Judges 3:27 - Prayer Tents

3These are the nations that GOD left there, using them to test the Israelites who had no experience in the Canaanite wars.H1471H3068H3240H5254H3478H3045H4421H36672He did it to train the descendants of Israel, the ones who had no battle experience, in the art of war.H7535H1755H1121H3478H3045H3925H4421H6440H30453He left the five Philistine tyrants, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to Hamath's Pass.H2568H5633H6430H3669H6722H2340H3427H2022H3844H2022H1179H935H25744They were there to test Israel and see whether they would obey GOD's commands that were given to their parents through Moses.H5254H3478H3045H8085H4687H3068H6680H1H3027H48725But the People of Israel made themselves at home among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.H1121H3478H3427H7130H3669H2850H567H6522H2340H29836They married their daughters and gave their own daughters to their sons in marriage. And they worshiped their gods.H3947H1323H802H5414H1323H1121H5647H430

Othniel

7The People of Israel did evil in GOD's sight. They forgot their GOD and worshiped the Baal gods and Asherah goddesses.H1121H3478H6213H7451H5869H3068H7911H3068H430H5647H1168H8428GOD's hot anger blazed against Israel. He sold them off to Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. The People of Israel were in servitude to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.H639H3068H2734H3478H4376H3027H3573H4428H763H1121H3478H5647H3573H8083H81419The People of Israel cried out to GOD and GOD raised up a savior who rescued them: Caleb's nephew Othniel, son of his younger brother Kenaz.H1121H3478H2199H3068H3068H6965H3467H1121H3478H3467H6274H1121H7073H3612H6996H25110The Spirit of GOD came on him and he rallied Israel. He went out to war and GOD gave him Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. Othniel made short work of him.H7307H3068H8199H3478H3318H4421H3068H5414H3573H4428H763H3027H3027H5810H357311The land was quiet for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.H776H8252H705H8141H6274H1121H7073H4191

Ehud

12But the People of Israel went back to doing evil in GOD's sight. So GOD made Eglon king of Moab a power against Israel because they did evil in GOD's sight.H1121H3478H6213H7451H3254H5869H3068H3068H2388H5700H4428H4124H3478H6213H7451H5869H306813He recruited the Ammonites and Amalekites and went out and struck Israel. They took the City of Palms.H622H1121H5983H6002H3212H5221H3478H3423H5892H8558H589914The People of Israel were in servitude to Eglon fourteen years.H1121H3478H5647H5700H4428H4124H8083H6240H814115The People of Israel cried out to GOD and GOD raised up for them a savior, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite. He was left-handed. The People of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon king of Moab.H1121H3478H2199H3068H3068H6965H3467H164H1121H1617H1145H376H334H3225H3027H1121H3478H7971H4503H5700H4428H412416Ehud made himself a short two-edged sword and strapped it on his right thigh under his clothes.H164H6213H2719H8147H6366H1574H753H2296H4055H3225H340917He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Eglon was grossly fat.H7126H4503H5700H4428H4124H5700H3966H1277H37618After Ehud finished presenting the tribute, he went a little way with the men who had carried it.H3615H7126H4503H7971H5971H5375H450319But when he got as far as the stone images near Gilgal, he went back and said, "I have a private message for you, O king." The king told his servants, "Leave." They all left.H7725H6456H1537H559H5643H1697H4428H559H2013H5975H331820Ehud approached him—the king was now quite alone in his cool rooftop room—and said, "I have a word of God for you." Eglon stood up from his throne.H164H935H3427H4747H5944H164H559H1697H430H6965H367821Ehud reached with his left hand and took his sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's big belly.H164H7971H8040H3027H3947H2719H3225H3409H8628H99022Not only the blade but the hilt went in. The fat closed in over it so he couldn't pull it out.H5325H935H310H3851H2459H5462H1157H3851H8025H2719H990H6574H331823Ehud slipped out by way of the porch and shut and locked the doors of the rooftop room behind him.H164H3318H4528H5462H1817H5944H527424Then he was gone. When the servants came, they saw with surprise that the doors to the rooftop room were locked. They said, "He's probably relieving himself in the restroom."H3318H5650H935H7200H1817H5944H5274H559H5526H7272H4747H231525They waited. And then they worried—no one was coming out of those locked doors. Finally, they got a key and unlocked them. There was their master, fallen on the floor, dead!H2342H954H6605H1817H5944H3947H4668H6605H113H5307H4191H77626While they were standing around wondering what to do, Ehud was long gone. He got past the stone images and escaped to Seirah.H164H4422H4102H5674H6456H4422H816727When he got there, he sounded the trumpet on Mount Ephraim. The People of Israel came down from the hills and joined him. He took his place at their head.H935H8628H7782H2022H669H1121H3478H3381H2022H644028He said, "Follow me, for GOD has given your enemies—yes, Moab!—to you." They went down after him and secured the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites. They let no one cross over.H559H7291H310H3068H5414H341H4124H3027H3381H310H3920H4569H3383H4124H5414H376H567429At that time, they struck down about ten companies of Moabites, all of them well-fed and robust. Not one escaped.H5221H4124H6256H6235H505H376H8082H376H2428H4422H37630That day Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel. The land was quiet for eighty years.H4124H3665H3117H3027H3478H776H8252H8084H8141

Shamgar

31Shamgar son of Anath came after Ehud. Using a cattle prod, he killed six hundred Philistines single-handed. He too saved Israel.H310H8044H1121H6067H5221H6430H8337H3967H376H1241H4451H3467H3478