Judges 3
Good News Translation
The Nations Remaining in the Land
3 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. 2 He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. 3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. 4 They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods.
Othniel
7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. 9 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel's leader. Othniel went to war, and the Lord gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia. 11 There was peace in the land for forty years, and then Othniel died.
Ehud
12 The people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel. 13 Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years.
15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him. 16 Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He had it fastened on his right side under his clothes. 17 Then he took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had given him the gifts, he told the men who had carried them to go back home. 19 But Ehud himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
So the king ordered his servants, “Leave us alone!” And they all went out.
20 Then, as the king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof, Ehud went over to him and said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king stood up. 21 With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the king's belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs.[a] 23 Then Ehud went outside, closed the doors behind him, locked them, 24 and left. The servants came and saw that the doors were locked, but they only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself. 25 They waited as long as they thought they should, but when he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. And there was their master, lying dead on the floor.
26 Ehud got away while they were waiting. He went past the carved stones and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle; then he led them down from the hills. 28 He told them, “Follow me! The Lord has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites.” So they followed Ehud down and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan; they did not allow anyone to cross. 29 That day they killed about ten thousand of the best Moabite soldiers; none of them escaped. 30 That day the Israelites defeated Moab, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 The next leader was Shamgar son of Anath. He too rescued Israel, and did so by killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
Footnotes
- Judges 3:22 Probable text it stuck … legs; Hebrew unclear.
Domarboken 3
Svenska Folkbibeln
Folk som blev kvar i landet
3 Dessa var de folk som Herren lät bli kvar för att med dem sätta alla de israeliter på prov som inte hade varit med om alla krigen i Kanaan, 2 detta för att han skulle lära Israels barn att föra krig, men bara dem som förut inte hade varit med om sådana: 3 filisteernas fem furstar och alla kananeer och sidonier samt de hiveer som bodde i Libanons bergsbygd, från berget Baal-Hermon ända till sista vägstycket mot Hamat. 4 Med dessa ville Herren sätta Israel på prov för att få veta om de ville följa de bud som han hade givit deras fäder genom Mose.
5 Så bodde Israels barn bland kananeerna, hetiterna, amoreerna, perisseerna, hiveerna och jebusiterna, 6 och de tog deras döttrar till hustrur och gav sina döttrar åt deras söner och tjänade deras gudar.
Otniel
7 Israel gjorde det som var ont i Herrens ögon. De glömde Herren, sin Gud, och tjänade baalerna och aserorna. 8 Då upptändes Herrens vrede mot Israel, och han sålde dem i Kusan-Risatajims hand, kungen i Aram-Naharajim. Och Israels barn tjänade Kusan-Risatajim i åtta år. 9 Men Israels barn ropade till Herren, och Herren lät då en frälsare uppstå bland dem som räddade dem, nämligen Otniel, son till Kenas, Kalebs yngre bror. 10 Herrens Ande kom över honom, och han blev domare i Israel. När han drog ut i strid, gav Herren Kusan-Risatajim, kungen i Aram, i hans hand så att han blev Kusan-Risatajim övermäktig. 11 Sedan hade landet ro i fyrtio år. Därefter dog Otniel, Kenas son.
Ehud
12 Men Israels barn gjorde åter det som var ont i Herrens ögon. Herren gav då Eglon, kungen i Moab, makt över Israel, eftersom de gjorde det som var ont i Herrens ögon. 13 Eglon förenade sig med Ammons barn och Amalek. Han drog ut och slog Israel, och de intog Palmstaden. 14 Och Israels barn tjänade Eglon, kungen i Moab, i arton år.
