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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Judges 3 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/judges/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > Judges 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/2.htm" title="Judges 2">◄</a> Judges 3 <a href="../judges/4.htm" title="Judges 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/judges/3.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>These are the nations the <span class="name">Lord</span> left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the <span class="name">Lord</span>’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.</p> <p class="sectionhead">Othniel</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the <span class="name">Lord</span>; they forgot the <span class="name">Lord</span> their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>The anger of the <span class="name">Lord</span> burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="That is, Northwest Mesopotamia">a</a></sup></span> to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>But when they cried out to the <span class="name">Lord</span>, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>The Spirit of the <span class="name">Lord</span> came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or leader">b</a></sup></span> and went to war. The <span class="name">Lord</span> gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.</p> <p class="sectionhead">Ehud</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the <span class="name">Lord</span>, and because they did this evil the <span class="name">Lord</span> gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="That is, Jericho">c</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Again the Israelites cried out to the <span class="name">Lord</span>, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters">d</a></sup></span> long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>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.”</p><p class="reg">The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 24.">e</a></sup></span> and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Then Ehud went out to the porch <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.">f</a></sup></span> ; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>They waited to the point of embarrassment, 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.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>“Follow me,” he ordered, “for the <span class="name">Lord</span> has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.</p> <p class="sectionhead">Shamgar</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/3-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">8</span> <span class="footnotebot">That is, Northwest Mesopotamia</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">10</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>leader</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">13</span> <span class="footnotebot">That is, Jericho</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> <span class="footnotebot">That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">e</span> <span class="fnverse">20</span> <span class="footnotebot">The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 24.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">f</span> <span class="fnverse">23</span> <span class="footnotebot">The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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