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Now these
are the nations which the Lord left, to prove
Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not
known all the wars of Canaan;
02 Only that the generations of the children of
Israel might know, to teach them war, at the
least such as before knew nothing thereof;
03 Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all
the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the
Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount
Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
04 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know
whether they would hearken unto the commandments
of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by
the hand of Moses.
05 And the children of Israel dwelt among the
Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and
Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
06 And they took their daughters to be their
wives, and gave their daughters to their sons,
and served their gods.
07 And the children of Israel did evil in the
sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God,
and served Baalim and the groves.
08 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot
against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of
Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the
children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight
years.
09 And when the children of Israel cried unto the
Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the
children of Israel, who delivered them, even
Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother.
10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and
he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the
Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim king of
Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed
against Chushanrishathaim.
11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel
the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the children of Israel did evil again in
the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened
Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because
they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon
and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and
possessed the city of palm trees.
14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the
king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the
Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud
the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded:
and by him the children of Israel sent a present
unto Eglon the king of Moab.
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two
edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it
under his raiment upon his right thigh.
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17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of
Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had made an end to offer the
present, he sent away the people that bare the
present.
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries
that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret
errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence.
And all that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in
a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone.
And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto
thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the
dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into
his belly:
22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and
the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could
not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the
dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and
shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and
locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and
when they saw that, behold, the doors of the
parlour were locked, they said, Surely he
covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and,
behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour;
therefore they took a key, and opened them: and,
behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the
earth.
26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and
passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto
Seirath.
27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he
blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and
the children of Israel went down with him from
the mount, and he before them.
28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for
the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites
into your hand. And they went down after him, and
took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and
suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten
thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour;
and there escaped not a man.
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of
Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath,
which slew of the Philistines six hundred men
with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
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