| New International Version | English Standard Version |
| 1These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan | 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. |
| 2(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): | 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. |
| 3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. | 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. |
| 4They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses. | 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. |
| 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. | 5So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. |
| 6They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. | 6And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. |
| 7The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. | 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. |
| 8The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. | 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. |
| 9But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. | 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. |
| 10The Spirit of the LORD came on him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. | 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. |
| 11So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. | 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. |
| 12Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. | 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. |
| 13Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. | 13He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. |
| 14The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. | 14And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. |
| 15Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer--Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. | 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. |
| 16Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. | 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. |
| 17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. | 17And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. |
| 18After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. | 18And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. |
| 19But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." The king said to his attendants, "Leave us!" And they all left. | 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. |
| 20Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, | 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. |
| 21Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. | 21And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. |
| 22Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. | 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. |
| 23Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. | 23Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. |
| 24After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace." | 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.” |
| 25They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead. | 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. |
| 26While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. | 26Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. |
| 27When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. | 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. |
| 28"Follow me," he ordered, "for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. | 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. |
| 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. | 29And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. |
| 30That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years. | 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. |
| 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel. | 31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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