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APRIL 19
them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies
left-handed man. By him the children of Israel the Moabites into your hand.” So they went
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sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan
Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double- leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to
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edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it cross over. And at that time they killed about
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under his clothes on his right thigh. So he ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of
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brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. valor; not a man escaped. So Moab was sub-
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(Now Eglon was a very fat man.) And when dued that day under the hand of Israel. And
he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the land had rest for eighty years.
away the people who had carried the tribute. 31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath,
19 But he himself turned back from the stone who killed six hundred men of the Philistines
images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.
secret message for you, O king.”
He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended
him went out from him.
20 So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting
upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then 3:31 Shamgar. His extraordinary exploit causes
Ehud said, “I have a message from God for one to think of Samson (15:16). an ox goad.
you.” So he arose from his seat. Then Ehud This was a stout stick about 8 to 10 feet long
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and 6 inches around, with a sharp metal tip to
reached with his left hand, took the dagger prod or turn oxen. The other end was a flat,
from his right thigh, and thrust it into his curved blade for cleaning a plow.
belly. Even the hilt went in after the blade,
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and the fat closed over the blade, for he did
not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his
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entrails came out. Then Ehud went out When Ehud was dead, the children of Is-
through the porch and shut the doors of the 4 rael again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
upper room behind him and locked them. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The
commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt
in Harosheth Hagoyim. And the children of Is-
3
rael cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine
3:20 “I have a message from God for you.” hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years
Ehud claimed he came to do God’s will in he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.
answer to prayer (v.15).Calmly and confidently, 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of
Ehud acted and later credited the defeat of 5
the wicked king to God (v.28;see Ps.75:6,7,10; Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. And
Dan.4:25), though it was by means of Ehud, as she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah
Jael used her way (4:21) and Israel’s armies between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains
used the sword (4:16). By God’s power, Ehud’s of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came
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army would slay a greater number (v.29).Men’s up to her for judgment. Then she sent and
evil provokes God’s judgment (Lev.18:25). called for Barak the son of Abinoam from
Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not
24 When he had gone out, Eglon’s servants
came to look, and to their surprise, the doors
of the upper room were locked. So they said,
“He is probably attending to his needs in the 4:4 Deborah,a prophetess. She was an unusu-
cool chamber.” So they waited till they were al woman of wisdom and influence who did the
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embarrassed, and still he had not opened the tasks of a judge, except for military leadership.
doors of the upper room. Therefore they took God can use women mightily for civil, reli-
the key and opened them. And there was their gious, or other tasks, e.g., Huldah the prophet-
master, fallen dead on the floor. ess (2 Kin. 22:14), Philip’s daughters in proph-
26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, esying (Acts 21:8,9), and Phoebe a deaconess
and passed beyond the stone images and (Rom. 16:1). Deborah’s rise to such a role is the
exception in the book because of Barak’s failure
escaped to Seirah. And it happened, when he to show the courage to lead courageously (vv.
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arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the moun- 8,14).God rebuked his cowardice by the pledge
tains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel that a woman would slay Sisera (v.9).
went down with him from the mountains; and
he led them. Then he said to them, “Follow
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