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The Book of Judges, Chapter 3
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| 1 |
Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by
them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
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| 2 |
Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to
teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;
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| 3 |
Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the
Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount
Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
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| 4 |
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would
hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their
fathers by the hand of Moses.
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| 5 |
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites,
and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
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| 6 |
And they
took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to
their sons, and served their gods.
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| 7 |
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and
forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
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| 8 |
Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he
sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and
the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.
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| 9 |
And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD
raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them,
even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
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| 10 |
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel,
and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of
Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against
Chushanrishathaim.
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| 11 |
And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz
died.
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| 12 |
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel,
because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
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| 13 |
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and
went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
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| 14 |
So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen
years.
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| 15 |
But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD
raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man
lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto
Eglon the king of Moab.
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| 16 |
But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit
length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
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| 17 |
And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was
a very fat man.
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| 18 |
And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away
the people that bare the present.
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| 19 |
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by
Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said,
Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
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| 20 |
And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour,
which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from
God unto thee.
And he arose out of his seat.
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| 21 |
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his
right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
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| 22 |
And the haft also went
in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he
could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
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| 23 |
Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the
parlour upon him, and locked them.
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| 24 |
When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that,
behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he
covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
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| 25 |
And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened
not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened
them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
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| 26 |
And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the
quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
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| 27 |
And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in
the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him
from the mount, and he before them.
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| 28 |
And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath
delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down
after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not
a man to pass over.
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| 29 |
And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all
lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
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| 30 |
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the
land had rest fourscore years.
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| 31 |
And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the
Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered
Israel.
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