3 1 These are the nations our Father left to test Israel—all who had not known any of Canaan's wars. 2 (Only so Israel's generations who had not known war before might learn it.) 3 The nations: five Philistine rulers, all Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4 They were to test Israel—whether they'd obey our Father's commands, given to their ancestors through Moses. 5 So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 They married these peoples' daughters, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
The Father Raises up Othniel
7 Israel did evil in our Father's eyes, forgot their Father, and served the Baals and Asherahs. 8 So our Father's anger burned against Israel; he sold them to Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, whom Israel served eight years. 9 When the Israelites cried out to our Father, he raised a rescuer—Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother—who rescued them. 10 The Spirit of our Father came on him, and he judged Israel. He went to war, and our Father handed Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram to him, and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 Then the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
The Father Raises up Ehud
12 Israelites again did evil in the eyes of our Father, so our Father strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel. 13 Eglon gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites, went and struck Israel, and they seized the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 Israelites cried out to our Father again; he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as rescuer. They sent tribute through him to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, and strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it. 19 He turned back from the idols near Gilgal, saying, "I have a secret message for you, king." The king said, "Silence!" and all his attendants left him.
20 Ehud approached him, sitting alone in his cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you." The king rose from his seat. 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly. 22 The hilt entered after the blade; fat closed over it. Since Ehud didn't draw the sword from his belly, his guts spilled out. 23 Ehud went out to the porch, shut the upper room's doors behind him, and locked them.
24 After he left, his servants found the upper room's doors locked and said, "He must be easing himself in the cool room." 25 They waited until embarrassed, but he still hadn't opened the upper room's doors. So they took the key, opened them, and found their lord fallen on the floor, dead.
26 While they delayed, Ehud escaped. He passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 He arrived, blew the ram's horn in Ephraim's hills, and the Israelites came down with him from the hills, Ehud leading. 28 He said, "Follow me, for our Father has given your enemies Moab into your hand." They went down after him, seized the Jordan fords against Moab, and let no one cross. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not one escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under Israel's hand, and the land had rest eighty years.
31 Shamgar son of Anath followed, killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; he saved Israel too.
