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Idolatry Leads to Servitude

^1 (C1)Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all the Israelites 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 previously).³ These nations are: the five governors of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians, and ^(C1)the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as ^(F1)Lebo-hamath.⁴ They were left to ^(C1)test Israel by them, to find out if they would ^(F1)obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers ^(F2)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 So the sons of Israel did ^(C1)what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they ^(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 hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of ^(F1)Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

The First Judge Frees 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 took possession of ^(C1)the city of the palm trees.¹⁴ And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

Ehud Kills Eglon

¹⁵ But when the sons of Israel ^(C1)cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by ^(F1)him to Eglon the king of Moab.¹⁶ Now Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his cloak.¹⁷ Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.¹⁸ And it came about, when he had finished presenting the tribute, that Ehud 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 the king said, "Silence!" And all who were attending him left him.²⁰ Then Ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber alone. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he got up from his seat.²¹ Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.²² The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and ^(F1)the refuse came out.²³ Then Ehud went out into the ^(F1)vestibule, and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When he had left, ^(F1)the king's servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "^(C1)Undoubtedly he is ^(F2)relieving himself in the cool room."²⁵ So they waited ^(F1)until it would have been shameful to wait longer; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So 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 hesitating, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.²⁷ And ^(F1)when he arrived, ^(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 ^(F2)leading them.²⁸ Then he said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you." So they went down after him and took control of ^(C1)the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.²⁹ They struck and killed about ten thousand Moabites at that time, 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 at rest for eighty years.

Shamgar Saves Israel

³¹ Now after him came ^(C1)Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck and killed six hundred Philistines with an ^(F1)oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.