15 Men Israel ropade till Herren, och Herren lät en frälsare uppstå bland dem, benjaminiten Ehud, Geras son, en vänsterhänt man. När Israels barn sände honom med gåvor till Eglon, kungen i Moab, 16 gjorde Ehud ett tveeggat svärd åt sig, en fot långt. Detta band han fast under sina kläder vid sin högra höft. 17 Han överlämnade gåvorna till Eglon, kungen i Moab. Denne var en mycket fet man. 18 När han hade överlämnat gåvorna, sände han i väg folket som hade burit dem. 19 Själv vände han tillbaka vid bildstoderna nära Gilgal och sade: "Jag har ett hemligt ärende till dig, o konung." Kungen sade: "Var tysta!" Alla som stod omkring honom gick ut därifrån.
20 Ehud gick fram till honom, där han satt i sommarsalen som han hade för sig själv och Ehud sade: "Jag har ett ord från Gud till dig." När kungen reste sig från sin stol, 21 räckte Ehud ut sin vänstra hand, tog svärdet från sin högra höft och stötte det i hans buk, 22 så att fästet följde med in efter klingan, och klingan omslöts av fettet, ty han drog inte ut svärdet ur hans buk. Sedan gick Ehud ut i försalen, 23 och då han hade kommit dit, stängde han igen dörrarna till salen efter sig och låste dem.
24 När han hade gått kom Eglons tjänare och såg att dörrarna till salen var låsta. De tänkte: "Han har helt säkert något privat bestyr i sin sommarkammare." 25 Men sedan de hade väntat länge och han ändå inte öppnade dörrarna till salen, tog de nyckeln och öppnade själva, och se, där låg deras herre död på golvet.
26 Medan de dröjde hade Ehud flytt. Han hade hunnit förbi bildstoderna och flydde till Seira. 27 Så snart han kom dit, lät han stöta i hornet i Efraims bergsbygd. Då drog Israels barn ner från bergsbygden med honom i spetsen. 28 Han sade till dem: "Följ mig, för Herren har gett era fiender moabiterna i er hand." Då följde de honom och intog vadställena över Jordan till Moabs land och lät ingen komma över. 29 Vid detta tillfälle slog de omkring tiotusen moabiter, alla starka och tappra män. Inte en enda kom undan. 30 På den dagen blev Moab kuvat under Israels hand, och landet hade ro i åttio år.
Samgar
31 Efter Ehud kom Samgar, Anats son. Han slog filisteerna, sexhundra man, med en oxpik. Också han räddade Israel.
Judges 3
New King James Version
The Nations Remaining in the Land
3 Now these are (A)the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not [a]known any of the wars in Canaan 2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), 3 namely, (B)five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to [b]know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 (C)Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And (D)they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.
Othniel
7 So the children of Israel did (E)evil in the sight of the Lord. They (F)forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and [c]Asherahs. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He (G)sold them into the hand of (H)Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 When the children of Israel (I)cried out to the Lord, the Lord (J)raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: (K)Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 (L)The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12 (M)And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened (N)Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and (O)Amalek, went and [d]defeated Israel, and took possession of (P)the City of Palms. 14 So the children of Israel (Q)served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the children of Israel (R)cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a (S)left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back (T)from the [e]stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”
He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him.
20 So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 Even the [f]hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24 When he had gone out, [g]Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably (U)attending[h] to his needs in the cool chamber.” 25 So they waited till they were (V)embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor.
26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the [i]stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that (W)he blew the trumpet in the (X)mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and [j]he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for (Y)the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the (Z)fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And (AA)the land had rest for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 After him was (AB)Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines (AC)with an ox goad; (AD)and he also delivered (AE)Israel.
Footnotes
- Judges 3:1 experienced
- Judges 3:4 find out
- Judges 3:7 Name or symbol for Canaanite goddesses
- Judges 3:13 struck
- Judges 3:19 Tg. quarries
- Judges 3:22 handle
- Judges 3:24 Lit. his
- Judges 3:24 Lit. covering his feet
- Judges 3:26 Tg. quarries
- Judges 3:27 Lit. he went before them
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
1996, 1998 by Stiftelsen Svenska Folkbibeln
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
