1 NOW these are the nations which the 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 children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;
3 Namely, 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 entering in of Hamath.
4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.
9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.
11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. 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 dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a 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 Seirath.
27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.
28 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 Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; 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, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

1Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prooue Israel by them, (euen as many of Israel as had not knowen all the warres of Canaan;

2Onely that the generations of the children of Israel might know to teach them warre, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof:)

3Namely fiue lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hiuites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-Hermon, vnto the entring in of Hamath.

4And they were to prooue Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken vnto the Commandements of the Lord, which hee commaunded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hiuites, and Iebusites,

6And they tooke their daughters to be their wiues, and gaue their daughters to their sonnes, and serued their gods.

7And the children of Israel did euill in the sight of the Lord, and forgate the Lord their God, and serued Baalim, and the groues.

8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hote against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel serued Chushan-Rishathaim eight yeeres.

9And when the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lord, the Lord raised vp a deliuerer to the children of Israel, who deliuered them, euen Othniel the sonne of Kenaz, Calebs yonger brother.

10And the Spirit of the Lord came vpon him, and he iudged Israel, and went out to warre, & the Lord deliuered Chushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand preuailed against Chushan-Rishathaim.

11And the land had rest forty yeres: and Othniel the sonne of Kenaz died.

12 And the children of Israel did euill againe in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done euill in the sight of the Lord.

13And hee gathered vnto him the children of Ammon, and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of Palme-trees.

14So the children of Israel serued Eglon the King of Moab eighteene yeeres.

15But when the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord, the Lord raised them vp a deliuerer, Ehud the sonne of Gera, a Beniamite, a man left handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a Present vnto Eglon the king of Moab.

16But Ehud made him a dagger (which had two edges) of a cubite length, and he did gird it vnder his raiment, vpon his right thigh,

17And he brought the present vnto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

18And when he had made an end to offer the Present, he sent away the people that bare the Present.

19But hee himselfe turned againe from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I haue a secret errand vnto thee, O king: who said, Keepe silence. And all that stood by him, went out from him.

20And Ehud came vnto him, and he was sitting in a Summer parlour, which hee had for himselfe alone: And Ehud said, I haue a message from God vnto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

21And Ehud put forth his left hand, and tooke the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

22And the haft also went in after the blade: and the fatte closed vpon the blade, so that hee could not drawe the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out.

23Then Ehud went forth through the porche, and shut the doores of the parlour vpon him, and locked them.

24When he was gone out, his seruants came, and when they saw, that behold, the doores of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he couereth his feet in his Summer chamber.

25And they taried till they were ashamed: and behold, he opened not the doores of the parlour, therefore they tooke a key, and opened them: and behold, their lord was fallen downe dead on the earth.

26And Ehud escaped while they taried: and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped vnto Seirath.

27And it came to passe when hee was come, that hee blew a trumpet in the mountaine of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went downe with him from the mount, & he before them.

28And hee said vnto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath deliuered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went downe after him, and tooke the foords of Iordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to passe ouer.

29And they slewe of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour, and there escaped not a man.

30So Moab was subdued that day vnder the hand of Israel: and the land had rest fourescore yeeres.

31 And after him was Shamgar the sonne of Anath, which slew of the Philistines sixe hundred men with an oxe goad, and he also deliuered Israel.

I == Judg 2:21-22

III == Josh 13:3

IV == Judg 2:22

V == Ps 106:35

VI == Ex 34:16 ; Deut 7:3

VII == Ex 34:13 ; Deut 16:21 ; Judg 2:11 , 13 ; 6:25

VIII == Judg 2:14 ; Hab 3:7

IX == Judg 1:13 ; 2:16 ; 3:15 ; 4:3 ; 6:7 ; 10:10 ; 1st Sam 12:10 ; Neh 9:27 ; Ps 22:5 ; 106:44 ; 107:13 , 19

X == Num 27:18 ; Judg 6:34 11:29 ; 13:25 ; 14:6 , 19 ; 1st Sam 11:6 ; 2nd Chr 15:1

XII == Judg 2:19 ; 1st Sam 12:9

XIII == Judg 1:16 ; 5:14

XIV == Deut 28:48

XV == Judg 3:9 ; 20:16 ; Ps 78:34

XIX == Josh 4:20

XX == Amos 3:15

XXIV == 1st Sam

XXVII == Josh 17:15 ; Judg 5:14 ; 6:34 ; 7:24 ; 17:1 ; 19:1 ; 1st Sam 13:3

XXVIII == Josh 2:7 ; Judg 7:9 , 15 ; 12:5 ; 1st Sam 17:47

XXX == Judg 3:11

XXXI == Judg 2:16 ; 4:1 , 3-10 ; 5:6 , 8 ; 10:7 , 17 ; 11:4 ; 1st Sam 4:1 ; 13:19 , 22 ; 17:47 , 50

1 The following are the nations which the LORD allowed to remain, so that through them he might try all those Israelites who had no experience of the battles with Canaan

2 training them in battle, those generations only of the Israelites who would not have had that previous experience):

3 the five lords of the Philistines; and all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwell in the mountain region of Lebanon between Baal-hermon and the entrance to Hamath.

