.
  13. Judges 3:21 LXX reads It happened that when he rose up, Ehud immediately
  14. Judges 3:24 Lit was covering his feet
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Judges 3
International Standard Version

Unconquered Canaanite Nations

3 Here’s a list of nations that the Lord caused to remain in order to test Israel (that is,[a] everyone who had not gained any battle experience in Canaan) 2 only so that successive Israeli generations, who had not known war previously, might come to know it by experience. 3 These nations included[b] the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4 They remained there to test Israel, to reveal if they would obey the commands of the Lord that he issued to their ancestors through Moses.

Othniel, Israel’s First Judge

5 The Israelis continued to live among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, 6 taking their daughters as wives for themselves, giving their own daughters to their sons, and serving their gods. 7 The Israelis kept on practicing evil in full view of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served Canaanite male and female deities.[c] 8 Then in his burning anger against Israel, the Lord delivered them to domination by King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim.[d] So the Israelis served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. 9 When the Israelis cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz, to deliver[e] them,[f] and he did. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was on him, and he governed Israel. When Othniel[g] went out to battle, the Lord handed king Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim[h] into his control, and Othniel’s[i] domination of Cushan-rishathaim was strong. 11 As a result, the land was quiet for 40 years. Then Kenaz’ son Othniel died.

Ehud, Israel’s Second Judge

12 The Israelis again practiced evil in full view of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab in his control over Israel, because they had practiced evil in full view of the Lord. 13 Eglon[j] assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms. 14 So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

15 But when the Israelis cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up Gera’s son Ehud, a left-handed descendant of Benjamin, as a deliverer for them. The Israelis paid tribute through him to king Eglon of Moab. 16 Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubit[k] long, tied it to his right thigh under his cloak, 17 and went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man.

18 As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehud[l] sent away the people who had been carrying it. 19 He had turned away from the idols that were at Gilgal. So he told Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, king.”

King Eglon[m] responded “Silence!” and all of his attendants left him.

20 Ehud approached him while he was sitting by himself in the cool roof chamber of his palace.[n] He said, “I have a message from God for you!” So when Eglon[o] got up from his seat, 21 Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon’s[p] abdomen. 22 The hilt also penetrated along with the sword blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over the blade. Because he did not withdraw the sword from Eglon’s abdomen, the sword point[q] exited from Eglon’s entrails.[r]

23 Then Ehud left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors behind him. 24 After he left, Eglon’s[s] attendants came to look, but the doors to the cool chamber were locked! So they said, “He must be relieving himself[t] in the inner part of the cool chamber.”[u] 25 They waited until they were embarrassed, since he never opened the doors to the chamber. Eventually they took a key, opened the doors, and found their master dead on the ground.

26 Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous region[v] of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions,[w] 28 he told them, “Attack them, because the Lord has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control.” So the Israeli army[x] followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29 At that time they attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped. 30 As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 years.

Shamgar, Israel’s Third Judge

31 After Ehud,[y] Anath’s son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also delivered Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:1 The Heb. lacks that is
  2. Judges 3:3 The Heb. lacks These nations included
  3. Judges 3:7 Lit. served the Baals and the Ashtaroth
  4. Judges 3:8 Or Aram of the Two Rivers; i.e. Mesopotamia
  5. Judges 3:9 Lit. to be a deliverer for; or to be a messiah
  6. Judges 3:9 Lit. deliver the Israelis
  7. Judges 3:10 Lit. he
  8. Judges 3:10 Or Aram of the Two Rivers; i.e. Mesopotamia
  9. Judges 3:10 Lit. his
  10. Judges 3:13 Lit. He
  11. Judges 3:16 I.e. about a foot and a half
  12. Judges 3:18 Lit. he
  13. Judges 3:19 Lit. So he
  14. Judges 3:20 The Heb. lacks of his palace
  15. Judges 3:20 Lit. he
  16. Judges 3:21 Lit. his
  17. Judges 3:22 So LXX. MT reads abdomen, it
  18. Judges 3:22 Or from behind
  19. Judges 3:24 Lit. his
  20. Judges 3:24 Lit. be covering his feet
  21. Judges 3:24 Or cool area; i.e. a private room (usually on a roof) for residence in warm weather
  22. Judges 3:27 Or the hill country
  23. Judges 3:27 Or the hill country
  24. Judges 3:28 Lit. he
  25. Judges 3:31 Lit. him
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Judges 2
Judges 4
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