¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.^{(A) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(B) in the eyes of the Lord^(C) and served the Baals.^{(D) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(E) of the peoples around them.^(F) They aroused^(G) the Lord’s anger^{(H) 13} because they forsook^(I) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(J) 14} In his anger^(K) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(L) of raiders who plundered^(M) them. He sold them^(N) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(O) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(P) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(Q)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[a](R) who saved^(S) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(T) themselves to other gods^(U) and worshiped them.^(V) They quickly turned^(W) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(X) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(Y) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(Z) because of their groaning^(AA) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AB) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AC) than those of their ancestors,^(AD) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AE) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AF) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(AG) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AH) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(AI) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(AJ) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(AK)

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test^(A) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan ² (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): ³ the five^(B) rulers of the Philistines,^(C) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites^(D) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon^(E) to Lebo Hamath.^{(F) 4} They were left to test^(G) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

⁵ The Israelites lived^(H) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,^(I) Hivites and Jebusites.^{(J) 6} They took their daughters^(K) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.^(L)

Othniel

⁷ The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord^(M) their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.^{(N) 8} The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold^(O) them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim^(P) king of Aram Naharaim,^[a](Q) to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. ⁹ But when they cried out^(R) to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer,^(S) Othniel^(T) son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came on him,^(U) so that he became Israel’s judge^[b] and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim^(V) king of Aram^(W) into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. ¹¹ So the land had peace^(X) for forty years,^(Y) until Othniel son of Kenaz^(Z) died.

Ehud

¹² Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,^(AA) and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab^(AB) power over Israel. ¹³ Getting the Ammonites^(AC) and Amalekites^(AD) to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.^{[c](AE) 14} The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab^(AF) for eighteen years.

¹⁵ Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer^(AG)—Ehud^(AH), a left-handed^(AI) man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute^(AJ) to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Now Ehud^(AK) had made a double-edged sword about a cubit^[d] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. ¹⁷ He presented the tribute^(AL) to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.^{(AM) 18} After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. ¹⁹ But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

²⁰ Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace^[e](AN) and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose^(AO) from his seat, ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword^(AP) from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. ²² Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. ²³ Then Ehud went out to the porch^[f]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

²⁴ After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself^(AQ) in the inner room of the palace.” ²⁵ They waited to the point of embarrassment,^(AR) but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet^(AS) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

²⁸ “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab,^(AT) your enemy, into your hands.^(AU)” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan^(AV) that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. ²⁹ At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. ³⁰ That day Moab^(AW) was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace^(AX) for eighty years.

Shamgar

³¹ After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath,^(AY) who struck down six hundred^(AZ) Philistines^(BA) with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.