1-2 And the Lord had another reason for letting these enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting 3 the Philistines and their five rulers, as well as the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal-Hermon to Hamath Pass.
4 Moses had told the Israelites what the Lord had commanded them to do, and now the Lord was using these nations to find out if Israel would obey. 5-6 But they refused. And some of them even married Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who lived all around them. That's how they started worshiping foreign gods.
Othniel
7 The Israelites sinned against the Lord by forgetting him and worshiping idols of Baal and Astarte. 8 This made the Lord angry, so he let Israel be defeated by King Cushan Rishathaim of northern Syria, who ruled Israel eight years and made everyone pay taxes. 9 The Israelites begged the Lord for help, and so he chose Othniel to rescue them. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord took control of Othniel, and he led Israel in a war against Cushan Rishathaim. The Lord let Othniel win, 11 and Israel was at peace until Othniel died about 40 years later.
Ehud
12 Once more the Israelites started disobeying the Lord. So he let them be defeated by King Eglon of Moab, 13 who had joined forces with the Ammonites and the Amalekites to attack Israel. Eglon and his army captured Jericho. 14 Then he ruled Israel for 18 years and forced the Israelites to pay heavy taxes.
15-16 The Israelites begged the Lord for help, and the Lord chose Ehud from the Benjamin tribe to rescue them. They put Ehud in charge of taking the taxes to King Eglon, but before Ehud went, he made a double-edged dagger. Ehud was left-handed, so he strapped the dagger to his right thigh, where it was hidden under his robes.
17-18 Ehud and some other Israelites took the taxes to Eglon, who was a very fat man. As soon as they gave the taxes to Eglon, Ehud said it was time to go home.
19-20 Ehud went with the other Israelites as far as the statues at Gilgal. Then he turned back and went upstairs to the room where Eglon had his throne. Ehud said, “Your Majesty, I need to talk with you in private.”
Eglon replied, “Don't say anything yet!” His officials left the room, and Eglon stood up as Ehud came closer.
“Yes,” Ehud said, “I have a message for you from God!” 21 Ehud pulled out the dagger with his left hand and shoved it so far into Eglon's stomach 22-23 that even the handle was buried in his fat. Ehud left the dagger there. Then after closing and locking the doors to the room, he climbed through a window onto the porch 24 and left.
When the king's officials came back and saw that the doors were locked, they said, “The king is probably inside relieving himself.” 25 They stood there waiting until they felt foolish, but Eglon still didn't open the doors. Finally, they unlocked the doors and found King Eglon lying dead on the floor. 26 But by that time, Ehud had already escaped past the statues.
Ehud went to the town of Seirah 27-28 in the hill country of Ephraim and started blowing a trumpet as a signal to call the Israelites together. When they came, he shouted, “Follow me! The Lord will help us defeat the Moabites.”
The Israelites followed Ehud down to the Jordan valley, and they captured the places where people cross the river on the way to Moab. They would not let anyone go across, 29 and before the fighting was over, they killed about 10,000 Moabite warriors—not one escaped alive.
30 Moab was so badly defeated that it was a long time before they were strong enough to attack Israel again. And Israel was at peace for 80 years.
Shamgar
31 Shamgar the son of Anath was the next to rescue Israel. In one battle, he used a sharp wooden pole to kill 600 Philistines.
Oviwaṋa mbya sewa mehi
1 Muhona otja sya mo oviwaṋa tjiva mehi, a rore na vyo Ovaisrael mbe ha ri nondjiviro yovita mOkanaan. 2 Eye wa tjitira kutja ozondekurona zOvaisrael ze hongwe okurwa ovita, tjinenenene inḓa nḓe hi na indu za tjivirwe okurwa ovita rukuru. 3 Oviwaṋa mbya sewa mehi ovyo mbi: Ovahona vetano vOvafilisti, nOvakanaan avehe, nOvasidon nOvahevi mba turire kozondundu za Libanon, okuza kondundu ya Baal-Hermon nga pomakapitiro wa Hamat. 4 Oviwaṋa mbi vya ri mbo, Muhona a rore na vyo Ovaisrael kutja mave kara nonḓuviro komatwako we, eye nga rakizire kooihe mukururume notjinyo tja Moses. 5 Komuhingo mbwi Ovaisrael opu va turira mokati kOvakanaan nOvahetite nOvaamori nOvaperesi nOvahevi nOvajebusi; 6 nowo va kupasana nave karere ovisenginina vyoviwaṋa mbyo.
