| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of 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. |
| 2(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): | 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. |
| 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 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 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 left to test Israel, so the LORD would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. |
| 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. | 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 6They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. | 6They took the Canaanites' daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well. |
| 7The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. | 7The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. |
| 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. | 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 they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. | 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 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 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 peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. | 11The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel 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. | 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. |
| 13Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked 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. |
| 14The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. | 14The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for 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. | 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. |
| 16Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. | 16Ehud made himself a sword--it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. |
| 17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. | 17He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon 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. | 18After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. |
| 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 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. |
| 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, | 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, |
| 21Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. | 21Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon's 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. | 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 to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room 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. |
| 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 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." |
| 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. | 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! |
| 26While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images 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 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. | 29That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites--all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. |
| 30That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years. | 30Israel humiliated Moab that day, 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 Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel. |
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