1These are the nations Yahweh left to test Israel, specifically those who had not experienced all the wars of Canaan.
2He left them so that the future generations of Israelites, who had no experience in war, would learn to fight.
3These nations included the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
4They were left to test Israel, to see if they would obey Yahweh’s commands, which he had given to their ancestors through Moses.
5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
6They married the daughters of these people and gave their own daughters to their sons, and they worshiped their gods.
7The Israelites did what Yahweh considered evil. They forgot Yahweh their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
8Therefore, Yahweh became angry with Israel and allowed them to be conquered by Cushan Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia. The Israelites served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.
9When the Israelites cried out to Yahweh, he sent them a deliverer named Othniel, the son of Kenaz, who was Caleb’s younger brother.
10The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war, and Yahweh helped him defeat Cushan Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia. Othniel was victorious over Cushan Rishathaim.
11The land had peace for forty years, and then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
12The people of Israel once again did what Yahweh considered evil. So Yahweh gave Eglon, the king of Moab, power over Israel because they had done what was evil in Yahweh's eyes.
13Eglon gathered the Ammonites and Amalekites. He then attacked and defeated Israel, and they took control of Jericho, the city of palm trees.
14The people of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years.
15When the people of Israel cried out to Yahweh, Yahweh sent them a rescuer named Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin, the son of Gera. The people of Israel sent their tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab, through Ehud.
16Ehud made a sword that had two sharp edges and was about eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh.
17He presented the tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab. Eglon was a very fat man.
18After Ehud finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it with him.
19But Ehud himself turned back after passing the stone idols near Gilgal and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Be quiet!" Then all his attendants left the room.
20Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upstairs room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." The king stood up from his seat.
21Ehud reached out his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.
22The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade because Ehud did not pull the sword out of his body. The sword even came out the other side.
23Then Ehud went out to the porch, shut the doors of the upstairs room, and locked them.
24After he left, Eglon's servants came and saw that the doors of the upstairs room were locked. They thought, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room."
25They waited until they were embarrassed by how long it took, but he still did not open the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key, opened the doors, and there was their master, lying dead on the floor.
26While they were waiting, Ehud escaped past the stone idols and fled to Seirah.
27When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. The people of Israel came down with him from the hill country, and he led them.
28He told them, "Follow me, for Yahweh has delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand." So they followed him and captured the Jordan River crossings that led to Moab, not letting anyone cross.
29On that day, they killed about ten thousand Moabite men, all strong and brave warriors. Not one escaped.
30So that day, Moab was defeated by Israel. Then the land had peace for eighty years.
31After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath saved Israel by killing six hundred Philistines with an ox goad.