Judges 3— TYN

¹These are the nations which the LORD left to tempt Israel: even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan:

²Onely for the learning of the generation of the children of Israel: which before knew nothing of war,

³he left the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Cananites, the Sidonites, the Hevites that dwelt in mount Libanon: even from mount Baal Hermon unto Hemath.

⁴Those remained to prove Israel by, to wete whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

⁵And as the children of Israel dwelt among the Cananites, Hethites, Amorites, Pheresites, Hevites, and Jebusites,

⁶they took the daughters of them to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

⁷And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Aseroth.

⁸Therefore the LORD was angry with Israel and delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim king of Mesopotamia. So that the children of Israel served Chusan Rasathaim eight years.

⁹And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And the LORD stirred them up a saver and saved them: one Othoniel the son of Kenes, Caleb's younger brother.

¹⁰And the spirit of the LORD came upon him. And he judged Israel, and went out to war. And the LORD sold Chusan Rasathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. So that his hand was mighty over Chusan Rasathaim.

¹¹And the land had rest forty year. And Othoniel the son of Kenes died.

¹²And then the children of Israel went to again, and committed wickedness in the sight of the LORD. And then the LORD hardened Eglon the king of the Moabites, against the children of Israel, because they had committed wickedness before the LORD.

¹³And this Eglon gathered unto him the children of Ammon, and the Amalekites, and went and smote the children of Israel, and conquered the city of Palm trees.

¹⁴And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of the Moabites eighteen year.

¹⁵And then they cried unto the LORD. And the LORD stirred them up a saver, Ahud the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, a man that could do nothing handsomely with his right hand. By whom the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of the Moabites

¹⁶which Ahud made him a dagger with two edges, of a cubit length, and he did gird it under his coat upon his right thigh

¹⁷and carried the present unto Eglon the king of the Moabites, which Eglon was a very fat man.

¹⁸And when he had presented the present, he sent the people that bare it away,

¹⁹but he himself turned again from the Idols by Gilgal, and said: I have a secret unto thee O king: and the king commanded him to hold his peace until all that stood about him, were gone out from him.

²⁰And Ahud came in unto him in a summer parlor, which he had several unto himself alone, and said: I have a message unto thee from God. And he arose out of his seat.

²¹And Ahud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly,

²²so that the haft went in after the blade. And the haft stopped in the fat, for he drew not the dagger out of his belly. And the dirt came out.

²³But Ahud gat him out at a postern door and shut the doors of the parlor upon him and locked them.

²⁴When he was gone out, his servants came and looked. And behold, the doors of the parlor were locked. And they said, Ah, he is doing of his easement in his summer chamber.

²⁵And when they had tarried till they were ashamed, for no man did the doors of the parlor open: then they took a key and opened them. And behold their lord was fallen down dead, unto the earth.

²⁶But Ahud escaped while they tarried and was gone beyond the Idols and escaped into Seirath.

²⁷And when he was come he blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel went down with him off the hill and he before them.

²⁸And he said unto them, follow me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies, the Moabites into your hands. And they descended after him and took the passages of Jordan from the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.

²⁹And they slew of the Moabites, the same time upon a ten thousand men, all fat, and men of might: that there escaped not a man,

³⁰and so the Moabites were subdued that day, under the hands of Israel: and the land had rest eighty year.

³¹And after him came Samgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundredth men with an ox goad, and delivered Israel also.