Shìshījì 3

1 Yēhéhuá liú xià zhè jǐ zú , wéi yào shìyàn nà bú céng zhīdào yǔ Jiānán zhēng zhàn zhī shì de Yǐsèliè rén ,

2 Hǎo jiào Yǐsèliè de hòudaì yòu zhīdào yòu xuéxí wèicéng xiǎodé de zhàn shì .

3 Suǒ liú xià de jiù shìfēi lì shì de wǔ gè shǒulǐng hé yīqiè Jiānán rén , Xīdùn rén , bìng zhù Lìbānèn shān de Xīwèirén , cóng bā lì hēi men shān zhídào Hāmǎkǒu .

4 Liú xià zhè jǐ zú , wéi yào shìyàn Yǐsèliè rén , zhīdào tāmen kĕn tīng cóng Yēhéhuá jiè Móxī fēnfu tāmen lièzǔ de jièmìng bù kĕn .

5 Yǐsèliè rén jìng zhù zaì Jiānán rén , Hèrén , Yàmólìrén , Bǐlìxǐrén , Xīwèirén , Yēbùsīrén zhōngjiān ,

6 Qǔ tāmende nǚér wèi qī , jiāng zìjǐ de nǚér jià gĕi tāmende érzi , bìng shìfèng tāmende shén .

7 Yǐsèliè rén xíng Yēhéhuá yǎn zhōng kàn wéi è de shì , wàngjì Yēhéhuá tāmende shén , qù shìfèng zhū bāLìhé yà shĕ lā ,

8 Suǒyǐ Yēhéhuá de nùqì xiàng Yǐsèliè rén fā zuò , jiù bǎ tāmen jiāo zaì Mĕisuǒbùdámǐyà wáng gǔ shān lì sà tián de shǒu zhōng . Yǐsèliè rén fúshì gǔ shān lì sà tián bā nián .

9 Yǐsèliè rén hū qiú Yēhéhuá de shíhou , Yēhéhuá jiù wèi tāmen xīngqǐ yī wèi zhĕngjiù zhĕ jiù tāmen , jiù shì Jiālè xiōngdi Jīnàsī de érzi Étuóniè .

10 Yēhéhuá de líng jiàng zaì tā shēnshang , tā jiù zuò le Yǐsèliè de shì shī , chū qù zhēng zhàn . Yēhéhuá jiāng Mĕisuǒbùdámǐyà wáng gǔ shān lì sà tián jiāo zaì tā shǒu zhōng , tā biàn shēng le gǔ shān lì sà tián .

11 Yúshì guó zhōng taìpíng sì shí nián . Jīnàsī de érzi Étuóniè sǐ le .

12 Yǐsèliè rén yòu xíng Yēhéhuá yǎn zhōng kàn wéi è de shì , Yēhéhuá jiù shǐ Móyē wáng Yījīlún qiángshèng , gōngjī Yǐsèliè rén .

13 Yījīlún zhāo jù Yàmén rén hé Yàmǎlì rén , qù gōngdǎ Yǐsèliè rén , zhān jū zōng shù chéng .

14 Yúshì Yǐsèliè rén fúshì Móyē wáng Yījīlún shí bā nián .

15 Yǐsèliè rén hū qiú Yēhéhuá de shíhou , Yēhéhuá jiù wèi tāmen xīngqǐ yī wèi zhĕngjiù zhĕ , jiù shì Biànyǎmǐn rén Jīlā de érzi yǐ hù . tā shì zuǒshǒu biàn lì de . Yǐsèliè rén tuō tā sòng lǐwù gĕi Móyē wáng Yījīlún .

16 Yǐ hù dá le yī bǎ liǎng rèn de jiàn , cháng yī zhǒu , daì zaì yòu tuǐ shàngyī fú lǐmiàn .

17 Tā jiāng lǐwù xiàn gĕi Móyē wáng Yījīlún , yuánlái Yījīlún jíqí féi pàng .

18 Yǐ hù xiàn wán lǐwù , biàn jiāng tái lǐwù de rén dǎfa zǒu le ,

19 Zìjǐ què cóng kàojìn Jíjiǎ zuò shí zhī dì huí lái , shuō , wáng a , wǒ yǒu yī jiàn jī mì shì zòu gào nǐ . wáng shuō , huí bì ba . yúshì zuǒyòu shì lì de rén dōu tuì qù le .

20 Yǐ hù lái dào wáng miànqián . wáng dúzì yī rén zuò zaì liáng lóu shàng . yǐ hù shuō , wǒ fèng shén de méng bàogào nǐ yī jiàn shì . wáng jiù cóng zuòwei shàng zhàn qǐlai .

21 Yǐ hù biàn shēn zuǒshǒu , cóng yòu tuǐ shàng bá chū jiàn lái , cī rù wáng de dù fù ,

22 Lián jiàn bǎ dōu cī jìn qù le . jiàn beì féi ròu jiá zhù , tā méiyǒu cóng wáng de dù fù bá chūlai , qiĕ chuān tōng le hòu shēn .

