Judges 3:12-30
12 Now the sons of Israel again adid evil in the sight of the Lord. So bthe Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and ▼▼Lit struck
defeated Israel, and they took possession of dthe city of the palm trees. 14And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years. Ehud Kills Eglon
15 But when the sons of Israel ecried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by ▼▼Lit his hand
him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16Now Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his cloak. 17Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18And it came about, when he had finished presenting the tribute, that Ehud sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And the king said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him. 20Then Ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber alone. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he got up from his seat. 21Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and ▼▼Meaning of the Heb uncertain, but perhaps excrement
the refuse came out. 23Then Ehud went out into the ▼▼Meaning uncertain
vestibule, and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. 24 When he had left, ▼
▼Lit his
the king’s servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “ jUndoubtedly he is ▼▼Lit covering his feet; a euphemism referring to a squatting position
relieving himself in the cool room.” 25So they waited ▼▼Lit until shaming
until it would have been shameful to wait longer; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the ▼▼Lit earth
floor dead. 26 Now Ehud escaped while they were hesitating, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27And ▼
▼Lit it happened
when he arrived, ohe 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 ▼▼Lit before them
leading them. 28Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you.” So they went down after him and took control of qthe crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29They struck and killed about ten thousand Moabites at that time, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was at rest for eighty years.
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