Judges:3

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* And these are the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel with them , all that had not known the wars of Chanaan . * Only for the sake of the generations of Israel , to teach them war , only the men before them knew them not . * The five lordships of the Phylistines , and every Chananite , and the Sidonian , and the Evite who dwelt in Libanus from the mount of Aermon to Laboemath . * And this was done in order to prove Israel by them , to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord , which he charged their fathers by the hand of Moses . * And the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chananite , and the Chettite , and the Amorite , and the Pherezite , and the Evite , and the Jebusite . * And they took their daughters for wives to themselves , and they gave their daughters to their sons , and served their gods . * And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord , and forgot the Lord their God , and served Baalim and the groves . * And the Lord was very angry with Israel , and sold them into the hand of Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers : and the children of Israel served Chusarsathaim eight years . * And the children of Israel cried to the Lord ; and the Lord raised up a saviour to Israel , and he saved them , Gothoniel the son of Kenez , the brother of Chaleb younger than himself . * And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him , and he judged Israel ; and he went out to war against Chusarsathaim : and the Lord delivered into his hand Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers , and his hand prevailed against Chusarsathaim . * And the land was quiet forty years ; and Gothoniel the son of Kenez died . * And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord : and the Lord strengthened Eglom king of Moab against Israel , because they had done evil before the Lord . * And he gathered to himself all the children of Ammon and Amalec , and went and smote Israel , and (note :)Gr . inherited (:note ) took possession of the city of Palm-trees . * And the children of Israel served Eglom the king of Moab eighteen years . * And the children of Israel cried to the Lord ; and he raised up to them a saviour , Aod the (note :)i . e . Benjamite (:note ) son of Gera a son of Jemeni , a man Or , able to use his left hand as well as his right ; q . d ., with two right hands who used both hands alike : and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglom king of Moab . * And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges , of a span long , and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh . * And he went , and brought the presents to Eglom king of Moab , and Eglom was a very handsome man . * And it came to pass when Aod had made an end of offering his gifts , that he dismissed those that brought the gifts . * And he himself returned from the quarries that are by Galgal ; and Aod said , I have a secret errand to thee , O king ! and Eglom said to him , Be silent : and he sent away from his presence all who waited upon him . * And Aod went in to him ; and he sat in his own upper summer chamber quite alone ; and Aod said , I have a message from God to thee , O king : and Eglom rose up from his throne near him . * And it came to pass as he arose , that Aod stretched forth his left hand , and took the dagger off his right thigh , and plunged it into his belly ; * and drove in also the haft after the blade , and the fat closed in upon the blade , for he drew not out the dagger from his belly . * And Aod went out to the porch , and passed out by the appointed guards , and shut the doors of the chamber upon him , and locked them . * And he went out : and (note :)Gr . his (:note ) Eglom ’s servants came , and saw , and behold , the doors of the upper chamber were locked ; and they said , Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber ? * And they waited till they were ashamed , and , behold , there (note :)Gr . is (:note ) was no one that opened the doors of the upper chamber ; and they took the key , and opened them ; and , behold , their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth . * And Aod escaped while they were in a tumult , and no one paid attention to him ; and he passed the quarries , and escaped to Setirotha . * And it came to pass when Aod came into the land of Israel , that he blew the horn in mount Ephraim , and the children of Israel came down with him from the mountain , and he was before them . * And he said to them , Come down after me , for the Lord God has delivered our enemies , even Moab , into our hand ; and they went down after him , and seized on the fords of Jordan before Moab , and he did not suffer a man to pass over . * And they smote Moab on that day about ten thousand men , every lusty person and every mighty man ; and not a man escaped . * So Moab was (note :)Gr . put to shame (:note ) humbled in that day under the hand of Israel , and the land had rest eighty years ; and Aod judged them till he died . * And after him rose up Samegar the son of Dinach , and smote the Philistines to the number of six hundred men with a ploughshare such as is drawn by oxen ; and he too delivered Israel .

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