Judges 3
A Left-Handed Man with a Hidden Sword
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The Nations That Remained
3:1These are the nations Joshua left to test Israel through them—all those who had not known any of the wars of Canaan—
3:2only for the sake of the generations of the sons of Israel, to teach them warfare; only those before them had not known these things:
3:3the five satrapies of the foreigners, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites dwelling in Lebanon, from Mount Balaermon to Loboemath.
3:4This was to test Israel through them, to know whether they would obey the Lord’s commandments that He commanded their fathers through Moses.
3:5The sons of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
3:6They took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Othniel Delivers Israel
3:7The sons of Israel did evil before the Lord, forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baalim and the groves.
3:8The Lord grew furious with Israel and sold them into the hands of Chousarsathom king of Syria of the Rivers. They served him for eight years.
3:9The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. The Lord raised up a savior for Israel and saved them: Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And he heard him.
3:10The Spirit of the Lord came upon him. He judged Israel and went out to war. The Lord handed Chousarsathom king of Syria into his hand, and his hand became strong against Chousarsathom.
3:11The land was quiet for fifty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Eglon of Moab Oppresses Israel
3:12The sons of Israel again did evil before the Lord. The Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil before the Lord.
3:13He brought all the sons of Ammon and Amalek to himself, went and struck Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms.
3:14The sons of Israel served Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
Ehud and the Double-Edged Dagger
3:15The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. The Lord raised up a savior for them: Ehud son of Gera, son of Jemeni, a man skilled with both hands. Through him the sons of Israel sent gifts to Eglon king of Moab.
3:16Ehud made himself a double-edged dagger, a span long, and strapped it beneath his cloak upon his right thigh.
3:17He presented the gifts to Eglon king of Moab. Eglon was a very handsome man.
3:18When Ehud finished presenting the gifts, he sent away those who had carried them.
3:19Eglon returned from the carved images near Gilgal, and Ehud said, “I have a secret message for you, king.” Eglon said to everyone, “Out of the way!” All his attendants went out from him.
3:20Ehud entered his presence as he sat entirely alone in his summer upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you, king.” Eglon rose from his throne near him.
3:21As he rose, Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s belly,
3:22and drove even the handle in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because he did not pull the dagger out of his belly.
3:23Ehud went out into the vestibule, closed the upper-room doors upon him, and fastened them,
3:24and he went out. The king’s attendants entered, saw that the upper-room doors were closed, and said, “Perhaps he is sitting on the privy in the bedroom’s retreat?”
3:25They waited in embarrassment, but no one opened the upper-room doors. They took the key and opened them, and there was their lord, fallen dead on the ground.
Moab Subdued at the Fords
3:26Ehud escaped while they were in confusion, and no one was paying attention to him. He passed the carved images and escaped to Seirotha.
3:27When he arrived, he sounded a horn in the mountain of Ephraim. The sons of Israel went down with him, and he went before them.
3:28He said to them, “Come down after me, for the Lord God has handed your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” They went down after him and seized Moab’s Jordan crossings. They allowed no one to cross.
3:29At that time they struck about ten thousand men of Moab, all their fighters and every man of strength. Not one escaped.
3:30Moab was put to shame that day under Israel’s hand, and the land was quiet for eighty years. Ehud judged them until he died.
Shamgar Son of Anath
3:31After him Shamgar son of Anath arose and struck as many as six hundred foreign men, apart from the calves of the oxen. He too saved Israel.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V2 · working draft awaiting specialist review.