¹²Once again the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Because they did that, the Lord gave Eglon power over Israel. Eglon was the king of Moab. ¹³He got the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him. All of them came and attacked Israel. They took over Jericho. Jericho was also known as The City of Palm Trees. ¹⁴For 18 years the people of Israel were under the rule of Eglon, the king of Moab.

¹⁵Again the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then he gave them a man to save them. His name was Ehud, the son of Gera. Ehud was left-handed. He was from the tribe of Benjamin.

The people of Israel sent Ehud to Eglon, the king of Moab. They sent him to give the king what he required them to bring him. ¹⁶Ehud had made a sword that had two edges. It was about a foot and a half long. He tied it to his right leg under his clothes. ¹⁷Eglon, the king of Moab, was a very fat man. Ehud gave him the gift he had brought. ¹⁸After that, he sent away those who had carried it.

¹⁹At the place where some statues of gods stood near Gilgal, Ehud turned back. He said, “King Eglon, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said, “I want everyone to be quiet.” And all of his attendants left him.

²⁰Then Ehud approached him. King Eglon was sitting alone in the upstairs room of his summer palace. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So the king got up from his seat.

²¹Then Ehud reached out his left hand. He pulled out the sword that was tied to his right leg. He stuck it into the king’s stomach. ²²Even the handle sank in after the blade. The blade came right out the king’s back. Ehud didn’t pull the sword out. And the fat closed over it.

²³Ehud went out to the porch. He shut the doors of the upstairs room behind him. Then he locked them.

²⁴After he had gone, the servants came. They found the doors of the upstairs room locked. They said, “Eglon must be going to the toilet in the inside room of the house.”

²⁵They waited for a long time. They waited so long they became worried. But the king still didn’t open the doors of the room. So they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their king. He had fallen to the floor. He was dead.

²⁶While Eglon’s servants had been waiting, Ehud had gotten away. He passed by the statues of gods and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷There in the hill country of Ephraim he blew a trumpet. Then he led the people of Israel down from the hills.

²⁸“Follow me,” Ehud ordered. “The Lord has handed your enemy Moab over to you.”

So they followed him down. They took over the only places where people could go across the Jordan River to get to Moab. They didn’t let anyone go across. ²⁹At that time they struck down about 10,000 men of Moab. All of those men were strong and powerful. But not even one escaped. ³⁰That day Moab was brought under the rule of Israel.

So the land was at peace for 80 years.

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