The people falling into idolatry are oppressed by their enemies; but
repenting are delivered by Othoniel, Aod, and Samgar.
3:1. These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might
instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites:
3:2. That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their
enemies, and to be trained up to war:
3:3. The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and
the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in Mount Libanus, from Mount
Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath.
3:4. And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they
would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their
fathers, by the hand of Moses, or not.
3:5. So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and
the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and
the Jebusite:
3:6. And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own
daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
3:7. And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their
God, and served Baalim and Astaroth.
3:8. And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands
of Chusan Rasathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight
years.
Mesopotamia... In Hebrew Aramnaharim. Syria of the two rivers: so called
because it lies between the Euphrates and the Tigris. It is absolutely
called Syria, ver. 10.
3:9. And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and
delivered them; to wit, Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother
of Caleb:
3:10. And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And
he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered Chusan Rasathaim, king of
Syria, and he overthrew him:
3:11. And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel, the son of Cenez,
died.
3:12. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon, king of Moab: because they
did evil in his sight.
3:13. And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he
went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
3:14. And the children of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen
years.
3:15. And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a
saviour, called Aod, the son of Cera, the son of Jemini, who used the
left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent
presents to Eglon, king of Moab, by him.
3:16. And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of
the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith, under his
garment, on the right thigh.
3:17. And he presented the gifts to Eglon, king of Moab Now Eglon was
exceeding fat.
3:18. And when he had presented the gifts unto him he followed his
companions that came along with him.
3:19. Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the
king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence:
and all being gone out that were about him,
3:20. Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone,
and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up
from his throne.
A word from God, etc... What Aod, who was judge and chief magistrate of
Israel, did on this occasion, was by a special inspiration of God: but
such things are not to be imitated by private men.
3:21. And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his
right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,
3:22. With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the
wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not
draw out the dagger, but left it in the body as he had struck it in: and
forthwith, by the secret parts of nature, the excrements of the belly
came out.
3:23. And Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour, and locking
them,
3:24. Went out by a postern door. And the king's servants going in, saw
the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing
nature in his summer parlour.
3:25. And waiting a long time, till they were ashamed, and seeing that
no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their
lord lying dead on the ground.
3:26. But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the
place of the idols from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:
3:27. And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in Mount Ephraim: and the
children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front.
3:28. And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our
enemies, the Moabites, into our hands. And they went down after him, and
seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and
they suffered no man to pass over:
3:29. But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand,
all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape.
3:30. And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the
land rested eighty years.
3:31. After him was Samgar, the son of Anath, who slew of the
Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended
Israel.