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Idolatry Leads to Servitude

^1 (C1)Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not ^(F1)experienced any of the wars of Canaan;² only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might ^(F1)be taught war, ^(F2)those who had not ^(F3)experienced it formerly).³ These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and ^(C1)the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as ^(F1)Lebo-hamath.⁴ They were for ^(F1)(C1)testing Israel, to find out if they would ^(F2)obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers ^(F3)through Moses.^5 (C1)The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;⁶ and ^(C1)they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

⁷ The sons of Israel did ^(C1)what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and ^(C2)forgot the LORD their God and ^(C3)served the Baals and the ^(F1)Asheroth.⁸ Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of ^(F1)Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

The First Judge Delivers Israel

¹² Now the sons of Israel again ^(C1)did evil in the sight of the LORD. So ^(C2)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 to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and ^(F1)defeated Israel, and they possessed ^(C1)the city of the palm trees.¹⁴ The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

Ehud Delivers from Moab

¹⁵ But when the sons of Israel ^(C1)cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by ^(F1)him to Eglon the king of Moab.¹⁶ Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.¹⁷ He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.¹⁸ It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.¹⁹ But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him.²⁰ Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.²¹ Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.²² The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "^(C1)He is only ^(F1)relieving himself in the cool room."²⁵ They waited until they ^(F1)became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the ^(F2)floor dead.

²⁶ Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.²⁷ It came about when he had arrived, that ^(C1)he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.²⁸ He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized ^(C1)the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.²⁹ They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.

Shamgar Delivers from Philistines

³¹ After him came ^(C1)Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.