| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan | 1These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, |
| 2(this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), | 2if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: |
| 3namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. | 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. |
| 4And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. | 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. |
| 5Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. | 5Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. |
| 6And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. | 6And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. |
| 7So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. | 7So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. |
| 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. | 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. |
| 9When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. | 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. |
| 10The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. | 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. |
| 11So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. | 11So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. |
| 12And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. | 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. |
| 13Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. | 13After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms. |
| 14So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. | 14The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. |
| 15But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. | 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. |
| 16Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. | 16Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak |
| 17So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) | 17and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man. |
| 18And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. | 18After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it. |
| 19But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. | 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. |
| 20So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. | 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. |
| 21Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. | 21And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. |
| 22Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. | 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. |
| 23Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. | 23Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him. |
| 24When he had gone out, Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber.” | 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. |
| 25So they waited till they were embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor. | 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. |
| 26But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. | 26Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. |
| 27And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. | 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. |
| 28Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. | 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. |
| 29And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. | 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped. |
| 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. | 30So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. |
| 31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel. | 31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. |
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