Nations Left to Test Israel
1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, in order to test Israel, for many had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan, 2 this was only so he could teach the generations who had not experienced battle, how to fight in battle: 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 They were left to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the Lord’s commandments, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. 5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters to be their wives and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.
Othniel
7 The Israelites did that which was evil in the Lord’s sight and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and Asheroth. 8 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and the Israelites served Cushan Rishathaim eight years.
9 When the Israelites cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a savior to the Israelites, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to wage war, and the Lord delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. His hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim. 11 The land had rest for 40 years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Ehud Delivers the Israelites
12 The Israelites again did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the Lord’s sight. 13 He gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites to himself; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the Israelites cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a savior for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a foot and a half in length, and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh. 17 He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had finished offering the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone idols that were by Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”
The king said, “Silence!” All who stood by him left him.
20 Ehud came to him, and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from the Lord to you.” He arose out of his seat. 21 Ehud put out his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into Eglon’s body. 22 The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed on the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his body, and it came out behind. 23 Then Ehud went out onto the porch and shut the doors of the upper room on him and locked them.
24 After he had gone, his servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They said, “Surely he is relieving himself in the cool upper room.” 25 They waited until they were ashamed, and he did not open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and their lord had fallen down dead on the floor.
26 Ehud escaped while they waited, passed beyond the stone idols, and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, and he led them.
28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” They followed him and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow any man to pass over. 29 They struck at that time about 10,000 Moabite men, every strong warrior. No man escaped.
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. Then the land had rest 80 years.
Shamgar
31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck 600 men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel.