The Nations Left to Test Israel
Nations are left in the land to test whether Israel will listen. When Israel forgets their Father, Cushan-Rishathaim rules eight years until Othniel is raised up. Later, left-handed Ehud hides a sword on his right thigh, kills fat King Eglon in his upper room, and locks the door.
3 1These are the nations our Father left to test Israel—all who had not known any of Canaan's wars. 2(He did this only so Israel's generations who had not known war before might learn it.). 3The nations: five Philistine rulers, all Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4They were to test Israel—whether they'd obey our Father's commands, given to their ancestors through Moses. 5So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6They married these peoples' daughters, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
The Father Raises up Othniel
7Israel did evil in our Father's eyes, forgot their Father, and served the Baals and Asherahs. 8So our Father's anger burned against Israel; he sold them to Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, whom Israel served eight years. 9When the Israelites cried out to our Father, he raised a rescuer—Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother—who rescued them. 10The Spirit of our Father came on him, and he judged Israel. He went to war, and our Father handed Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram to him, and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. 11Then the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
The Father Raises up Ehud
12Israelites again did evil in the eyes of our Father, and because they did this evil, our Father strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel. 13Eglon gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites, went and struck Israel, and they seized the City of Palms. 14The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15Israelites cried out to our Father again; he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as rescuer. They sent tribute through him to Eglon king of Moab. 16Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, about eighteen inches long, and strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it. 19He turned back from the idols near Gilgal, saying, "I have a secret message for you, king." The king said, "Silence!" and all his attendants left him.
20Ehud approached him, sitting alone in his cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you." The king rose from his seat. 21Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly. 22The hilt entered after the blade; fat closed over it. Since Ehud didn't draw the sword from his belly, his guts spilled out. 23Ehud went out to the porch, shut the upper room's doors behind him, and locked them.
24After he left, his servants found the upper room's doors locked and said, "He must be easing himself in the cool room." 25They waited until embarrassed, but he still hadn't opened the upper room's doors. So they took the key, opened them, and found their lord fallen on the floor, dead.
26While they delayed, Ehud escaped. He passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27He arrived, blew the ram's horn in Ephraim's hills, and the Israelites came down with him from the hills, Ehud leading. 28He said, "Follow me, for our Father has given your enemies Moab into your hand." They went down after him, seized the Jordan fords against Moab, and let no one cross. 29At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not one escaped. 30So Moab was subdued that day under Israel's hand, and the land had rest eighty years.
31Shamgar son of Anath followed, killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad; he saved Israel too.
