The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Othonyell delyuereth Israell. Ahud kylleth kynge Eglon. Samgar kylleth the Phelystines.

CAPI. III.

THese are the nacyons whiche the Lorde [unspec A] lefte, that he myght proue Israell by them: euen as many of Israell as had not knowen all the warres of Canaan: onlye for the lernyng of the generacion of the chyl∣dren of Israel: that he also myght teach them warre, in asmoche as they that were before them, ☞ knewe nothynge therof. Of those whome he lefte, there were fyue lordes of the Philistines, and all the Cananytes, and the Sidonytes, and the Heuites that dwelte in mount Libanon: euen fram mount Baall Hermon vnto Hemath. Those remayned to proue Israell by, and to wete, whyther they wolde herken vnto the cōmaundementes of the Lorde, whiche he commaunded theyr Fa∣thers by the hande of Moses.

And the Chyldren of Israell dwelte a∣monge the Cananites, Hethites, Amorites / Pheresytes, Heuites, and Iebusytes, * 1.1 & toke the doughters of them to be theyr wyues, and gaue theyr owne doughters to theyr son¦nes, and serued theyr Goddes. And the chyl∣dren of Israel dyd wyckedlye in the syght of [unspec B] the Lorde, and forgat the Lorde theyr God, and serued Baalim & Aseroth. Therfore the Lorde was angrye with Israell, and delyue∣red them into the hand{is} of Chusā Risathaim kynge of Mesopotamia, and the chyldren of Israell serued Chusā Risathaim. viii. yeres.

And when the Chyldren of Israell cryed vnto the Lorde, the Lorde styrred ☞ vp a sauyour, to the Chyldren of Israell, & saued them: one Othoniell the Son of Kenes, Ca∣lebs yonger brother. And the spiryte of the Lorde came vpon hym. And he iudged Is∣raell, and went out to warre. And the Lorde delyuered Chusan Risathaim kyng of Me∣sopotamia into his hande, & his hande pre∣uayled agaynst Chusan Risathaim. And the lande had * 1.2 rest fourtye yeres. And Othoniel the son of Kenes dyed. And the Chyldren of Israell went to agayne, & cōmytted wycked∣nesse in the syght of the lorde. And the Lorde strengthed Eglon the kynge of the Moabi∣tes, agaynst the Chyldren of Israell, bycause they had commytted wyckednesse before the Lorde. And this (Eglon) gathered vnto hym the chyldren of Ammon, & the Amalekites, & went and smote Israell, and conquered the citye of Palme trees. And so the Chyldren of

Israel serued Eglō the kyng of Moab. xviii. yeres. But whē they cryed vnto the lorde, the lorde styrred them vp a sauiour, Ahud the son of Gera the son of Iemini, a man that coulde do nothyng handsomly w^t his ryght hande.

And by hym the chyldren of Israell sent a [unspec C] present vnto Eglon the kyng of Moab: but Ahud made hym a dagger with two edges, of a cubite lengthe, and he dyd gyrde it vnder his rayment vpon his ryght thyghe, and ca∣ried the present to Eglon the kyng of Moab: And Eglon was a very fat man. And it for∣tuned that when he had presented the present he sent the people that bare it awaye, but he hymselfe turned agayne (from the place of grauen ymages, that was by Gilgal) & sayd I haue a secret errande vnto the, O kynge. Whiche sayd: kepe sylence. And all that stode before hym, went out from hym.

And Ahud came vnto hym, and in a somer parler, whiche he had, sat he hymselfe alone, and Ahud sayd, * 1.3 I haue a message vnto the from God. And he arose out of his seate. And Ahud put forth his lefte hande, and toke the dagger from his ryght thyghe, and thrust it into his bely, and the hafte went in after the blade. And the fat, closed the hafte, so that he myght not drawe the dagger out of his bely but the dyrte came out. Ahud gat hym out at a postren dore, and shut the dores of the par∣ler aboute hym, and locked them.

When he was gone out, his seruauntes [unspec D] came, and when they sawe that the dores of the parler were locked, they sayde: peraduen∣ture ☞ he couereth his feete in his somer chā¦ber. And they taryed tyll they were ashamed: And beholde, seynge he opened not the dores of the parler: they toke a key, & opened them. And beholde, theyr Lorde was fallen downe dead on the earth▪ And Ahud escaped (whyle they taryed) and was gone beyonde, to the place of the grauen ymages and escaped in¦to Seirath.

And when he was come * 1.4 he blewe a trom¦pet in mount Ephraim. And the chyldren of Israell wente downe with hym from the hyll and he went before them. And he sayde vnto them, folowe me: for the Lorde hathe delyue∣red your enemyes, the Moabites into youre hande. And they descended after hym, & toke the passages of Iordan, towarde Moab, and suffered not a man to passe ouer. And they slewe of the Moabites the same tyme vpon a ten thousande men, which were all fat & men of warre: and there scaped not a man, * 1.5 and so Moab was subdued that daye, vnder the hande of Israel: & the land had rest. lxxx. yer{is}.

After hym was Samgar the son of Anath whiche slewe of the Philistines. vi. hundred men with an oxe goade, and delyuered Is∣raell also.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Deut. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••
• * 1.2

  ii. Pe. xvi
• * 1.3

  2. Reg. 3. e.
• * 1.4

  Num••. x a.
• * 1.5

  Deute. ii. b.