1   These are the nations which the Lord left as a means of testing all the Israelites who had not taken part in the battles for Canaan, 2   his purpose being to teach succeeding generations of Israel, or those at least who had not learnt in former times, how to make war. 3   These were: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon from Mount Baalhermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4   His purpose also was to test whether the Israelites would obey the commands which the Lord had given to their forefathers through Moses. 5   Thus the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6   They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons; and they worshipped their gods.

7   The Israelites did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and worshipped the Baalim and the Asheroth. ^note 8   The Lord was angry with Israel and he sold them to Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram-naharaim, ^note who kept them in subjection for eight years. 9   Then the Israelites cried to the Lord for help and he raised up a man to deliver them, Othniel son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, and he set them free. 10   The spirit of the Lord came upon him and he became judge over Israel. He took the field, and the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hands; Othniel was too strong for him. 11   Thus the land was at peace for forty years until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12   Once again the Israelites did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, and because of this he roused Eglon king of Moab against Israel. 13   Eglon mustered the Ammonites and the Amalekites, advanced to attack Israel and took possession of the Vale of Palm Trees. 14   The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. 15   When they cried to the Lord for help, he raised up a man to deliver them, Ehud son of Gera the Benjamite, who was left-handed. The Israelites sent him to pay their tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16   Ehud made himself a two-edged

Israel under the judges sword, only fifteen inches long, ^note which he fastened on his right side under his clothes, 17   and he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 18   Eglon was a very fat man. When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, 19   he sent on the men who had carried it, and he himself turned back from the Carved Stones at Gilgal. ‘My lord king,’ he said, ‘I have a word for you in private.’ Eglon called for silence and dismissed all his attendants. ^note 20   Ehud then came up to him as he sat in the roof-chamber of his summer palace and said, ‘I have a word from God for you.’ 21   So Eglon rose from his seat, and Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right side and drove it into his belly. 22   The hilt went in after the blade and the fat closed over the blade; he did not draw the sword out but left it protruding behind. ^note 23   Ehud went out to the porch, ^note shut the doors on him and fastened them. 24   When he had gone away, Eglon's servants came and, finding the doors fastened, they said, ‘He must be relieving himself in the closet of his summer palace.’ 25   They waited until they were ashamed to delay any longer, and still he did not open the doors of the roof-chamber. So they took the key and opened the doors; and there was their master lying on the floor dead. 26   While they had been waiting, Ehud made his escape; he passed the Carved Stones and escaped to Seirah. 27   When he arrived there, he sounded the trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came down from the hills with him at their head. 28   He said to them, ‘Follow me, for the Lord has delivered your enemy the Moabites into your hands.’ Down they came after him, and they seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and allowed no man to cross. 29   They killed that day some ten thousand Moabites, all of them men of substance and all fighting men; not one escaped. 30   Thus Moab on that day became subject to Israel, and the land was at peace for eighty years.

31   After Ehud there was Shamgar of Beth-anath. ^noteHe killed six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad, and he too delivered Israel.

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