The Nations Left to Test Israel
1These are the nations Yahweh left, to test by them all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars of Canaan — 2this was only so that the generations of the Israelites would learn war, at least those who had not known it before: 3the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4They were left to test Israel, to see whether Israel would obey the commands Yahweh had given their fathers through Moses. 5So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6They took the daughters of these peoples as wives for themselves and gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
Othniel Delivers Israel
7The Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; they forgot Yahweh their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram-naharaim; the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9Then the Israelites cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who saved them — Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11The land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud and the King of Moab
12Again the Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and because they did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel. 13Eglon gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, marched out, struck down Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. 14The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15Then the Israelites cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by his hand to Eglon king of Moab. 16Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword a cubit long, and he strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab — Eglon was a very fat man. 18When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent off the men who had carried it. 19But he himself turned back from the carved images near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” The king said, “Silence,” and all his attendants left him. 20Ehud came in to him as he sat alone in his cool roof chamber and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into his belly. 22Even the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; it came out behind. 23Then Ehud went out to the porch, shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. 24After he had gone, the king’s servants came and saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the cool inner room.” 25They waited until they grew embarrassed, but still he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So they took the key and opened them — and there was their lord, fallen to the floor, dead. 26Ehud had escaped while they waited; he passed by the carved images and escaped to Seirath. 27When he arrived, he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. 28He said to them, “Follow me, for Yahweh has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” They went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan against Moab, and let no one cross. 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong and able men; not one escaped. 30That day Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel, and the land had rest for eighty years.
Shamgar
31After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad; he too saved Israel.
