Judg 3:15-30 | ESV | STEP | Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord , and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer , Ehud , the son of Gera , the Benjaminite , a left-handed man . The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab .

Judges 3:15-30

15 Then the people of Israel ^acried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them ^ba deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, ^ca left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back ^eat the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his ^fcool roof chamber. ^gAnd Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain} and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him ⁱand locked them.

24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, ^j“Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.

26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond ^kthe idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, ^lhe sounded the trumpet in ^mthe hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, ⁿfor the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized ^othe fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. ^pAnd the land had rest for eighty years.