Yahweh Tests Israel

3 ^(A)Now these are the nations which Yahweh allowed to remain, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan; ^2 [a]however, God tested them in order that the generations of the sons of Israel would know war, by learning war, ^[b]especially those who had not known it formerly). ³ These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and ^(B)the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as ^[c]Lebo-hamath. ⁴ And they were for ^[d](C)testing Israel, to know if they would ^[e]obey the commandments of Yahweh, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. ^5 (D)Now the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; ⁶ and ^(E)they took their daughters for themselves as wives and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

Yahweh Raises Up Othniel

⁷ Thus the sons of Israel did ^(F)what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and ^(G)forgot Yahweh their God and ^(H)served the Baals and the ^[f]Asheroth. ⁸ Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of ^[g]Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. ⁹ Then the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a savior for the sons of Israel to save them, ^(I)Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ^10 (J)And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-rishathaim king of ^[h]Mesopotamia into his hand. So his hand was strong against Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ Then the land was quiet for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² Then the sons of Israel again ^(K)did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So ^(L)Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. ¹³ And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed ^(M)the city of the palm trees. ¹⁴ So the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

Yahweh Raises Up Ehud and Shamgar

¹⁵ Then the sons of Israel ^(N)cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a savior for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by his hand to Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶ And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a ^[i]cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. ¹⁷ Then he brought the tribute near to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ And it happened when he had finished bringing the tribute near, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. ¹⁹ But he himself turned back from the graven images which were at Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Keep silence.” And all who stood by him left him. ²⁰ But Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud sent forth his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. ²² The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.

²⁴ Now he went out, and his servants came in and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “^(O)He is surely ^[j]relieving himself in the cool room.” ²⁵ Then they waited until they were ashamed; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the ^[k]floor dead.

²⁶ Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the graven images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ And it happened when he had arrived, that ^(P)he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them. ²⁸ Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for Yahweh has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.” So they went down after him and captured ^(Q)the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab and did not allow anyone to cross. ²⁹ And they struck down at that time about 10,000 Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. ³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet for eighty years.

³¹ Now after him was ^(R)Shamgar the son of Anath. And he struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.