Nations Left to Test Israel 1 DBY And these are the nations that Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, all that had not known all the wars of Canaan; BSB BSB: These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan,
2 DBY only that the generations of the children of Israel might know war by learning it, at the least those who before had known nothing thereof: BSB BSB: if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:
3 DBY five lord ships of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwell on mount Lebanon; from mount Baal-Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. BSB BSB: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
4 DBY And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. BSB BSB: These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.
5 DBY And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites: Hittites and Amorites and Perizzites and Hivites and Jebusites; BSB BSB: Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
6 DBY and they took their daughters as wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. BSB BSB: And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Othniel 7 DBY And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs. BSB BSB: So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
8 DBY And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. BSB BSB: Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.
9 DBY And the children of Israel cried to Jehovah; and Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. BSB BSB: But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
10 DBY And the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim king of Syria into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. BSB BSB: The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.
11 DBY And the land had rest forty years; and Othniel the son of Kenaz died. BSB BSB: So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud 12 DBY And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the sight of Jehovah. BSB BSB: Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
13 DBY And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek and went and smote Israel, and they took possession of the city of palm-trees. BSB BSB: After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.
14 DBY And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. BSB BSB: The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15 DBY And the children of Israel cried to Jehovah, and Jehovah raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a man left-handed. And by him the children of Israel sent a gift to Eglon king of Moab. BSB BSB: And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
16 DBY And Ehud made him a sword having two edges, it was of a cubit length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right hip. BSB BSB: Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak
17 DBY And he brought the gift to Eglon king of Moab; now Eglon was a very fat man. BSB BSB: and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.
18 DBY And it came to pass when he had ended offering the gift, he sent away the people that had borne the gift. BSB BSB: After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.
19 DBY But he turned from the graven images that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word unto thee, O king. And he said, Be silent! And all that stood by him went out from him. BSB BSB: But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.
20 DBY And Ehud came to him; now he was sitting in the cool upper-chamber, which was for him alone. And Ehud said, I have a word from God unto thee. And he arose from the seat. BSB BSB: Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
21 DBY Then Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right hip, and thrust it into his belly; BSB BSB: And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.
22 DBY and the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade; for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and it came out between the legs. BSB BSB: Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied.
23 DBY And Ehud went out into the portico, and shut the doors of the upper-chamber upon him, and bolted them. BSB BSB: Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
24 DBY And when he was gone out, the servants of the king came and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper-chamber were bolted. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the summer chamber. BSB BSB: After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.
25 DBY And they waited till they were ashamed; and behold, he opened not the doors of the upper-chamber, and they took the key, and opened them , and behold, their lord lay dead on the earth. BSB BSB: So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.
26 DBY And Ehud had escaped while they lingered, and passed beyond the graven images, and escaped to Seirah. BSB BSB: Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 DBY And it came to pass when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them. BSB BSB: On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.
28 DBY And he said to them, Follow after me, for Jehovah has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan toward Moab, and suffered no one to pass over. BSB BSB: “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over.
29 DBY And they slew the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand men, all fat, and all men of valour, and not a man escaped. BSB BSB: At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.
30 DBY And Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years. BSB BSB: So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
Shamgar 31 DBY And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath; and he smote the Philistines, six hundred men, with an ox-goad. And he also delivered Israel. BSB BSB: After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
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