| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. | 1These were the nations the LORD permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel--he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. |
| 2It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. | 2He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. |
| 3These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. | 3These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. |
| 4They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. | 4They were left to test Israel, so the LORD would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. |
| 5So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. | 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 6And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. | 6They took the Canaanites' daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well. |
| 7And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. | 7The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. |
| 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. | 8The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim's subjects for eight years. |
| 9But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. | 9When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. |
| 10The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. | 10The LORD's spirit empowered him and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the LORD handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. |
| 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. | 11The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died. |
| 12And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD. | 12The Israelites again did evil in the LORD's sight. The LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because they had done evil in the LORD's sight. |
| 13He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. | 13Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. |
| 14And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. | 14The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. |
| 15Then 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. | 15When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. |
| 16And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. | 16Ehud made himself a sword--it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. |
| 17And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. | 17He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) |
| 18And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. | 18After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. |
| 19But he himself turned back at 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. | 19But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, O king." Eglon said, "Be quiet!" All his attendants left. |
| 20And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. | 20When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." When Eglon rose up from his seat, |
| 21And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. | 21Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon's belly. |
| 22And 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. | 22The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. |
| 23Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. | 23As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. |
| 24When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” | 24When Ehud had left, Eglon's servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room." |
| 25And 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. | 25They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! |
| 26Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. | 26Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah. |
| 27When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. | 27When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. |
| 28And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. | 28He said to them, "Follow me, for the LORD is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!" They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross. |
| 29And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. | 29That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites--all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. |
| 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. | 30Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. |
| 31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. | 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel. |
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