1These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3the 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. 4They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.
5The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Othniel
7The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim,3:8 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge3:10 Or leader and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.3:13 That is, Jericho 14The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, 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. 16Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit3:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.
20Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace3:20 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 24. and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22Even 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. 23Then Ehud went out to the porch3:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24After 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.” 25They 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.
26While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27When 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.
28“Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord 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. 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
Shamgar
31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.
迦南余族
1-2耶和华为了考验那些没有经历过迦南战事的以色列人，让他们学习作战，就留下了以下各族： 3五个非利士王、所有的迦南人、西顿人和住在巴力·黑门山到哈马口一带的黎巴嫩山区的希未人。 4耶和华留下这几个外族是要考验以色列人，看他们是否愿意遵从祂借摩西向他们祖先颁布的诫命。 5以色列人住在这些迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人和耶布斯人当中， 6跟他们通婚，祭拜他们的神明。
士师俄陀聂
7以色列人做耶和华视为恶的事，忘记他们的上帝耶和华，祭拜假神巴力和亚舍拉。 8耶和华向他们发怒，把他们交在美索不达米亚王古珊·利萨田的手中，受古珊·利萨田统治八年。 9他们向耶和华呼求，耶和华就使一位名叫俄陀聂的拯救者兴起，他是迦勒弟弟基纳斯的儿子。 10耶和华的灵降在俄陀聂身上，他就做了以色列的士师，领兵出战。耶和华将美索不达米亚王古珊·利萨田交在他手中，他便战胜了古珊·利萨田。 11此后，国内安享太平四十年，直到俄陀聂去世。
士师以笏
12之后，以色列人又做耶和华视为恶的事，耶和华就使摩押王伊矶伦强盛起来，攻打以色列人。 13伊矶伦联合亚扪人和亚玛力人进攻以色列人，占据了棕树城， 14以色列人受摩押王伊矶伦统治十八年。 15他们呼求耶和华，耶和华就使一位名叫以笏的拯救者兴起。他是便雅悯人基拉的儿子，善用左手。以色列人派他去向摩押王伊矶伦进贡。 16他造了一把约半米长的两刃利剑，绑在右腿的衣服里。 17他带着贡物去见肥胖的摩押王伊矶伦。 18以笏献上了贡物之后，便和抬贡物的人一起离去。 19到了吉甲附近雕石神像的地方，他让抬贡物的人先回去，自己则折回王宫，对王说：“王啊，我有机密禀告。”王就命左右的人回避，众人便都退去了。 20当时王独自坐在楼上的房间乘凉，以笏近前说：“我有从上帝而来的讯息要禀告。”王站起来的时候， 21以笏左手拔出藏在右腿上的剑刺进王的肚腹， 22连剑柄也刺了进去，深深嵌入肥肉。以笏没有拔剑， 23便走出房间，把门都关上，锁好。
24以笏走后，王的仆人过来，见房门紧锁，以为王在大解。 25等了很久，门还没开，他们很焦急，就拿钥匙开门，发现他们的主人已经倒毙在地上。
26他们等待的时候，以笏已经逃走了。他经过雕石神像的地方，逃往西伊拉。 27到了那里，他就在以法莲的山区吹响号角，召集以色列人。众人跟随以笏下山， 28以笏对他们说：“跟我来！耶和华已经把仇敌摩押人交在你们手中了。”于是，众人跟着他占领了通往摩押的约旦河各渡口，不许任何人渡河。 29当时他们杀了约一万名强悍善战的摩押勇士，没有一人逃脱。 30这样，以色列人征服了摩押人，国中安享太平八十年。
珊迦
31以笏之后，亚拿的儿子珊迦拯救了以色列人。他曾用一根赶牛棍杀了六百名非利士人。
