Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 These are the nations that the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the wars of Canaan.
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Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.
2 They survived only to teach war to the generations of Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the earlier wars:
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It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.
3 the five rulers of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites who lived in the highlands of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
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These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
4 They were to be the test for Israel, to find out whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had made to their ancestors through Moses.
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They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
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So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
6 But the Israelites intermarried with them and served their gods.
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And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
7 The Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil, and they forgot the LORD their God. They served the Baals and the Asherahs.
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And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
8 The LORD became angry with Israel and gave them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. The Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
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Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
9 But then they cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, Othniel, Kenaz's son, Caleb's younger brother, who rescued them.
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But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10 The LORD's spirit was in Othniel, and he led Israel. When he marched out for war, the LORD handed over Aram's King Cushan-rishathaim. Othniel overpowered Cushan-rishathaim,
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The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
11 and the land was peaceful for forty years, until Othniel, Kenaz's son, died.
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So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 The Israelites again did things that the LORD saw as evil, and the LORD put Moab's King Eglon in power over them, because they did these things that the LORD saw as evil.
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And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 He convinced the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, defeated Israel, and took possession of Palm City.
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He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms.
14 So the Israelites served Moab's King Eglon eighteen years.
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And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud, Gera's son, a Benjaminite, who was left-handed. The Israelites sent him to take their tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon.
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Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
16 Now Ehud made for himself a double-edged sword that was about a foot and a half long, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his clothes.
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And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes.
17 Then he presented the tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon, who was a very fat man.
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And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
18 When he had finished delivering the tribute payment, Ehud sent on their way the people who had carried it.
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And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.
19 But he himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, and he said, "I have a secret message for you, King." So Eglon said, "Hush!" and all his attendants went out of his presence.
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But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king. ” And he commanded, “Silence. ” And all his attendants went out from his presence.
20 Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his cool second-story room, and he said, "I have a message from God for you." At that, Eglon got up from his throne.
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And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you. ” And he arose from his seat.
21 Ehud reached with his left hand and grabbed the sword from his right thigh. He stabbed it into Eglon's stomach,
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And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
22 and even the handle went in after the blade. Since he did not pull the sword out of his stomach, the fat closed over the blade, and his guts spilled out.
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And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.
23 Ehud slipped out to the porch, and closed and locked the doors of the second-story room behind him.
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Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
24 After Ehud had slipped out, the king's servants came and found that the room's doors were locked. So they thought, He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber.
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When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber. ”
25 They waited so long that they were embarrassed, but he never opened the doors of the room. Then they used the key to open them, and there was their master lying dead on the ground!
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And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
26 Ehud had gotten away while they were waiting and had passed the carved stones and escaped to Seirah.
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Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 When he arrived, he blew the ram's horn in the Ephraim highlands. So the Israelites went down from the highlands with Ehud leading them.
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When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.
28 He told them, "Follow me, for the LORD has handed over your enemies the Moabites." So they followed him, and they took control of the crossing points of the Jordan in the direction of Moab, allowing no one to cross.
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And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand. ” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over.
29 This time, they defeated the Moabites, about ten thousand big and strong men, and no one escaped.
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And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped.
30 Moab was brought down by the power of Israel on that day, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
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So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
31 After Ehud, Shamgar, Anath's son, struck down six hundred Philistines with an animal prod. He too rescued Israel.
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After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025