Holy Bible: Easy-To-Read Version

Judges 3:21-28 Holy Bible: Easy-To-Read Version (ETR)

21. As the king was getting up from his throne, Ehud reached with his left hand and took out the sword that was tied to his right thigh. Then he pushed the sword into the king’s belly.

22. The sword went into Eglon’s belly so far that even the handle sank in and the fat closed around it. The point of the blade came out his back. Ehud left the sword inside Eglon.

23. Then Ehud went out of the private room, closed the doors to the upper room, and locked the king inside.

24. Ehud then left the main room, and the servants went back in. The servants found the doors to the upper room locked, so they said, “The king must be relieving himself in his private toilet.”

25. The servants waited for a long time, but the king never opened the doors to the upper room. Finally, the servants got worried. They got the key and unlocked the doors. When the servants entered, they saw their king lying dead on the floor.

26. While the servants were waiting for the king, Ehud had time to escape. He passed by the statues and went toward the place named Seirah.

27. When Ehud came to Seirah, he blew a trumpet there in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites heard the trumpet and went down from the hills with Ehud leading them.

28. He said to the Israelites, “Follow me! The Lord has helped us defeat our enemies, the Moabites.” So the Israelites followed Ehud. They went down with him to take control of the places where people could easily cross the Jordan River into the land of Moab. The Israelites did not allow any one to go across the Jordan River.