Judges 3:11-27

¹¹And the land was quiet forty years; and Gothoniel the son of Kenez died.

¹²And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglom king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil before the Lord.

¹³And he gathered to himself all the children of Ammon and Amalec, and went and smote Israel, and took possession of the city of Palm-trees.

¹⁴And the children of Israel served Eglom the king of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and he raised up to them a saviour, Aod the son of Gera a son of Jemeni, a man who used both hands alike: and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglom king of Moab.

¹⁶And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges, of a span long, and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh.

¹⁷And he went, and brought the presents to Eglom king of Moab, and Eglom was a very handsome man.

¹⁸And it came to pass when Aod had made an end of offering his gifts, that he dismissed those that brought the gifts.

¹⁹And he himself returned from the quarries that are by Galgal; and Aod said, I have a secret errand to thee, O king! and Eglom said to him, Be silent: and he sent away from his presence all who waited upon him.

²⁰And Aod went in to him; and he sat in his own upper summer chamber quite alone; and Aod said, I have a message from God to thee, O king: and Eglom rose up from his throne near him.

²¹And it came to pass as he arose, that Aod stretched forth his left hand, and took the dagger off his right thigh, and plunged it into his belly;

²²and drove in also the haft after the blade, and the fat closed in upon the blade, for he drew not out the dagger from his belly.

²³And Aod went out to the porch, and passed out by the appointed guards, and shut the doors of the chamber upon him, and locked them.

²⁴And he went out: and Eglom's servants came, and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said, Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber?

²⁵And they waited till they were ashamed, and, behold, there was no one that opened the doors of the upper chamber; and they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth.

²⁶And Aod escaped while they were in a tumult, and no one paid attention to him; and he passed the quarries, and escaped to Setirotha.

²⁷And it came to pass when Aod came into the land of Israel, that he blew the horn in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came down with him from the mountain, and he was before them.