Judges 3:25-31

Context
3:25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors.¹ Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor!² 3:26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah.

3:27 When he reached Seirah,³ he blew a trumpet⁴ in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead.⁵ 3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!”⁶ They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River⁷ opposite Moab,⁸ and did not let anyone cross. 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites⁹ – all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

3:31 After Ehud¹⁰ came¹¹ Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud,¹² delivered Israel.

[3:25] ¹tn The words “the doors” are supplied.

[3:25] ²tn Heb “See, their master, fallen to the ground, dead.”

[3:27] ³tn Heb “When he arrived.”

[3:27] ⁴tn That is, “mustered an army.”

[3:27] ⁵tn Heb “now he was before them.”

[3:28] ⁶tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”

[3:28] ⁷tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

[3:28] ⁸tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.

[3:29] ⁹tn Heb “They struck Moab that day – about ten thousand men.”

[3:31] ¹⁰tn Heb “him”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:31] ¹¹tn Heb “was.”

[3:31] ¹²tn Heb “also he”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.