The Nations Left to Test Israel
Judges 3Now these are the nations which YHWH left, to test those in Israel by them who had not known all the wars of Canaan. The purpose was so that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at least those who knew nothing of it before: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. They were left to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to YHWH’s commandments, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.
Othniel, First Judge
The children of Israel did that which was evil in YHWH’s sight and forgot YHWH their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore YHWH’s anger burned against Israel, and ʜᴇ sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. The children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.
When the children of Israel cried to YHWH, YHWH raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel who delivered them: Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of YHWH came on him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and YHWH delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. His hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim. The land had rest forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Ehud, Left-Handed Assassin
The children of Israel again what which was evil in YHWH’s sight, so YHWH strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in YHWH’s sight. He gathered the children of Ammon and Amalek to himself, and he went and struck Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palm Trees. The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried to YHWH, YHWH raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit+3:16 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. long. He wore it under his clothing on his right thigh. He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a exceedingly fat man. When Ehud had finished offering the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. At the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”
The king said, “Keep silence!” All who stood by him left him.
Ehud approached to him while he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” He arose out of his seat. Ehud reached out with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into the king’s belly. The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade. He didn’t pull the sword out of his belly, and wasted came out. Then Ehud went out onto the porch and closed and locked the doors of the upper room behind him.
After Ehud left, the servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They said, “Surely he is relieving himself+3:24 lit. “covering him feet” in the cool room.” They waited until they were ashamed, but he didn’t open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them and saw that their lord had fallen down dead on the floor.
Ehud escaped while they waited, passed beyond the stone idols, and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he led them.
He said to them, “Y’all must follow me, for YHWH has given y’all’s enemies the Moabites into y’all’s hand.” So they followed him and captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and didn’t allow anyone to pass over. They struck at that time about ten thousand men of Moab, every strong man and every man of valor. No man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. Then the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
Shamgar and the 600
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also delivered Israel.