The Holy Bible. The Bible

fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

      ²¹ I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died;

      ²² that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

      ²³ So Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

      Chapter 3

       Table of Contents

      ¹ Now these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, even as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

      ² only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof:

      ³ [namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath.

      ⁴ And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.

      ⁵ And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

      ⁶ and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

      ⁷ And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgat Jehovah their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth.

      ⁸ Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

      ⁹ And when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

      ¹⁰ And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim.

      ¹¹ And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

      ¹² And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

      ¹³ And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees.

      ¹⁴ And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

      ¹⁵ But when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. And the children of Israel sent tribute by him unto Eglon the king of Moab.

      ¹⁶ And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

      ¹⁷ And he offered the tribute unto Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man.

      ¹⁸ And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people that bare the tribute.

      ¹⁹ But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

      ²⁰ And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

      ²¹ And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:

      ²² and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.

      ²³ Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them.

      ²⁴ Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.

      ²⁵ And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened [them], and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

      ²⁶ And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirah.

      ²⁷ And it came to pass, when he was come, that 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 before them.

      ²⁸ And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovah hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.

      ²⁹ And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man.

      ³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

      ³¹ And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.

      Chapter 4

       Table of Contents

      ¹ And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, when Ehud was dead.

      ² And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

      ³ And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

      ⁴ Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

      ⁵ And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

      ⁶ And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded, [saying], Go and draw unto mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

      ⁷ And I will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thy hand.

      ⁸ And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.

      ⁹ And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding, the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

      ¹⁰ And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

      ¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab the brother-in-law of