4 These served to put Israel to the test, to determine whether they would obey the commandments the LORD had enjoined on their fathers through Moses.

5 Besides, the Israelites were living among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

6 In fact, they took their daughters in marriage, and gave their own daughters to their sons in marriage, and served their gods.

7 Because the Israelites had offended the LORD by forgetting the LORD, their God, and serving the Baals and the Asherahs,

8 the anger of the LORD flared up against them, and he allowed them to fall into the power of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim, whom they served for eight years.

9 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a savior, Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, who rescued them.

10 The spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD delivered Cushan-risha-thaim, king of Aram, into his power, so that he made him subject.

11 The land then was at rest for forty years, until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.

12 Again the Israelites offended the LORD, who because of this offense strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, against Israel.

13 In alliance with the Ammonites and Amalekites, he attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the city of palms.

14 The Israelites then served Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.

15 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a savior, the Benjaminite Ehud, son of Gera, who was left-handed. It was by him that the Israelites sent their tribute to Eglon, king of Moab.

16 Ehud made himself a two-edged dagger a foot long, and wore it under his clothes over his right thigh.

17 He presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, who was very fat,

18 and after the presentation went off with the tribute bearers.

19 He returned, however, from where the idols are, near Gilgal, and said, "I have a private message for you, O king." And the king said, "Silence!" Then when all his attendants had left his presence,

20 and Ehud went in to him where he sat alone in his cool upper room, Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." So the king rose from his chair,

21 and then Ehud with his left hand drew the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon's belly.

22 The hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not withdraw the dagger from his body.

23 Then Ehud went out into the hall, shutting the doors of the upper room on him and locking them.

24 When Ehud had left and the servants came, they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, and thought, "He must be easing himself in the cool chamber."

25 They waited until they finally grew suspicious. Since he did not open the doors of the upper room, they took the key and opened them. There on the floor, dead, lay their lord!

26 During their delay Ehud made good his escape and, passing the idols, took refuge in Seirah.

27 On his arrival he sounded the horn in the mountain region of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down from the mountains with him as their leader.

28 "Follow me," he said to them, "for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your power." So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, permitting no one to cross.

29 On that occasion they slew about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong and valiant men. Not a man escaped.

30 Thus was Moab brought under the power of Israel at that time; and the land had rest for eighty years.

31 After him there was Shamgar, son of Anath, who slew six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He, too, rescued Israel.

 v 1-4. Three specific purposes are stated for leaving these five nations.
1 Test the Israelites who hadn’t been involved in the wars with Canaan.
2 Teach them how to fight a successful war.
3. Test whether they would obey the commandments handed through Moses.

v 5-7. In the first test, Israel dwelled among their enemies, intermarried and served the false gods, doing evil and forgetting God. Groves, translated specific idols in some versions,  were sacred trees or poles put up by heathen altars of worship, or the idols enshrined there, contrary to the Lord’s command, Deut. 16:21. See my comments on 2:10-13. The downward spiral here can be compared to Ps. 1:1.

v 8-11. In anger the Lord sent the king of Mesopotamia and the Israelites served him eight years. When they called on the Lord he sent Othniel, Caleb’s nephew to be judge and the land had peace 40 years.

v 12-14. The second oppression for sin was under the king of Moab. He enlisted Ammon and Amalek and made Jericho the base of operations for 18 years.

v 15-30. The second deliverer was Ehud, who concealed a double edged dagger when he went to pay tribute to Eglon. After paying, he sent the others on and returned with a “secret mission” for Eglon. Being left handed, the dagger was unsuspected on Ehud’s right thigh. Eglon was so fat the 18 inch dagger went clear in, so Ehud left it and escaped quietly. The quarries are better translated the sculptured stones of idol worship. Safe in the hill country of Ephraim, Ehud assembled men who controlled the Jordan crossings and killed every Moabite, 10,000 valiant soldiers. This time they had peace eighty years.

v 31. The third deliverer, Shamgar, was on the Philistine side of the country, and he may have been during the same time as Ehud. The only thing mentioned is that he killed 600 men with an ox goad. It is eight to ten feet long with a spike on one end.