23 Yǐ hù jiù chū dào yóu láng , jiāng lóu mén jǐn dōu guān suǒ .

24 Yǐ hù chūlai zhī hòu , wáng de púrén dào le , kànjian lóu mén guān suǒ , jiù shuō , tā bì shì zaì lóu shàng dà jiĕ .

25 Tāmen dĕng fán le , jiàn réng bù kāi lóu mén , jiù ná yàoshi kāi le , búliào , tāmende zhǔrén yǐ sǐ , dǎo zaì dì shàng .

26 Tāmen dān yán de shíhou , yǐ hù jiù taópǎo le , jīngguò zuò shí zhī dì , taó dào xī yī lā .

27 Dào le , jiù zaì Yǐfǎlián shān dì chuī jiǎo . Yǐsèliè rén suí zhe tā xià le shān dì , tā zaì qiántou yǐn lù ,

28 Duì tāmen shuō , nǐmen suí wǒ lái , yīnwei Yēhéhuá yǐjing bǎ nǐmen de chóudí Móyē rén jiāo zaì nǐmen shǒu zhōng . yúshì tāmen gēn zhe tā xià qù , bǎshǒu Yuēdànhé de dùkǒu , bùróng Móyē yī rén guō qù .

29 Nàshí jī shā le Móyē rén yuē yǒu yī wàn , dōu shì qiángzhuàng de yǒng shì , méiyǒu yī rén taótuō .

30 Zhèyàng , Móyē jiù beì Yǐsèliè rén zhìfú le . guó zhōng taìpíng bā shí nián .

31 Yǐ hù zhī hòu , yǒu Yàná de érzi shān jiā , tā yòng gǎn niú de gùnzi dá sǐ liù bǎi Fēilìshì rén . tā yĕ jiù le Yǐsèliè rén .

Shìshījì 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The nations left to prove Israel. (1-7) Othniel delivers Israel. (8-11) Ehud delivers Israel from Eglon. (12-30) Shamgar delivers and judges Israel. (31)

Verses 1-7 As the Israelites were a type of the church on earth, they were not to be idle and slothful. The Lord was pleased to try them by the remains of the devoted nations they spared. Temptations and trials detect the wickedness of the hearts of sinners; and strengthen he graces of believers in their daily conflict with Satan, sin, and this evil world. They must live in this world, but they are not of it, and are forbidden to conform to it. This marks the difference between the followers of Christ and mere professors. The friendship of the world is more fatal than its enmity; the latter can only kill the body, but the former murders many precious souls.

Verses 8-11 The first judge was Othniel: even in Joshua's time Othniel began to be famous. Soon after Israel's settlement in Canaan their purity began to be corrupted, and their peace disturbed. But affliction makes those cry to God who before would scarcely speak to him. God returned in mercy to them for their deliverance. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel. The Spirit of wisdom and courage to qualify him for the service, and the Spirit of power to excite him to it. He first judged Israel, reproved and reformed them, and then went to war. Let sin at home be conquered, that worst of enemies, then enemies abroad will be more easily dealt with. Thus let Christ be our Judge and Lawgiver, then he will save us.

Verses 12-30 When Israel sins again, God raises up a new oppressor. The Israelites did ill, and the Moabites did worse; yet because God punishes the sins of his own people in this world, Israel is weakened, and Moab strengthened against them. If lesser troubles do not do the work, God will send greater. When Israel prays again, God raises up Ehud. As a judge, or minister of Divine justice, Ehud put to death Eglon, the king of Moab, and thus executed the judgments of God upon him as an enemy to God and Israel. But the law of being subject to principalities and powers in all things lawful, is the rule of our conduct. No such commissions are now given; to pretend to them is to blaspheme God. Notice Ehud's address to Eglon. What message from God but a message of vengeance can a proud rebel expect? Such a message is contained in the word of God; his ministers are boldly to declare it, without fearing the frown, or respecting the persons of sinners. But, blessed be God, they have to deliver a message of mercy and of free salvation; the message of vengeance belongs only to those who neglect the offers of grace. The consequence of this victory was, that the land had rest eighty years. It was a great while for the land to rest; yet what is that to the saints' everlasting rest in the heavenly Canaan.

Verse 31 The side of the country which lay south-west, was infested by the Philistines. God raised up Shamgar to deliver them; having neither sword nor spear, he took an ox-goad, the instrument next at hand. God can make those serviceable to his glory and to his church's good, whose birth, education, and employment, are mean and obscure. It is no matter what the weapon is, if God directs and strengthens the arm. Often he works by unlikely means, that the excellency of the power may appear to be of God.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 3

This chapter gives an account of the nations left in Canaan to prove Israel, and who became a snare unto them, Jud 3:1-7; and of the servitude of Israel under the king of Mesopotamia for their sins, from which they were delivered by Othniel, Jud 3:8-11; and of their subjection to the Moabites, from which they were freed by Ehud, who privately assassinated the king of Moab, and then made his escape, Jud 3:12-30; and of the destruction of a large number of Philistines by Shamgar, with an ox goad, Jud 3:31.