Otniel
7 Ovaisrael va tjita imbi mbyaa vi ha tjata ku Muhona, ave zembi Muhona, Ndjambi wawo, nave karere ooBaal na Asera. 8 Muhona otja ṱira Ovaisrael omazenge ne ve yandja meke ra Kusan-Risatajim, ombara ya Mesopotamie; nOvaisrael va ungurira Kusan-Risatajim oure wozombura hambondatu. 9 Ovaisrael otji va ura ku Muhona, nu Muhona we ve toororera omuvatere ngwe ve kutura, okutja oOtniel, omuzandu wa Kenas, omuangu wa Kaleb 10 Nombepo ya Muhona ye ya kombanda ye; neye wa rira omunane mOisrael na sekama okuhinga ovita. Nu Muhona we mu pa outoṋi kombanda ya Kusan-Risatajim, ombara ya Mesopotamie. 11 Nehi otji ra muna ohange oure wozombura omirongo vine. Nu Otniel, omuzandu wa Kenas, otja koka.
Ehud
12 NOvaisrael va tura ondjo rukwao komurungu wa Muhona. Muhona opa yandjera ouvara ku Eglon, ombara ya Moab, okuhonaparera Ovaisrael. 13 Nu Eglon otje rikuta kumwe nOvaamoni nOvaamalek. Neye wa sekama na kahavera Ovaisrael; nowo va huura Jeriko, Otjihuro tjOmavare. 14 NOvaisrael va kara kehi youvara wa Eglon, ombara ya Moab, oure wozombura omurongo na hambondatu.
15 Ovaisrael otji va ura ku Muhona. Nu Muhona we ve toororera omukuture, okutja Ehud, ngwa ri omumoho, omuzandu wOmubenjamin Gera. Ovaisrael va hinda Ehud a tware otjisuta tjawo ku Eglon, ombara ya Moab. 16 Nu Ehud we riungurira engaruvyo nda upikwa kuvari, nu nda ri noure wozosentimeta mangara omirongo vitano, ne ri kutu kondo ye yokunene, kehi yozombanda ze. 17 Neye otja eta otjisuta tje ku Eglon, ombara ya Moab; nu Eglon wa ri omurumendu omutwezu. 18 Nu Ehud tja za nokuyandja ihi otjisuta arire tja i puna imba ovarumendu mba mbe tji tjinda. 19 Nungwari eye omuini wa kotokera poviserekarera vyovisenginina mbya ri pOgilgal, na tja: “Ami mbi nombuze yoye oundikwa, mbara.”
Nombara otji ye mu rakiza ai tja: “O hungire!” Nu avehe mba kuramene pu yo va zapo nave piti pendje.
20 Ehud wa hita ne ya kombara, ngunda aya haama metuwo epore rokombanda nda ri orayo oini. Nu Ehud arire tja tja ku yo: “Ami mbi nombuze yoye ndja zu ku Ndjambi!” Nombara ya sekama motjihavero tjayo. 21 Ehud wa roporora eke re rokumuho na homona engaruvyo mondo ye yokunene na twere na ro ombara mezumo. 22 Nengaruvyo arihe ra hita nga komakamburiro waro, nozonḓura za setika ro, Ehud tjinga e ha homonene indi engaruvyo mezumo rombara, notji ra tuvakaṋa nga kongotwe. 23 Tjazumba Ehud wa ronda kondjuwo yokombanda a yezere na pata omivero vyetuwo rokombanda kongotwe ye. 24 Neye tja za nokupita kamanga ovakarere va Eglon arire tji ve ya; nowo tji va muna kutja omivero vyetuwo rokombanda vya patwa otji ve ripura kutja ngahino eye wa i kokaruwo. 25 Nowo va undja nga tji ve ha tjivirwe kutja ngave tjite vi; nungwari ombara kai patururire omivero vyetuwo rokombanda. Nowo va kaeta otjipaturure ave paturura nave munu omuhona wawo ngwa saravara pehi mbo a koka.
26 Nungwari ovakarere ngunda amave undjire Ehud pomuvero, eye otja tupuka a kapita oviserekarera vyovisenginina na henene kOseira. 27 Neye tja kavaza ngo, wa kaposisa ohiva kombanda yozondundu za Efraim, nOvaisrael va heruka puna ye kozondundu, neye we ve hongorera. 28 Eye wa tja nai ku wo: “Ndji kongorereye, orondu Muhona wa yandja ovanavita na eṋe, imba Ovamoab, meke reṋu.” Nowo ve mu kongorera ave katjaerera Ovamoab pomakondero wa Jordan, nave ha yandjere omundu okukondera mbo. 29 Nu moruveze ndo owo va zepa ovarumendu ovanamasa nomapenda wOvamoab mangara omayovi omurongo, nu kape na umwe ngwa yenenene okutaura. 30 Meyuva ndo Ovamoab otji ve riwisa kehi yOvaisrael; nehi ra muna ohange oure wozombura omirongo hambondatu.
Samgar
31 Kombunda ya Ehud pe ya Samgar, omuzandu wa Anat. Eye wa zepa ovarumendu Ovafilisti omasere hamboumwe nongwinya yokuhinga na yo ozongombe. Neye wina wa yama Ovaisrael.
