Judges 3:27-30

3:27 When he reached Seirah, ¹  he blew a trumpet ²  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. ³  3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” ⁴  They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River ⁵  opposite Moab, ⁶  and did not let anyone cross. 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites ⁷  – all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

[3:27]  ¹ tn Heb “When he arrived.”

[3:27]  ² tn That is, “mustered an army.”

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

[3:28]  ⁴ tn 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]  ⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

[3:28]  ⁶ tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.

[3:29]  ⁷ tn Heb “They struck Moab that day – about ten thousand men.”