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Home > Bible > Judges > Chapter 3
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Judges Chapter 3

The people falling into idolatry are oppressed by their enemies; but repenting are delivered by Othoniel, Aod, and Samgar.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites: 2 That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war: 3 The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in Mount Libanus, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath. 4 And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers, by the hand of Moses, or not. 5 So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite: 6 And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

7 And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth. 8 And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years. Mesopotamia... In Hebrew Aramnaharim. Syria of the two rivers: so called because it lies between the Euphrates and the Tigris. It is absolutely called Syria, verse 10. 9 And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them; to wit, Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb: 10 And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered Chusan Rasathaim, king of Syria, and he overthrew him: 11 And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel, the son of Cenez, died.

12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon, king of Moab: because they did evil in his sight. 13 And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. 14 And the children of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen years. 15 And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, called Aod, the son of Cera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon, king of Moab, by him. 16 And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith, under his garment, on the right thigh. 17 And he presented the gifts to Eglon, king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceeding fat. 18 And when he had presented the gifts unto him he followed his companions that came along with him. 19 Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him, 20 Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne. A word from God, etc... What Aod, who was judge and chief magistrate of Israel, did on this occasion, was by a special inspiration of God: but such things are not to be imitated by private men. 21 And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly, 22 With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in the body as he had struck it in: and forthwith, by the secret parts of nature, the excrements of the belly came out. 23 And Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour, and locking them, 24 Went out by a postern door. And the king's servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour. 25 And waiting a long time, till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.

26 But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath: 27 And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front. 28 And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies, the Moabites, into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over: 29 But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape. 30 And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the land rested eighty years.

31 After him was Samgar, the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Hæ sunt gentes quas Dominus dereliquit, ut erudiret in eis Israëlem, et omnes qui non noverant bella Chananæorum: 2 ut postea discerent filii eorum certare cum hostibus, et habere consuetudinem præliandi: 3 quinque satrapas Philisthinorum, omnemque Chananæum, et Sidonium, atque Hevæum, qui habitabat in monte Libano, de monte Baal Hermon usque ad introitum Emath. 4 Dimisitque eos, ut in ipsis experiretur Israëlem, utrum audiret mandata Domini quæ præceperat patribus eorum per manum Moysi, an non. 5 Itaque filii Israël habitaverunt in medio Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Jebusæi: 6 et duxerunt uxores filias eorum, ipsique filias suas filiis eorum tradiderunt, et servierunt diis eorum.

7 Feceruntque malum in conspectu Domini, et obliti sunt Dei sui, servientes Baalim et Astaroth. 8 Iratusque contra Israël Dominus, tradidit eos in manus Chusan Rasathaim regis Mesopotamiæ, servieruntque ei octo annis. 9 Et clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem, et liberavit eos, Othoniel videlicet filium Cenez, fratrem Caleb minorem: 10 fuitque in eo spiritus Domini, et judicavit Israël. Egressusque est ad pugnam, et tradidit Dominus in manus ejus Chusan Rasathaim regem Syriæ, et oppressit eum. 11 Quievitque terra quadraginta annis, et mortuus est Othoniel filius Cenez.

12 Addiderunt autem filii Israël facere malum in conspectu Domini: qui confortavit adversum eos Eglon regem Moab, quia fecerunt malum in conspectu ejus. 13 Et copulavit ei filios Ammon, et Amalec: abiitque et percussit Israël, atque possedit urbem palmarum. 14 Servieruntque filii Israël Eglon regi Moab decem et octo annis. 15 Et postea clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem vocabulo Aod, filium Gera, filii Jemini, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur. Miseruntque filii Israël per illum munera Eglon regi Moab. 16 Qui fecit sibi gladium ancipitem, habentem in medio capulum longitudinis palmæ manus, et accinctus est eo subter sagum in dextro femore. 17 Obtulitque munera Eglon regi Moab. Erat autem Eglon crassus nimis. 18 Cumque obtulisset ei munera, prosecutus est socios, qui cum eo venerant. 19 Et reversus de Galgalis, ubi erant idola, dixit ad regem: Verbum secretum habeo ad te, o rex. Et ille imperavit silentium: egressisque omnibus qui circa eum erant, 20 ingressus est Aod ad eum: sedebat autem in æstivo cœnaculo solus: dixitque: Verbum Dei habeo ad te. Qui statim surrexit de throno. 21 Extenditque Aod sinistram manum, et tulit sicam de dextro femore suo, infixitque eam in ventre ejus 22 tam valide, ut capulus sequeretur ferrum in vulnere, ac pinguissimo adipe stringeretur. Nec eduxit gladium, sed ita ut percusserat, reliquit in corpore: statimque per secreta naturæ alvi stercora proruperunt. 23 Aod autem clausis diligentissime ostiis cœnaculi, et obfirmatis sera, 24 per posticum egressus est. Servique regis ingressi viderunt clausas fores cœnaculi, atque dixerunt: Forsitan purgat alvum in æstivo cubiculo. 25 Expectantesque diu donec erubescerent, et videntes quod nullus aperiret, tulerunt clavem: et aperientes invenerunt dominum suum in terra jacentem mortuum.

26 Aod autem, dum illi turbarentur, effugit, et pertransiit locum idolorum, unde reversus fuerat. Venitque in Seirath: 27 et statim insonuit buccina in monte Ephraim, descenderuntque cum eo filii Israël, ipso in fronte gradiente. 28 Qui dixit ad eos: Sequimini me: tradidit enim Dominus inimicos nostros Moabitas in manus nostras. Descenderuntque post eum, et occupaverunt vada Jordanis quæ transmittunt in Moab: et non dimiserunt transire quemquam: 29 sed percusserunt Moabitas in tempore illo, circiter decem millia, omnes robustos et fortes viros. Nullus eorum evadere potuit. 30 Humiliatusque est Moab in die illo sub manu Israël: et quievit terra octoginta annis.

31 Post hunc fuit Samgar filius Anath, qui percussit de Philisthiim sexcentos viros vomere: et ipse quoque defendit Israël.

Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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