The Nations Remaining in the Land
1 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. 2 He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. 3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. 4 They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods.
Othniel
7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah. 8 So the Lord became angry with Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years. 9 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel's leader. Othniel went to war, and the Lord gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia. 11 There was peace in the land for forty years, and then Othniel died.
Ehud
12 The people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel. 13 Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years.
15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him. 16 Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He had it fastened on his right side under his clothes. 17 Then he took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had given him the gifts, he told the men who had carried them to go back home. 19 But Ehud himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
So the king ordered his servants, “Leave us alone!” And they all went out.
20 Then, as the king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof, Ehud went over to him and said, “I have a message from God for you.” The king stood up. 21 With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the king's belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs. 23 Then Ehud went outside, closed the doors behind him, locked them, 24 and left. The servants came and saw that the doors were locked, but they only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself. 25 They waited as long as they thought they should, but when he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. And there was their master, lying dead on the floor.
26 Ehud got away while they were waiting. He went past the carved stones and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle; then he led them down from the hills. 28 He told them, “Follow me! The Lord has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites.” So they followed Ehud down and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan; they did not allow anyone to cross. 29 That day they killed about ten thousand of the best Moabite soldiers; none of them escaped. 30 That day the Israelites defeated Moab, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 The next leader was Shamgar son of Anath. He too rescued Israel, and did so by killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
Zwitjaba zwinosala mu shango
1 Yezwi ndizo zwitjaba zwakasiyiwa ndi Yahwe kulika Baiziraela nazo bose bakabe basingazibe ngekwe ngwa mu Kanana, 2 kwakabe kulikuti zwizekugwana zwe Baiziraela zwizibe ngwa, kuti badiye basakatongo ziba ngwa mu kutanga. 3 Zwitjaba ndi yezwi, babusi bali bashanu be Bafilisitiya ne Bakanana bose ne Basidoni ne Bahivi bakabe begala mu Dombo le Lebhanoni, kudwa ku Dombo le Bhaalehemoni kunoti tjose ku nkoba we Hamati. 4 Zwakasiyiwa kuli kulika Baiziraela kubona kuti kene banowotobela milayo ya Yahwe yabakapa bo batategulu babo ndi Mushe. 5 Bathu be Iziraela bakagala pakati kwe Bakanana ne Bahiti ne Baamoni ne Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi, 6 ngono bakatola bakololokadzi babo kube bakadzi babo, ngono bakapa bakololo babo bakololokadzi babo, bakashingila midzimu yabo.
Othiniyeli
7 Bathu be Iziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, bekangang'wa Yahwe Ndzimu wabo, beshingila bo Bhaale na bo Ashera. 8 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela, ngono bakabatengesa mu maboko a Khushanirishathaimu mambo we Misopotamiya, ngono bathu be Iziraela bakashingila Khushanirishathaimu kwe makole ali zhanakadzi. 9 Koga kwakati Baiziraela belilila kuna Yahwe, Yahwe baka bamusila nsununguli kuba sunungula, iye Othiniyeli nkololo wa Kenazi nnung'una wa Khalebu. 10 Meya ya Yahwe ikazha munli ngono kasumikilisa Iziraela, kayenda ku ngwa, ngono Yahwe bakalonga Khushanirishathaimu mambo we Misopotamiya mu luboko gugwe, ngono Othiniyele kankunda. 11 Ndizo shango ikabe nge kunyalala kwe makole ali makumi manna (40). Ipapo Othiniyele nkololo wa Kenazi kafa.
Ehudi
12 Ngono Baiziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe kakale, Yahwe bakasimisa Egiloni mambo we Moabu kugwa ne Iziraela, ngoti bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe. 13 Kazwikubunganyila Baamoni ne Baamaleki kanonginilila Baiziraela bakatapa nzi nkulu we milala. 14 Ngono Baiziraela bakashingila Egiloni mambo we Moabu kwe makole ali gumi lina ali zhanakadzi (18).
15 Koga kwakati Baiziraela belilila kuna Yahwe, Yahwe bakabamusila nsununguli unoyi Ehudi nkololo wa Gera we Mbhenjamini, nlume we tjimeshwe. Baiziraela bakatumila lukhetho kuna Egiloni mambo we Moabu ndiye. 16 Ehudi kazwithamila bukanu guno pitsha midzibo mibili gwe bulefu gwe luboko ngono kagudedela mu tjidzwa tje luji kusi kwe zwiambalo zwizwe. 17 Ngono kayesa lukhetho kuna Egiloni mambo we Moabu, wakabe ali nlume wakakola kwazo. 18 Kwakati Ehudi asina kuyisa lukhetho, kapaladza bathu bakabe bakasenga lukhetho. 19 Shule iye kashanduka pa zwifano zwe midzimu zwipa Giligala kadwa mambo kati, “Ndina dama lenyu le ikohwa imwi mambo,” Mambo bakabe beti, “Zhoba.” Bose bakabe banaye bakabhudila kuzhe. 20 Ehudi kazha kubali kwabakabe baligele baliboga ku ng'umbana itjapezhugwi inotothola, ngono Ehudi kabadwa kati, “Ndina ndayidzo yenyu inodwa ku Ndzimu.” Mambo bakamilika mu tjigalo tjabo. 21 Ehudi kalonga luboko gugwe gwe lumeshwe kashomola bukanu mu tjidzwa tjitje tje luji ngono kagulobelela mu ntumbu wa mambo, 22 bukanu gukangina kose ne mpinyana wago, gukanoputja ku ikamba. Ehudi kasishomole bukanu ngono gukazwimbiwa nge lizwizwi, ngono shambgwa ikabhuda. 23 Ipapo Ehudi kabhudila ku ng'umbana itjambeli, kazhalila mikoba ye ng'umba ipezhugwi shule kukwe ngono kadzikhiya. 24 Kwakati atjiyenda, balanda babe bakazha bakawana mikoba ye ng'umba itjapezhugwi yakakhiyiwa ngono bakakumbula beti, “Pamwe batjasununguka mu ng'umbana itjamukati inotothola.” 25 Ngono bakalinda kuswikila bepelameya, kwakati mambo basingazhule mikoba ye ng'umba, bakatola khiyi bakakhiyinula mikoba, bakawana tetshi wabo alilele pasi aka fa. 26 Bakati batjakalinda, Ehudi katizha kasiya. Wakapinda pa zwifano zwe midzimu, etizhila ku Seira. 27 Wakati eswika kalidza lunyanga mu shango ye matuthu ya Ifureimi, bathu be Iziraela bakadelukila naye bedwa ku shango ye matuthu akabatungamila. 28 Kabadwa kati, “Mundisale shule, ngoti Yahwe balonga zwita zwenyu Bamoabu mu maboko enyu.” Ndizo bakadelukila bakansalashule, bakatolela Bamoabu maambuko e gwizi gwe Jorodani, kusina wabanodumila ku tjuluka. 29 Mu tjibaka itjetjo bakabulaya balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi be Moabu (10 000), bose bakazwilizanila bakasima, akuna wakatizha. 30 Ndizo Moabu yakayisiwa pasi kwe Iziraela zhuba ilelo. Shango ikabe nge kunyalala kwe makole ali makumi ali zhanakadzi (80).
Shamaga
31 Shule kwa Ehudi kukazha Shamaga nkololo wa Anati iye wakabulaya balume bali mazana ali tathatu (600) be Bafilisitiya nge ikombo tje ng'ombe, naiye waka sunungula Baiziraela.