Judges 3:12-30

Evangelical Heritage Version

The Second Judge: Ehud Versus the Moabites

¹² Again the people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel because they had committed evil in the eyes of the Lord.

¹³ Eglon took Ammonites and Amalekites along with him. He advanced and attacked Israel and took possession of the City of Palms. ¹⁴ So the people of Israel served Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ Again the people of Israel called out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a deliverer for them. The deliverer was Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite, who was left-handed.^[a]

The Israelites sent him with a tribute payment for Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud made a double-edged sword for himself, about eighteen inches long,^[b] and he strapped it under his clothing on his right thigh.

¹⁷ Ehud presented the tribute payment to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. ¹⁸ After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he sent the men who had delivered the tribute on their way. ¹⁹ But after he himself had passed the carved images that were at Gilgal, Ehud turned back and told the king, “I have a secret for you, O king!”

The king said, “Quiet, everyone,” so all his attendants left the room.

²⁰ Ehud approached Eglon as Eglon was sitting in the cool upper chamber, all alone. Ehud said, “I have something from God for you.” So Eglon stood up from the throne. ²¹ Ehud reached out his left hand and took the sword that was on his right thigh and drove it into Eglon’s belly. ²² As the hilt went in after the blade, Eglon’s fat closed behind the blade. Ehud did not draw the sword out from Eglon’s belly, and the contents of his bowels came out. ²³ Ehud then went out to the vestibule,^[c] shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them. ²⁴ Then off he went!

When Eglon’s servants came back, they were surprised to see that the doors of the upper chamber were locked. They said, “He must be using the toilet.”^{[d] 25} They waited until the delay became embarrassing, but no one opened the doors to the upper chamber. Finally they took the key and opened the door. And there he was. Their master was lying on the ground—dead!

²⁶ While they delayed, Ehud had escaped. He passed by the carved images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived, ram’s horns were sounded throughout the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites marched down from the hill country with Ehud leading the way. ²⁸ He said to them, “Follow me, because the Lord has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hands.” So they pursued them, captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and let no one cross. ²⁹ At this time they struck down about ten thousand men of Moab, every one robust, each one a powerful warrior. Not one escaped. ³⁰ This is how Moab was humbled on that day under the hand of Israel, and the land was quiet for eighty years.