Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New Revised Standard NRS
1 These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites:
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Now these are the nations that the Lord left to test all those in Israel who had no experience of any war in Canaan
2 That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war:
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(it was only that successive generations of Israelites might know war, to teach those who had no experience of it before):
3 The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in Mount Libanus, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath.
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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 And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers, by the hand of Moses, or not.
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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 ancestors by Moses.
5 So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite:
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So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
6 And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
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and they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and their own daughters they gave to their sons; and they worshiped their gods.
7 And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth.
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The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God, and worshiping the Baals and the Asherahs.
8 And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they 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 King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
9 And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them; to wit, Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:
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But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
10 And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered Chusan Rasathaim, king of Syria, and he overthrew him:
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The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; he went out to war, and the Lord gave King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
11 And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel, the son of Cenez, died.
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So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon, king of Moab: because they did evil in his sight.
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The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
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In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, he went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms.
14 And the children of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen years.
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So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years.
15 And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, called Aod, the son of Cera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon, king of Moab, by him.
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But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to King Eglon of Moab.
16 And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith, under his garment, on the right thigh.
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Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length; and he fastened it on his right thigh under his clothes.
17 And he presented the gifts to Eglon, king of Moab Now Eglon was exceeding fat.
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Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had presented the gifts unto him he followed his companions that came along with him.
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When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the people who carried the tribute on their way.
19 Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,
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But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." So the king said, "Silence!" and all his attendants went out from his presence.
20 Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne.
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Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber, and said, "I have a message from God for you." So he rose from his seat.
21 And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,
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Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon's belly;
22 With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in the body as he had struck it in: and forthwith, by the secret parts of nature, the excrements of the belly came out.
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the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23 And Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour, and locking them,
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Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and closed the doors of the roof chamber on him, and locked them.
24 Went out by a postern door. And the king’s servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.
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After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber."
25 And waiting a long time, till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.
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So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them. There was their lord lying dead on the floor.
26 But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:
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Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the sculptured stones, and escaped to Seirah.
27 And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front.
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When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head.
28 And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies, the Moabites, into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over:
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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 allowed no one to cross over.
29 But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape.
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At that time they killed about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped.
30 And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the land rested eighty years.
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So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.
31 After him was Samgar, the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.
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After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who killed six hundred of the Philistines with an oxgoad. He too delivered Israel.
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New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.