Judges 3:12-22

Christian Standard Bible

Ehud

¹² The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab^(A) 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.^{[a](B) 14} The Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed^(C) Benjaminite,^[b] as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him with the tribute^(D) for King Eglon of Moab.

¹⁶ Ehud made himself a double-edged sword eighteen inches long.^[c] He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes ¹⁷ and brought the tribute to King Eglon 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 said, “Silence!” and all his attendants left him. ²⁰ Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his upstairs room where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne. ²¹ Ehud 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 the waste came out.^[d]