| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Here's a list of nations that the LORD caused to remain in order to test Israel (that is, everyone who had not gained any battle experience 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. |
| 2only so that successive Israeli generations, who had not known war previously, might come to know it by experience. | 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. |
| 3These nations included the five lords of the Philistines, all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in Mount Baal-hermon as far as 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. |
| 4They remained there to test Israel, to reveal if they would obey the commands of the LORD that he issued to their ancestors 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. |
| 5The Israelis continued to live among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, | 5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 6taking their daughters as wives for themselves, giving their own daughters to their sons, and serving their gods. | 6They took the Canaanites' daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well. |
| 7The Israelis kept on practicing evil in full view of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served Canaanite male and female deities. | 7The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. |
| 8Then in his burning anger against Israel, the LORD delivered them to domination by King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. So the Israelis served Cushan-rishathaim for 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. |
| 9When the Israelis cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up Othniel son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, to deliver them, and he did. | 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 was on him, and he governed Israel. When Othniel went out to battle, the LORD handed king Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim into his control, and Othniel's domination of Cushan-rishathaim was strong. | 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. |
| 11As a result, the land was quiet for 40 years. Then Kenaz' son Othniel died. | 11The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died. |
| 12The Israelis again practiced evil in full view of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab in his control over Israel, because they had practiced evil in full view 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. |
| 13Eglon assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms. | 13Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. |
| 14So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. | 14The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. |
| 15But when the Israelis cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up Gera's son Ehud, a left-handed descendant of Benjamin, as a deliverer for them. The Israelis paid tribute through him to king Eglon 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. |
| 16Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubit long, tied 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 went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man. | 17He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) |
| 18As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehud sent away the people who had been carrying it. | 18After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. |
| 19He had turned away from the idols that were at Gilgal. So he told Eglon, "I have a secret message for you, king." King Eglon responded "Silence!" and all of 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. |
| 20Ehud approached him while he was sitting by himself in the cool roof chamber of his palace. He said, "I have a message from God for you!" So when Eglon got up 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, |
| 21Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon's abdomen. | 21Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon's belly. |
| 22The hilt also penetrated along with the sword blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over the blade. Because he did not withdraw the sword from Eglon's abdomen, the sword point exited from Eglon's entrails. | 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 left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors behind him. | 23As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. |
| 24After he left, Eglon's attendants came to look, but the doors to the cool chamber were locked! So they said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner part of the cool chamber." | 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." |
| 25They waited until they were embarrassed, since he never opened the doors to the chamber. Eventually they took a key, opened the doors, and found their master dead on the ground. | 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! |
| 26Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of Seirah. | 26Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah. |
| 27When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous region of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions, | 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. |
| 28he told them, "Attack them, because the LORD has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control." So the Israeli army followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. | 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 attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped. | 29That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites--all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. |
| 30As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 years. | 30Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. |
| 31After Ehud, Anath's son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also delivered Israel. | 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel. |
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