Judges 3
Open in the reader1These are the nations that He-Who-Is left to test all the Strives-with-Godites who had not known any of the wars in Humbled,
2if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Strives-with-God, especially to those who had not known it formerly:
3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Humbled-Ones, the Fishery-Ones, and the Tent-Villagers who lived in the mountains of White-Mountain from Mount Master-of-Hermon to Entrance-of-hamath.
4These nations were left to test the children of Strives-with-God, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of He-Who-Is, which He had given their fathers through Drawn-Out.
5Thus the children of Strives-with-God continued to live among the Humbled-Ones, Son-of-Terrors, Mountaineers, Open-Country-Dwellers, Tent-Villagers, and Trodden-Ones.
6And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
7So the children of Strives-with-God did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is; they forgot He-Who-Is their God and served The-Ruler and the Asherahs.
8Then the anger of He-Who-Is burned against Strives-with-God, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-of-Double-Wickedness king of Aram-of-Two-Rivers, and the children of Strives-with-God served him eight years.
9But when the children of Strives-with-God cried out to He-Who-Is, He-Who-Is raised up Lion-of-God son of Dog’s younger brother Hunter as a deliverer to save them.
10The Spirit of He-Who-Is came upon him, and he became Strives-with-God’s judge and went out to war. And He-Who-Is delivered Cushan-of-Double-Wickedness king of Highland into the hand of Lion-of-God, who prevailed against him.
11So the land had rest for forty years, until Lion-of-God son of Hunter died.
12Once again the children of Strives-with-God did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is. So He gave Calf-Man king of From-the-Father power over Strives-with-God, because they had done evil in the sight of He-Who-Is.
13After enlisting the children of Kindred and children of Amalek to join forces with him, Calf-Man attacked and defeated Strives-with-God, taking possession of the City of Palms.
14The children of Strives-with-God served Calf-Man king of From-the-Father eighteen years.
15And again they cried out to He-Who-Is, and He raised up United son of Grain, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Calf-Man king of From-the-Father.
16Now United had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak
17and brought the tribute to Calf-Man king of From-the-Father, who was an obese man.
18After United had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.
19But upon reaching the idols near The-Rolling, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.
20Then United approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” United said, and the king rose from his seat.
21And United reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Calf-Man’s belly.
22Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Calf-Man’s fat closed in over it, so that United did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Calf-Man’s bowels emptied.
23Then United went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
24After United was gone, Calf-Man’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.
25So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.
26United, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Double-Fruit. The children of Strives-with-God came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.
28“Follow me,” he told them, “for He-Who-Is has delivered your enemies the children of From-the-Father into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Descender leading to From-the-Father, and they did not allow anyone to cross over.
29At that time they struck down about ten thousand children of From-the-Father, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.
30So From-the-Father was subdued under the hand of Strives-with-God that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
31After United came Shamgar son of Answer. And he too saved Strives-with-God, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.