1 Estas são as nações que o Senhor deixou na terra para pôr à prova os israelitas que não haviam participado das guerras em Canaã. 2 Ele assim fez apenas para dar treinamento de combate às gerações de israelitas que não tinham experiência no campo de batalha. 3 Estas são as nações: os filisteus com seus cinco governantes, todos os cananeus, os sidônios e os heveus que habitavam nos montes do Líbano, desde o monte Baal-Hermom até Lebo-Hamate. 4 Esses povos foram deixados para pôr Israel à prova, para ver se obedeceriam aos mandamentos que o Senhor tinha dado a seus antepassados por meio de Moisés.
5 Assim, os israelitas viveram entre os cananeus, os hititas, os amorreus, os ferezeus, os heveus e os jebuseus. 6 Casaram-se com as filhas deles e deram suas filhas em casamento aos filhos deles. E serviram aos deuses deles.
7 Os israelitas fizeram o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor. Esqueceram-se do Senhor, seu Deus, e serviram às imagens de Baal e aos postes de Aserá. 8 Então a ira do Senhor se acendeu contra Israel, e ele os entregou a Cusã-Risataim, rei de Arã-Naaraim. E os israelitas serviram a Cusã-Risataim durante oito anos.
9 Mas, quando os israelitas pediram socorro ao Senhor, ele levantou um libertador para salvá-los. Chamava-se Otoniel, filho de Quenaz, irmão mais novo de Calebe. 10 O Espírito do Senhor veio sobre Otoniel, e ele se tornou juiz de Israel. Otoniel guerreou contra Cusã-Risataim, rei de Arã, e o derrotou, pois o Senhor o entregou em suas mãos. 11 Houve paz na terra durante quarenta anos, até a morte de Otoniel, filho de Quenaz.
12 Mais uma vez, os israelitas fizeram o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor. Por isso, o Senhor deu a Eglom, rei de Moabe, poder sobre Israel. 13 Eglom se aliou com os amonitas e os amalequitas, atacou e derrotou Israel e conquistou Jericó, a cidade das palmeiras. 14 Os israelitas serviram a Eglom, rei de Moabe, durante dezoito anos.
15 Mas, quando os israelitas pediram socorro ao Senhor, ele levantou um libertador para salvá-los. Chamava-se Eúde, homem canhoto, filho de Gera, da tribo de Benjamim. Os israelitas encarregaram Eúde de entregar o tributo a Eglom, rei de Moabe. 16 Eúde fez um punhal de dois gumes, com cerca de quarenta centímetros de comprimento, e prendeu a arma à coxa direita, onde ficou escondida debaixo da roupa. 17 Levou o tributo a Eglom, rei de Moabe, que era muito gordo.
18 Depois de entregar o pagamento, Eúde partiu com os homens que haviam ajudado a carregar o tributo. 19 Quando Eúde chegou aos ídolos de pedra perto de Gilgal, deu meia-volta, apresentou-se diante de Eglom e disse: "Tenho uma mensagem secreta para o senhor, ó rei!".
Eglom ordenou: "Não fale ainda!", e mandou todos os seus servos saírem.
20 Eúde se aproximou de Eglom, que estava sentado sozinho na sala do andar superior, um ambiente mais fresco, e disse: "Tenho uma mensagem de Deus para o senhor!". O rei Eglom se levantou, 21 e Eúde, com a mão esquerda, puxou o punhal de sua coxa direita e o cravou na barriga de Eglom. 22 O punhal foi tão fundo que seu cabo desapareceu sob a gordura do rei. Por isso, Eúde não tirou o punhal, e as fezes do rei vazaram. 23 Então Eúde fechou e trancou as portas da sala e saiu pelo pórtico.
24 Depois que Eúde saiu, os servos do rei voltaram e encontraram trancadas as portas da sala no andar superior. Pensaram que ele estivesse usando o banheiro privativo, 25 por isso esperaram. Mas, como depois de muita demora o rei não saiu, ficaram preocupados e pegaram a chave. Quando abriram as portas, encontraram seu senhor caído no chão, morto.
26 Enquanto os servos esperavam, Eúde escapou e passou pelos ídolos de pedra a caminho de Seirá. 27 Quando chegou à região montanhosa de Efraim, tocou a trombeta, chamando o povo para guerrear. Os israelitas desceram os montes, com Eúde à frente.
28 Ele disse: "Sigam-me, pois o Senhor entregou Moabe, seu inimigo, em suas mãos". Os israelitas o seguiram e assumiram o controle dos pontos mais rasos do Jordão, onde se atravessava para Moabe, e não deixaram ninguém passar.
29 Eles atacaram os moabitas e mataram cerca de dez mil de seus guerreiros mais fortes e valentes. Nenhum deles escapou. 30 Naquele dia, Israel derrotou Moabe, e houve paz na terra durante oitenta anos.
31 Depois de Eúde, Sangar, filho de Anate, libertou Israel. Certa vez, ele matou seiscentos filisteus com um ferrão de conduzir bois.
1 Now these are the nations which LORD 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 sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at least to such as formerly knew nothing of that):
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 to the entrance of Hamath.
4 And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
5 And the sons 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 sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of LORD, and forgot LORD their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth.
8 Therefore the anger of LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, And the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
9 And when the sons of Israel cried to LORD, LORD raised up a savior to the sons of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
10 And the Spirit of LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and LORD 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 sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of LORD. And LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done that which was evil in the sight of LORD.
13 And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.
14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the sons of Israel cried to LORD, LORD raised up for them a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
16 And Ehud made for himself 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 to 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 men who bore the tribute.
19 But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to thee, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all who stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came to him. And he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to 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 handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade, for he did not draw 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 delayed till they were ashamed, and, behold, he did not open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key, and opened, and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26 And Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.
27 And it came to pass, when he came, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.
28 And he said to them, Follow after me, for LORD has 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 did not allow a man to pass over.
29 And they smote about ten thousand men of Moab at that time, every robust 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 eighty years.
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox-goad, and he also saved Israel.