Judges 3 NKJV ISV Parallel

◄ Judges 3 ►

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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

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)

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),

2only so that successive Israeli generations, who had not known war previously, might come to know it by experience.

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.

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.

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.

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.

5Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

5The Israelis continued to live among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,

6And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.

6taking their daughters as wives for themselves, giving their own daughters to their sons, and serving 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

11So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

11As a result, the land was quiet for 40 years. Then Kenaz' son Othniel 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.

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.

13Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms.

13Eglon assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms.

14So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

14So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for 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.

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.

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.

16Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubit long, tied 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 went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man.

18And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.

18As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehud sent away the people who had been carrying 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.

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.

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.

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,

21Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

21Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon's abdomen.

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.

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.

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

23Then Ehud left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors 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 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."

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.

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.

26But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah.

26Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of 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.

27When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous region of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions,

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.

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.

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 attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped.

30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

30As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 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, Anath's son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also delivered Israel.

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