Unconquered Canaanite Nations

1Here’s a list of nations that the LORD caused to remain in order to test Israel (that is,a everyone who had not gained any battle experience in Canaan) 2only so that successive Israeli generations, who had not known war previously, might come to know it by experience. 3These nations includedb the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4They remained there to test Israel, to reveal if they would obey the commands of the LORD that he issued to their ancestors through Moses.

Othniel, Israel’s First Judge

5The Israelis continued to live among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, 6taking their daughters as wives for themselves, giving their own daughters to their sons, and serving their gods. 7The Israelis kept on practicing evil in full view of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served Canaanite male and female deities.c 8Then in his burning anger against Israel, the LORD delivered them to domination by King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim.d So the Israelis served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. 9When the Israelis cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz, to delivere them,f and he did. 10The Spirit of the LORD was on him, and he governed Israel. When Othnielg went out to battle, the LORD handed king Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaimh into his control, and Othniel’si domination of Cushan-rishathaim was strong. 11As a result, the land was quiet for 40 years. Then Kenaz’ son Othniel died.

Ehud, Israel’s Second Judge

12The Israelis again practiced evil in full view of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab in his control over Israel, because they had practiced evil in full view of the LORD. 13Eglonj assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms. 14So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

15But when the Israelis cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up Gera’s son Ehud, a left-handed descendant of Benjamin, as a deliverer for them. The Israelis paid tribute through him to king Eglon of Moab. 16Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubitk long, tied it to his right thigh under his cloak, 17and went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man.

18As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehudl sent away the people who had been carrying it. 19He had turned away from the idols that were at Gilgal. So he told Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, king.”

King Eglonm responded “Silence!” and all of his attendants left him.

20Ehud approached him while he was sitting by himself in the cool roof chamber of his palace.n He said, “I have a message from God for you!” So when Eglono got up from his seat, 21Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon’sp abdomen. 22The hilt also penetrated along with the sword blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over the blade. Because he did not withdraw the sword from Eglon’s abdomen, the sword pointq exited from Eglon’s entrails.r

23Then Ehud left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors behind him. 24After he left, Eglon’ss attendants came to look, but the doors to the cool chamber were locked! So they said, “He must be relieving himselft in the inner part of the cool chamber.”u 25They waited until they were embarrassed, since he never opened the doors to the chamber. Eventually they took a key, opened the doors, and found their master dead on the ground.

26Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of Seirah. 27When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous regionv of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions,w 28he told them, “Attack them, because the LORD has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control.” So the Israeli armyx followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29At that time they attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped. 30As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 years.

Shamgar, Israel’s Third Judge

31After Ehud,y Anath’s son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also delivered Israel.