3:12 以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事,耶和華就使摩押王伊磯倫強盛,攻擊以色列人。
3:13 伊磯倫招聚亞捫人和亞瑪力人,去攻打以色列人,佔據棕樹城。
3:14 於是以色列人服事摩押王伊磯倫十八年。
3:15 以色列人呼求耶和華的時候,耶和華就為他們興起一位拯救者,就是便雅憫人基拉的兒子以笏;他是左手便利的。以色列人託他送禮物給摩押王伊磯倫。
3:16 以笏打了一把兩刃的劍,長一肘,帶在右腿上衣服裡面。
3:17 他將禮物獻給摩押王伊磯倫(原來伊磯倫極其肥胖);
3:18 以笏獻完禮物,便將抬禮物的人打發走了,
3:19 自己卻從靠近吉甲鑿石之地回來,說:「王啊,我有一件機密事奏告你。」王說:「迴避吧!」於是左右侍立的人都退去了。
3:20 以笏來到王面前;王獨自一人坐在涼樓上。以笏說:「我奉上帝的命報告你一件事。」王就從座位上站起來。
3:21 以笏便伸左手,從右腿上拔出劍來,刺入王的肚腹,
3:22 連劍把都刺進去了。劍被肥肉夾住,他沒有從王的肚腹拔出來,且穿通了後身。
3:23 以笏就出到遊廊,將樓門盡都關鎖。
3:24 以笏出來之後,王的僕人到了,看見樓門關鎖,就說:「他必是在樓上大解。」
3:25 他們等煩了,見仍不開樓門,就拿鑰匙開了,不料,他們的主人已死,倒在地上。
3:26 他們耽延的時候,以笏就逃跑了,經過鑿石之地,逃到西伊拉;
3:27 到了,就在以法蓮山地吹角。以色列人隨著他下了山地,他在前頭引路,
3:28 對他們說:「你們隨我來,因為耶和華已經把你們的仇敵摩押人交在你們手中。」於是他們跟著他下去,把守約旦河的渡口,不容摩押一人過去。
3:29 那時擊殺了摩押人約有一萬,都是強壯的勇士,沒有一人逃脫。
3:30 這樣,摩押就被以色列人制伏了。國中太平八十年。
12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.[c] 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit[d] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.
20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace[e] and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch[f]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.
26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.
28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
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第二位士師是以笏,是對付摩押王伊磯倫。