3 ¹² And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 3 ¹³ He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms. 3 ¹⁴ And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

3 ¹⁵ But when the people of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 3 ¹⁶ And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it on his right thigh under his clothes. 3 ¹⁷ And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 3 ¹⁸ And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people that carried the tribute. 3 ¹⁹ But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he commanded, "Silence." And all his attendants went out from his presence. 3 ²⁰ And Ehud came to him, as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat. 3 ²¹ And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly; 3 ²² and the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dirt came out. 3 ²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and closed the doors of the roof chamber upon him, and locked them.

3 ²⁴ When he had gone, the servants came; and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "He is only relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber." 3 ²⁵ And they waited till they were utterly at a loss; but when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them; and there lay their lord dead on the floor.

3 ²⁶ Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the sculptured stones, and escaped to Seirah. 3 ²⁷ When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head. 3 ²⁸ And he said to them, "Follow after me; for Yahweh has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand." So they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and allowed not a man to pass over. 3 ²⁹ And they killed at that time about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 3 ³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.