Judges 3

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 These are the nations which Yahweh al owed to remain, by their means to put all those Israelites to thetest who had not experienced any of the Canaanite wars	1 These are the nations which the Lord left, so that by them he might instruct Israel and all who had not known the wars of the Canaanites,
2 (this was only to instruct the Israelites' descendants, to teach them the art of war, those at least whohad not experienced it previously):	2 so that afterward their sons might learn to contend with their enemies, and to have a willingness to do battle:
3 the five chiefs of the Philistines, al the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hittites who lived in therange of the Lebanon, from the uplands of Baal-Hermon to the Pass of Hamath.	3 the five princes of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who were living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-Hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.
4 They were used to put Israel to the test and see if they would keep the orders which Yahweh had giventheir ancestors through Moses.	4 And he left them, so that by them he might test Israel, as to whether or not they would listen to the commandments of the Lord, which he instructed to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites, the Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites;	5 And so, the sons of Israel lived in the midst of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
6 they married their daughters, they gave their own sons to their daughters and they served their gods.	6 And they took their daughters as wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
7 The Israelites did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes. They forgot Yahweh their God and served Baals andAsherahs.	7 And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, while serving the Baals and Ashtaroth.
8 Then Yahweh's anger blazed out against Israel: he handed them over to Cushan-Rishathaim king ofEdom, and the Israelites were enslaved to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.	8 And the Lord, having become angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia, and they served him for eight years.
9 The Israelites then cried to Yahweh and Yahweh raised for the Israelites a deliverer who rescued them,Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.	9 And they cried out to the Lord, who raised up for them a savior, and he freed them, namely, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb.
10 The spirit of Yahweh was on him; he became judge in Israel and set out for war. Yahweh deliveredCushan-Rishathaim king of Edom into his hands, and he triumphed over Cushan- Rishathaim.	10 And the Spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Syria, and he overwhelmed him.
11 The country then had peace for forty years. Othniel son of Kenaz then died.	11 And the land was quiet for forty years. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
12 Again the Israelites began doing what is evil in Yahweh's eyes, and Yahweh strengthened Eglon kingof Moab against Israel, since they were doing what is evil in Yahweh's eyes.	12 Then the sons of Israel resumed doing evil in the sight of the Lord, who strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against them because they did evil in his sight.
13 Eglon in conjunction with the sons of Ammon and Amalek marched on Israel, beat them and capturedthe City of Palm Trees.	13 And he joined to him the sons of Ammon and the sons of Amalek. And he went forth and struck Israel, and he possessed the City of Palms.
14 The Israelites were enslaved to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.	14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years.
15 The Israelites then cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised a deliverer for them, Ehud son of Gera, aBenjaminite; he was left-handed. The Israelites appointed him to take their tribute to Eglon king of Moab.	15 And afterward, they cried out to the Lord, who raised up for them a savior, called Ehud, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, who used either hand as well as the right hand. And the sons of Israel sent gifts to Eglon, the king of Moab, by him.
16 Ehud made himself a dagger -- it was double-edged and a foot long -- and strapped it under hisclothes on his right thigh.	16 And he made for himself a two-edged sword, having a handle, reaching to the middle, the length of the palm of a hand. And he was girded with it under his cloak, on the right thigh.
17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. This Eglon was a very fat man.	17 And he offered the gifts to Eglon, the king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceedingly fat.
18 Having presented the tribute, Ehud sent away the men who had been carrying it;	18 And when he had presented the gifts to him, he followed out his companions, who had arrived with him.
19 but he himself, on reaching the Idols which are near Gilgal, went back and said, 'I have a secretmessage for you, O king.' The king commanded silence, and al his attendants withdrew.	19 And then, returning from Gilgal where the idols were, he said to the king, “I have a secret word for you, O king.” And he ordered silence. And when all those who were around him had departed,
20 Ehud went up to him; he was sitting in his private room upstairs, where it was cool. Ehud said to him, 'Ihave a message from God for you, O king.' The latter immediately rose from his seat.	20 Ehud entered to him. Now he was sitting alone in a summer upper room. And he said, “I have a word from God to you.” And immediately he rose up from his throne.
21 Then Ehud, reaching with his left hand, drew the dagger he was carrying on his right thigh and thrust itinto the king's belly.	21 And Ehud extended his left hand, and he took the dagger from his right thigh. And he thrust it into his abdomen
22 The hilt too went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, since Ehud did not pul thedagger out of his bel y again.	22 so strongly that the handle followed the blade into the wound, and was enclosed by the great amount of fat. Neither did he withdraw the sword. Instead, he left it in the body just as he had struck with it. And immediately, by the private parts of nature, the filth of the bowels went out.
23 Ehud went out through the privies, having shut and bolted the doors of the upstairs room behind him.	23 Then Ehud carefully closed the doors of the upper room. And securing the bars,
24 When he had gone, the servants came back and looked; the doors of the upstairs room were bolted.They thought, 'He is probably covering his feet in the inner part of the cool room.'	24 he departed by a back exit. And the servants of the king, entering, saw that the doors of the upper room were closed, and they said, “Perhaps he is emptying his bowels in the summer room.”
25 They waited until they became embarrassed, but stil he did not open the doors of the upstairs room.Eventual y, they took the key and opened the door; and there lay their master, dead, on the ground.	25 And after waiting a long time, until they were embarrassed, and seeing that no one opened the door, they took the key, and opening it, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.
26 Meanwhile, Ehud had got away, passed the Idols and made good his escape to safety in Seirah.	26 But Ehud, while they were in confusion, escaped and passed by the place of the idols, from which he had returned. And he arrived at Seirath.
27 Once there, he sounded the horn in the highlands of Ephraim, and the Israelites came down from thehil s with him at their head.	27 And immediately he sounded the trumpet on Mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel descended with him, he himself advancing at the front.
28 And he said to them, 'Follow me, because Yahweh has delivered your enemy Moab into your hands.'So they followed him, seized the fords of the Jordan against Moab and al owed no one to cross.	28 And he said to them: “Follow me. For the Lord has delivered our enemies, the Moabites, into our hands.” And they descended after him, and they occupied the fords of the Jordan, which cross over to Moab. And they did not permit anyone to cross.
29 On that occasion they beat the Moabites, some ten thousand men, all tough and seasoned fighters,and not one escaped.	29 And so, they struck down the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and robust men. None of them were able to escape.
30 That day Moab was humbled under the hand of Israel, and the country had peace for eighty years.	30 And Moab was humbled in that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet for eighty years.
31 After him came Shamgar son of Anath. He routed six hundred of the Philistines with an ox-goad; hetoo was a deliverer of Israel.	31 After him, there was Shamgar, the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred men of the Philistines with a plowshare. And he also defended Israel.