Judges 3:7-23

⁷And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

⁸And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and sold them into the hand of Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers: and the children of Israel served Chusarsathaim eight years.

⁹And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and the Lord raised up a savior to Israel, and he saved them, Gothoniel the son of Kenez, the brother of Chaleb younger than himself.

¹⁰And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war against Chusarsathaim: and the Lord delivered into his hand Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers, and his hand prevailed against Chusarsathaim.

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 struck 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 savior, 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 you, 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 you, 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.