Judges 3
The Nations Left to
Test Israel |
1 |
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;
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2 |
only that the generations of the children
of Israel might know to teach them war, at the least such as before
knew nothing thereof;
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3 |
namely, five lords of the
Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sido'nians, and the
Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Ba'al-her'mon unto
the entering in of Hamath.
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4 |
And they were to prove Israel by them, to
know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses.
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5 |
And the children of Israel dwelt among
the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Per'izzites, and
Hivites, and Jeb'usites:
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6 |
and they took their daughters to be their
wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their
gods.
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Othniel Delivers
Israel from Chushan-rishathaim |
7 |
And the children of Israel did evil in
the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Ba'alim and the
groves.
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8 |
Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the
hand of Chu'shan-rishatha'im king of Mesopota'mi-a: and the children
of Israel served Chu'shan-rishatha'im eight years.
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9 |
And when the children of Israel cried
unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Oth'ni-el the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother.
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10 |
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out
to war: and the LORD delivered
Chu'shan-rishatha'im king of Mesopota'mi-a into his hand; and his
hand prevailed against Chu'shan-rishatha'im.
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11 |
And the land had rest forty years: and
Oth'ni-el the son of Kenaz died.
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Ehud Delivers Israel
from Moab |
12 |
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.
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13 |
And he gathered unto him the children of
Ammon and Am'alek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city
of palm trees.
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14 |
So the children of Israel served Eglon
the king of Moab eighteen years.
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15 |
But when the children of Israel cried
unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man
left-handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto
Eglon the king of Moab.
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16 |
But Ehud made him a dagger which had two
edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon
his right thigh.
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17 |
And he brought the present unto Eglon
king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
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18 |
And when he had made an end to offer the
present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
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19 |
But he himself turned again from the
quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret
errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood
by him went out from him.
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20 |
And Ehud came unto him; and he was
sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud
said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
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21 |
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and
took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his
belly:
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22 |
and the haft also went in 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.
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23 |
Then Ehud went forth through the porch,
and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked
them.
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24 |
When he was 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.
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25 |
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 was fallen down dead on the earth.
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26 |
And Ehud escaped while they tarried,
and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto
Se-i'rath.
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27 |
And it came to pass, when he was come,
that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of E'phra-im, and the
children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before
them.
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28 |
And he said unto them, Follow after 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 toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass
over.
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29 |
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.
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30 |
So Moab was subdued that day under the
hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
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Shamgar Delivers
Israel from the Philistines |
31 |
And after him was Shamgar the son of
Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad:
and he also delivered Israel.
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