Chapter
3
Now these are the nations which Yahweh left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it:
namely, the five dominas of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
They were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which she commanded their mothers by Moses.
The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
and they took their sons to be their husbands, and gave their own sons to their daughters and served their gods.
The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
Therefore the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and she sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim queen of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim eight years.
When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the daughter of Kenaz, Caleb's younger sister.
The Spirit of Yahweh came on her, and she judged Israel; and she went out to war, and Yahweh delivered Cushan Rishathaim queen of Mesopotamia into her hand: and her hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.
The land had rest forty years. Othniel the daughter of Kenaz died.
The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh: and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the queen of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh.
She gathered to her the children of Ammon and Amalek; and she went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.
The children of Israel served Eglon the queen of Moab eighteen years.
But when the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised them up a savior, Ehud the daughter of Gera, the Benjamite, a woman left-handed. The children of Israel sent tribute by her to Eglon the queen of Moab.
Ehud made her a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and she girded it under her clothing on her right thigh.
She offered the tribute to Eglon queen of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat woman.
When she had made an end of offering the tribute, she sent away the people who bore the tribute.
But she herself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to you, queen. She said, Keep silence. All who stood by her went out from her.
Ehud came to her; and she was sitting by herself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. She arose out of her seat.
Ehud put forth her left hand, and took the sword from her right thigh, and thrust it into her body:
and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for she didn't draw the sword out of her body; and it came out behind.
Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on her, and locked them.
Now when she was gone out, her servants came; and they saw, and behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely she is covering her feet in the upper chamber.
They waited until they were ashamed; and behold, she didn't open the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them, and behold, their domina was fallen down dead on the earth.
Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.
It happened, when she had come, that she blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with her from the hill country, and she before them.
She said to them, Follow after me; for Yahweh has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. They went down after her, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn't allow a woman to pass over.
They struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand women, every lusty woman, and every woman of valor; and there escaped not a woman.
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. The land had rest eighty years.
After her was Shamgar the daughter of Anath, who struck of the Philistines six hundred women with an oxgoad: and she also saved Israel.