jps Judges:3:12-30 SEEK
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And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD ;
and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel ,
because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD .
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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 .
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And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years .
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But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD ,
the LORD raised them up a saviour ,
Ehud the son of Gera ,
the Benjamite ,
a man left-handed ;
and the children of Israel sent a present by him unto Eglon the king of Moab .
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And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges ,
of a cubit length ;
and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh .
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And he offered the present unto Eglon king of Moab--now Eglon was a very fat man .
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And when he had made an end of offering the present ,
he sent away the people that bore the present .
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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 .
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And Ehud came unto him ;
and he was sitting by himself alone in his cool upper chamber .
And Ehud said : '
I have a message from God unto thee .'
And he arose out of his seat .
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And Ehud put forth his left hand ,
and took the sword from his right thigh ,
and thrust it into his belly .
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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 belly ;
and it came out behind .
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Then Ehud went forth into the porch ,
and shut the doors of the upper chamber upon him ,
and locked them .
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Now when he was gone out ,
his servants came ;
and they saw ,
and ,
behold ,
the doors of the upper chamber were locked ;
and they said : '
Surely he is covering his feet in the cabinet of the cool chamber .'
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And they tarried till they were ashamed ;
and ,
behold ,
he opened not the doors of the upper chamber ;
therefore they took the key ,
and opened them ;
and ,
behold ,
their lord was fallen down dead on the earth .
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And Ehud escaped while they lingered ,
having passed beyond the quarries ,
and escaped unto Seirah .
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And it came to pass ,
when he was come ,
that he blew a horn in the hill-country of Ephraim ,
and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country ,
and he before them .
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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 the Jordan against the Moabites ,
and suffered not a man to pass over .
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And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men ,
every lusty man ,
and every man of valour ;
and there escaped not a man .
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So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel .
And the land had rest fourscore years .