| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, | 1These were the nations the LORD permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel--he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. |
| 2if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: | 2He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. |
| 3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. | 3These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. |
| 4These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses. | 4They were left to test Israel, so the LORD would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. |
| 5Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. | 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 6And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. | 6They took the Canaanites' daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well. |
| 7So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. | 7The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. |
| 8Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. | 8The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim's subjects for eight years. |
| 9But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them. | 9When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. |
| 10The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him. | 10The LORD's spirit empowered him and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the LORD handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. |
| 11So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. | 11The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died. |
| 12Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. | 12The Israelites again did evil in the LORD's sight. The LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because they had done evil in the LORD's sight. |
| 13After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms. | 13Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. |
| 14The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. | 14The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. |
| 15And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. | 15When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. |
| 16Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak | 16Ehud made himself a sword--it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. |
| 17and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man. | 17He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) |
| 18After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it. | 18After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. |
| 19But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him. | 19But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, O king." Eglon said, "Be quiet!" All his attendants left. |
| 20Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat. | 20When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." When Eglon rose up from his seat, |
| 21And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. | 21Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon's belly. |
| 22Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied. | 22The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. |
| 23Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him. | 23As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. |
| 24After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said. | 24When Ehud had left, Eglon's servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room." |
| 25So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor. | 25They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! |
| 26Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. | 26Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah. |
| 27On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. | 27When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. |
| 28“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. | 28He said to them, "Follow me, for the LORD is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!" They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross. |
| 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped. | 29That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites--all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. |
| 30So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. | 30Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. |
| 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. | 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel. |
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