1And these are the nations which יהוה left, to try Yisra’ĕl by them, all those who had not known all the battles in Kena‛an,

2only that the generations of the children of Yisra’ĕl might know, to teach them battle, only those who before did not know them:

3five princes of the Philistines, and all the Kena‛anites, and the Tsiḏonians, and the Ḥiwwites who dwelt in Mount Leḇanon, from Mount Ba‛al Ḥermon to the entrance of Ḥamath.

4And they were to try Yisra’ĕl by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of יהוה, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Mosheh.

5Thus the children of Yisra’ĕl dwelt in the midst of the Kena‛anites, the Ḥittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Ḥiwwites, and the Yeḇusites,

6and took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their mighty ones.

7Thus the children of Yisra’ĕl did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and forgot יהוה their Elohim, and served the Ba‛als and the Ashĕrahs.

8And the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl, and He sold them into the hand of Kushan-Rish‛athayim sovereign of Aram Naharayim. And the children of Yisra’ĕl served Kushan-Rish‛athayim eight years.

9And when the children of Yisra’ĕl cried out to יהוה, יהוה raised up a saviour for the children of Yisra’ĕl, who saved them: Othni’ĕl son of Qenaz, Kalĕḇ’s younger brother.

10And the Spirit of יהוה came upon him, and he ruled Yisra’ĕl, and went out to battle, and יהוה gave into his hand Kushan-Rish‛athayim sovereign of Aram Naharayim. And his hand prevailed over Kushan-Rish‛athayim,

11and the land had rest for forty years. Then Othni’ĕl son of Qenaz died,

12and the children of Yisra’ĕl again did evil in the eyes of יהוה. And יהוה made Eg̅lon sovereign of Mo’aḇ strong against Yisra’ĕl, because they had done evil in the eyes of יהוה.

13And he gathered to himself the children of Ammon and Amalĕq, and went and smote Yisra’ĕl, and they took possession of the city of palms.

14And the children of Yisra’ĕl served Eg̅lon sovereign of Mo’aḇ eighteen years.

15And when the children of Yisra’ĕl cried out to יהוה, יהוה raised up a saviour for them: Ěhuḏ son of Gĕra, a Binyamite, a man impeded in his right hand. And by him the children of Yisra’ĕl sent a present to Eg̅lon sovereign of Mo’aḇ.

16And Ěhuḏ made himself a sword, it was double-edged and a cubit in length, and he girded it under his long robe on his right thigh.

17And he brought the present to Eg̅lon sovereign of Mo’aḇ. Now Eg̅lon was a very fat man.

18And it came to be that when he had finished bringing near the present, he sent away the people bearing the present.

19But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O sovereign.” And he said, “Be silent!” And all those standing beside him went out from him.

20And Ěhuḏ came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof room. And Ěhuḏ said, “I have a message from Elohim for you.” So he arose from his seat.

21And Ěhuḏ reached with his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his stomach.

22And the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his stomach, and it came out behind.

23Then Ěhuḏ went out to the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24And when he had gone out, his servants came to look and saw the doors of the roof room were locked. So they said, “He is only covering his feet in the cool roof room.”

25And they waited until they were ashamed, but saw he was not opening the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened them and saw their master, fallen to the ground, dead.

26But while they were delaying Ěhuḏ escaped and had passed beyond the stone images, and escaped to Se‛irah.

27And it came to be, when he arrived, that he blew the ram’s horn in the mountains of Ephrayim, and the children of Yisra’ĕl went down with him from the mountains, with him leading them.

28And he said to them, “Follow me, for יהוה has given your enemies the Mo’aḇites into your hand.” And they went down after him, and took the fords of Yardĕn leading to Mo’aḇ, and did not allow anyone to pass over.

29And they smote about ten thousand men of Mo’aḇ at that time, all robust and brave men, and not a man escaped.

30And on that day Mo’aḇ was humbled under the hand of Yisra’ĕl. And the land had rest for eighty years.

31And after him was Shamgar son of Anath, and he smote six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. And he too saved Yisra’ĕl.