Judg 3 | AB | STEP | And these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all that had not known the wars of Canaan.

Judges 3

1 And these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all that had not known the wars of Canaan. 2 Only for the sake of the generations of Israel, to teach them war, only the men before them knew them not. 3 The five lordships of the Philistines, and every Canaanite, and the Sidonian, and the Hivite who dwelt in Lebanon from the mount of Hermon to Hamath. 4 And this was done in order to test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord, which He charged their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 And the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 6 And they took their daughters for wives to themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served Baalam and the groves. 8 And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Syria of the rivers: and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and the Lord raised up a deliverer to Israel, and he delivered them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war against Cushan-Rishathaim. And the Lord delivered into his hand Cushan-Rishathaim king of Syria of the rivers, and his hand prevailed against Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 And the land was quiet forty years; and Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12 And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord. And the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil before the Lord. 13 And he gathered to himself all the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck Israel, and took possession of the City of Palm Trees. 14 And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and He raised up to them a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man who used both hands alike: and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglon king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made himself a two-edged dagger of a span long, and he secured it under his cloak upon his right thigh. 17 And he went, and brought the presents to Eglon king of Moab. And Eglon was a very handsome man. 18 And it came to pass when Ehud had made an end of offering his gifts, that he dismissed those that brought the gifts. 19 And he himself returned from the quarries that are by Gilgal. And Ehud said, I have a secret message for you, O king! And Eglon said to him, Be silent. And he sent away from his presence all who waited upon him. 20 And Ehud went in to him; and he sat alone in his own upper summer chamber. And Ehud said, I have a message from God for you, O king. And Eglon rose up from his throne near to him. 21 And it came to pass as he arose, that Ehud stretched forth his left hand, and took the dagger off his right thigh, and plunged it into his belly; 22 and drove in also the handle after the blade, and the fat closed in upon the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly. 23 And Ehud went out to the porch, and passed out by the appointed guards, and shut the doors of the chamber upon him, and locked them. 24 And he went out. And Eglon's servants came, and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked. And they said, Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber? 25 And they waited till they were ashamed, and behold, there was no one that opened the doors of the upper chamber; and they took the key, and opened them. And behold, their master was fallen down dead upon the ground. 26 And Ehud escaped while they were in a tumult, and no one paid attention to him; and he passed the quarries, and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it came to pass when Ehud came into the land of Israel, that he blew the horn in Mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came down with him from the mountain, and he was before them. 28 And he said to them, Come down after me, for the Lord God has delivered our enemies, even Moab, into our hand. And they went down after him, and seized on the fords of the Jordan before Moab, and he did not allow a man to pass over. 29 And they struck Moab on that day about ten thousand men, every lusty person and every mighty man; and not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was humbled in that day under the hand of Israel, and the land had rest eighty years; and Ehud judged them till he died. 31 And after him rose up Shamgar the son of Anath, and struck the Philistines to the number of six hundred men with a plow share such as is drawn by oxen; and he too delivered Israel.