Antiquities Book 5, Chapter 4
How Our People Served The Moabites Eighteen Years, And Were Then Delivered From Slavery By One Ehud Who Retained The Dominion Eighty Years.
1. When Othniel was dead, the affairs of the Israelites fell again into
disorder: and while they neither paid to God the honor due to him, nor
were obedient to the laws, their afflictions increased, till Eglon, king
of the Moabites, did so greatly despise them on account of the disorders
of their political government, that he made war upon them, and overcame
them in several battles, and made the most courageous to submit, and
entirely subdued their army, and ordered them to pay him tribute. And
when he had built him a royal palace at Jericho, 14 he omitted no method
whereby he might distress them; and indeed he reduced them to poverty
for eighteen years. But when God had once taken pity of the Israelites,
on account of their afflictions, and was moved to compassion by their
supplications put up to him, he freed them from the hard usage they had
met with under the Moabites. This liberty he procured for them in the
following manner;—
2. There was a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud,
the son of Gera, a man of very great courage in bold undertakings, and
of a very strong body, fit for hard labor, but best skilled in using his
left hand, in which was his whole strength; and he also dwelt at
Jericho. Now this man became familiar with Eglon, and that by means of
presents, with which he obtained his favor, and insinuated himself into
his good opinion; whereby he was also beloved of those that were about
the king. Now, when on a time he was bringing presents to the king, and
had two servants with him, he put a dagger on his right thigh secretly,
and went in to him: it was then summer time, and the middle of the day,
when the guards were not strictly on their watch, both because of the
heat, and because they were gone to dinner. So the young man, when he
had offered his presents to the king, who then resided in a small parlor
that stood conveniently to avoid the heat, fell into discourse with him,
for they were now alone, the king having bid his servants that attended
him to go their ways, because he had a mind to talk with Ehud. He was
now sitting on his throne; and fear seized upon Ehud lest he should miss
his stroke, and not give him a deadly wound; so he raised himself up,
and said he had a dream to impart to him by the command of God; upon
which the king leaped out of his throne for joy of the dream; so Ehud
smote him to the heart, and leaving his dagger in his body, he went out
and shut the door after him. Now the king's servants were very still, as
supposing that the king had composed himself to sleep.
3. Hereupon Ehud informed the people of Jericho privately of what he had
done, and exhorted them to recover their liberty; who heard him gladly,
and went to their arms, and sent messengers over the country, that
should sound trumpets of rams' horns; for it was our custom to call the
people together by them. Now the attendants of Eglon were ignorant of
what misfortune had befallen him for a great while; but, towards the
evening, fearing some uncommon accident had happened, they entered into
his parlor, and when they found him dead, they were in great disorder,
and knew not what to do; and before the guards could be got together,
the multitude of the Israelites came upon them, so that some of them
were slain immediately, and some were put to flight, and ran away toward
the country of Moab, in order to save themselves. Their number was above
ten thousand. The Israelites seized upon the ford of Jordan, and pursued
them, and slew them, and many of them they killed at the ford, nor did
one of them escape out of their hands; and by this means it was that the
Hebrews freed themselves from slavery under the Moabites. Ehud also was
on this account dignified with the government over all the multitude,
and died after he had held the government eighty years 15 He was a man
worthy of commendation, even besides what he deserved for the
forementioned act of his. After him Shamgat, the son of Anath, was
elected for their governor, but died in the first year of his
government.
disorder: and while they neither paid to God the honor due to him, nor
were obedient to the laws, their afflictions increased, till Eglon, king
of the Moabites, did so greatly despise them on account of the disorders
of their political government, that he made war upon them, and overcame
them in several battles, and made the most courageous to submit, and
entirely subdued their army, and ordered them to pay him tribute. And
when he had built him a royal palace at Jericho, 14 he omitted no method
whereby he might distress them; and indeed he reduced them to poverty
for eighteen years. But when God had once taken pity of the Israelites,
on account of their afflictions, and was moved to compassion by their
supplications put up to him, he freed them from the hard usage they had
met with under the Moabites. This liberty he procured for them in the
following manner;—
2. There was a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud,
the son of Gera, a man of very great courage in bold undertakings, and
of a very strong body, fit for hard labor, but best skilled in using his
left hand, in which was his whole strength; and he also dwelt at
Jericho. Now this man became familiar with Eglon, and that by means of
presents, with which he obtained his favor, and insinuated himself into
his good opinion; whereby he was also beloved of those that were about
the king. Now, when on a time he was bringing presents to the king, and
had two servants with him, he put a dagger on his right thigh secretly,
and went in to him: it was then summer time, and the middle of the day,
when the guards were not strictly on their watch, both because of the
heat, and because they were gone to dinner. So the young man, when he
had offered his presents to the king, who then resided in a small parlor
that stood conveniently to avoid the heat, fell into discourse with him,
for they were now alone, the king having bid his servants that attended
him to go their ways, because he had a mind to talk with Ehud. He was
now sitting on his throne; and fear seized upon Ehud lest he should miss
his stroke, and not give him a deadly wound; so he raised himself up,
and said he had a dream to impart to him by the command of God; upon
which the king leaped out of his throne for joy of the dream; so Ehud
smote him to the heart, and leaving his dagger in his body, he went out
and shut the door after him. Now the king's servants were very still, as
supposing that the king had composed himself to sleep.
3. Hereupon Ehud informed the people of Jericho privately of what he had
done, and exhorted them to recover their liberty; who heard him gladly,
and went to their arms, and sent messengers over the country, that
should sound trumpets of rams' horns; for it was our custom to call the
people together by them. Now the attendants of Eglon were ignorant of
what misfortune had befallen him for a great while; but, towards the
evening, fearing some uncommon accident had happened, they entered into
his parlor, and when they found him dead, they were in great disorder,
and knew not what to do; and before the guards could be got together,
the multitude of the Israelites came upon them, so that some of them
were slain immediately, and some were put to flight, and ran away toward
the country of Moab, in order to save themselves. Their number was above
ten thousand. The Israelites seized upon the ford of Jordan, and pursued
them, and slew them, and many of them they killed at the ford, nor did
one of them escape out of their hands; and by this means it was that the
Hebrews freed themselves from slavery under the Moabites. Ehud also was
on this account dignified with the government over all the multitude,
and died after he had held the government eighty years 15 He was a man
worthy of commendation, even besides what he deserved for the
forementioned act of his. After him Shamgat, the son of Anath, was
elected for their governor, but died in the first year of his
government.