Judges 3:11-27

¹¹The land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

¹²After that, the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave strength to Eglon king of Moab to overpower the Israelites.

¹³Eglon joined with the Ammonites and the Amalekites and they went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.

¹⁴The people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would help them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent him, with their tribute payment, to Eglon king of Moab.

¹⁶Ehud made himself a sword that had two edges, one cubit in length; he strapped it on under his clothing on his right thigh.

¹⁷He gave the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)

¹⁸After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he left with those who had carried it in.

¹⁹As for Ehud himself, however, when he reached the place where the carved images were made near Gilgal, he turned and went back, and he said, “I have a secret message for you, my king.” Eglon said, “Silence!” So all those serving him left the room.

²⁰Ehud came to him. The king was sitting by himself, alone in the coolness of the upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king got up out of his seat.

²¹Ehud reached with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and he stabbed it into the king's body.

²²The hilt of the sword also went into him following the blade. The tip of the sword came out of his back and the fat closed over it, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly.

²³Then Ehud went out on the porch and closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

²⁴After Ehud had gone, the king's servants came; they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, so they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the coolness of the upper room.”

²⁵They were growing more concerned until they felt they were neglecting their duty when the king still did not open the doors to the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there lay their master, fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶While the servants were waiting, wondering what they should do, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the place where there were carved images of idols, and so he escaped to Seirah.

²⁷When he arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hills, and he was leading them.