The Nations Remaining in the Land
1 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. 2 He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. 3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. 4 They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods.
Othniel
7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. 9 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel's leader. Othniel went to war, and the Lord gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia. 11 There was peace in the land for forty years, and then Othniel died.
Ehud
12 The people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel. 13 Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years.
15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him. 16 Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He had it fastened on his right side under his clothes. 17 Then he took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had given him the gifts, he told the men who had carried them to go back home. 19 But Ehud himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
So the king ordered his servants, “Leave us alone!” And they all went out.
20 Then, as the king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof, Ehud went over to him and said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king stood up. 21 With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the king's belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs. 23 Then Ehud went outside, closed the doors behind him, locked them, 24 and left. The servants came and saw that the doors were locked, but they only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself. 25 They waited as long as they thought they should, but when he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. And there was their master, lying dead on the floor.
26 Ehud got away while they were waiting. He went past the carved stones and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle; then he led them down from the hills. 28 He told them, “Follow me! The Lord has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites.” So they followed Ehud down and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan; they did not allow anyone to cross. 29 That day they killed about ten thousand of the best Moabite soldiers; none of them escaped. 30 That day the Israelites defeated Moab, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 The next leader was Shamgar son of Anath. He too rescued Israel, and did so by killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
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.
