Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
English Standard Version ESV
1 These are the nations the Lord left in order to test Israel, since none of these Israelites had fought in any of the wars with 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 This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites [how to fight in] battle, especially those who had not fought before.
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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 [These nations included:] the five rulers of the Philistines and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanese mountains from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to 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 The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord's commands He had given their fathers 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 But they settled 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 The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped 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 what was evil in the Lord's sight; they forgot the Lord their God and worshiped 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's anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram of the Two Rivers,and the Israelites served him 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 The Israelites cried out to the Lord. So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother as a deliverer to save the Israelites.
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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 Spirit of the Lord was on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him.
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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 Then the land was peaceful 40 years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.
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So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord's sight. He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord's sight.
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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 After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms.
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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 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab 18 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, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him to Eglon king of Moab with tribute [money].
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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 Ehud made himself a double-edged sword 18 inches long. He strapped it to 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 and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an extremely 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 Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed 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 At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, "King [Eglon], I have a secret message for you." The king called for silence, and all his attendants left him.
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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 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs [where it was] cool. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you," and the king stood 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, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.
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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 Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon's insides came 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 escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs 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 Ehud was gone when Eglon's servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself in the cool room.
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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 The servants waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors-and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!
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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 escaped while the servants waited. He crossed over [the Jordan] near the carved images and reached Seirah.
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Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 After he arrived, he sounded the ram's horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader.
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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, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you." So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
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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 At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong and able-bodied men. Not one of them 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 became subject to Israel that day, and the land was peaceful 80 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 son of Anath [became judge]. He delivered Israel by striking down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.
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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.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025