Nations Left to Test Israel 1 WBS 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; 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 WBS 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;) BSB BSB: if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:
3 WBS Namely , five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt on mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of 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 WBS And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of the LORD, 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 WBS 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 WBS And they took their daughters to be their 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 WBS And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served Baalim, and the groves. 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 WBS Therefore the anger of the LORD 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 WBS And when the children of Israel cried to 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. 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 WBS And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia 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 WBS 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 WBS 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. 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 WBS And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed 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 WBS So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. BSB BSB: The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15 WBS But when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a man left-handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present 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 WBS But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh. 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 WBS And he brought the present to Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. BSB BSB: and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.
18 WBS And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bore the present. BSB BSB: After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.
19 WBS But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. 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 WBS And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting in a summer-parlor, which he had for himself alone: and Ehud said, I have a message from God to thee. And he arose from his 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 WBS And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, 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 WBS And the haft also entered 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. 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 WBS Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them. BSB BSB: Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
24 WBS When he had gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his 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 WBS And they tarried till they were ashamed: and behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor, therefore they took a 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 WBS And Ehud escaped while they tarried; and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirath. BSB BSB: Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 WBS And it came to pass when he had 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. 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 WBS And he said to them, Follow 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 towards Moab, and suffered not a man 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 WBS And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor: and there escaped not a man. BSB BSB: At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.
30 WBS So 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 WBS And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who slew of 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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