Previous     Next       Play // Stop Sound    

          DASV: Judges 3    

1 Now these are the nations that the LORD left to test Israel,
especially all those who had not experienced the wars against
the Canaanties.
2 He did this so that he might teach subsequent generations of
Israelites warfare, those who had no experience with war.
3 The nations he left were: the five lords of the Philistines,
all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, the Hivites that dwelt in
mountains of Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to the Lebo-hamath.
4 They were left to test Israel to know whether they would obey
the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers
through Moses.
5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
6 They took their daughters for their wives, and gave their own
daughters to their sons and served their gods.
7 So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot
the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.
8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel,
and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of
Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim
eight years.
9 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised
up a deliverer for the Israelites, who rescued them,
one such was Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
10 The Spirit of the LORD came on him, and he judged Israel
and went to war. Then the LORD handed Cushan-rishathaim king
of Aram over to him and he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
11 The land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 The Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel,
because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
13 Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites,
and he went and defeated Israel, and possessed Jericho,
the city of palm trees.
14 The Israelites served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the LORD
raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite,
a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to Eglon
the king of Moab.
16 Ehud made a double-edged dagger, 18 inches long, and he strapped
it concealed under his clothing on his right thigh.
17 He brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was
a very fat man.
18 When Ehud finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people
who actually carried the tribute.
19 But he turned back once he had reached the stone idols by Gilgal,
and told Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, O king."
Eglon demanded, "Silence!" So all his attendants left him.
20 Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the cool
upper room. Ehud declared, "I have a message from God for you."
When King Eglon rose from his seat,
21 Ehud reached with his left hand, grabbed the sword from his right
thigh, and thrust it into King Eglon's belly.
22 The handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed in
around the blade. Ehud did not draw the sword out of his body and
excrement came out.
23 Then Ehud went out into the porch, and shut and locked the doors
of the upper room after him.

24 After Ehud had gone out, the king's servants came and saw the
locked doors of the upper room and they concluded, "He must be
relieving himself in the well-ventilated chamber."
25 So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he still did not
open the doors of the upper room, they took the key, and opened them.
There they found their lord lying dead on the floor.

26 But Ehud escaped while they were waiting, and passed by the stone
idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim he blew a trumpet
and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with
Ehud leading them.
28 Now he ordered them, "Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your
enemies the Moabites into your hand." So they went down after him,
and captured the fords of the Jordan River across from Moab,
and did not allow anyone to cross over.
29 That day they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all strong,
valiant warriors; no one escaped.
30 So that day Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel.
Then the land had rest eighty years.

31 After Ehud, Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 Philistines
with an oxgoad, rescued Israel.

 Previous     Next       Play // Stop Sound