Judges, 3

1. Now these [are] the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, [even] as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

1. These are the nations that Yahweh let live in order to test the Israelites through them, that is to say, all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan.

2. Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

2. He let these people live so that the generation of the children of Israel who had not known war before might learn how to fight.

3. [Namely], five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

3. These people were the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites, the Sidonians and the Hivites of Mount Lebanon, from the mountain of Baal-hermon to as far as the entrance of Hamath.

4. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

4. They remained to test Israel to see if they would observe the commandments that Yahweh had prescribed to their fathers through Moses.

5. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:

5. So the Israelites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

6. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

6. The Israelites married the daughters of these people, gave their own daughters in marriage to the sons of these people and served their gods.

7. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

7. The Israelites treated Yahweh badly; they forgot Yahweh, their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroths.

8. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.

8. Because of this, the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel and he left them in the hands of Cushanrishathaim, king of Aram, to whom they were subject for eight years.

9. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, [even] Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

9. Then the Israelites cried to Yah-weh, and he raised up from among them a liberator who saved 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 went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

10. The spirit of Yahweh was upon him and he led Israel. When Othniel went to war, Yahweh gave Cushanrishathaim, king of Aram, into Othniel's hands.

11. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

11. Othniel won over the king and the land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.

12. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

12. The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so he strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, so he could attack them; that was because they had treated Yahweh badly.

13. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

13. Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they set out and marched together defeating Israel and taking the City of Palms.

14. So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

14. The Israelites became subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.

15. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

15. But as they cried to Yahweh, he gave them a liberator - Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites entrusted a gift to him to bring to Eglon, king of Moab.

16. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

16. So, Ehud made for himself a two-edged dagger, one cubit long, and strapped it on his right thigh under his clothes.

17. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon [was] a very fat man.

17. He then went to present the gift to Eglon, king of Moab. Eglon was a very fat man.

18. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.

18. When Ehud finished offering the present, he dismissed the men who had brought all the things.

19. But he himself turned again from the quarries that [were] by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

19. But when he arrived at the place of the Idols, near Gilgal, he went back to the king, and said to Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, O king." Eglon, king of Moab, then declared, "Leave me alone!" And so everyone who was present left the room.

20. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of [his] seat.

20. Then Ehud approached him, while the king was seated alone on his private roof chamber where it was cool. Ehud said to him, "Lord, I have a warning from God for you." The king rose from his seat.

21. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

21. Then Ehud, with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into the king's belly.

22. And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

22. The handle even went in with the blade and the fat closed over the blade, for Ehud did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

23. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.

23. Ehud jumped out through the window after having locked the doors of the roof behind him.

24. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour [were] locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.

24. When he had gone, the servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They thought, "He must be relieving himself in the cool room."

25. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened [them]: and, behold, their lord [was] fallen down dead on the earth.

25. They waited for some time, but the doors of the roof room remained closed. Finally, they took the keys and opened the doors: their lord lay on the floor dead.

26. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.

26. Ehud had escaped while the servants waited for their king; he had passed through the place of the Idols and reached a safe place in Seirah.

27. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

27. When he arrived he had the trumpets sounded in the mountains of Ephraim and the Israelites went down from the mountains.

28. And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

28. He stood before all of them and said, "Follow me, for Yahweh has given the people of Moab, our enemies, into our hands." They went down with him, barred the passages of the Jordan towards Moab and they let nobody pass.

29. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.

29. They defeated Moab on that occasion, killing some ten thousand, all strong and brave men. Nobody was spared.

30. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

30. So on that day, Moab became subject to Israel, and the land remained peaceful for eighty years.

31. And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

31. Then Shamgar, the son of Anath, came; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He, too, saved Israel.