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;
 3:2  Only that the generations of the children of Israel might
know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew
nothing thereof;
 3:3  [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.
 3:4  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.
 3:5  And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites,
Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and
Jebusites:
 3:6  And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave
their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
 3:7  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.
 3:8  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.
 3:9  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.
 3:10  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.
 3:11  And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son
of Kenaz died.
 3:12  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.
 3:13  And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and
Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of
palm trees.
 3:14  So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab
eighteen years.
 3:15  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.
 3:16  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.
 3:17  And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and
Eglon [was] a very fat man.
 3:18  And when he had made an end to offer the present, he
sent away the people that bare the present.
 3:19  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.
 3:20  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.
 3:21  And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger
from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
 3:22  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.
 3:23  Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the
doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
 3:24  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.
 3:25  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.
 3:26  And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond
the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
 3:27  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.
 3:28  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.
 3:29  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.
 3:30  So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel.
And the land had rest fourscore years.
 3:31  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.