ars
old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in
Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north
of the mountain of Gaash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had
known all the work of the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel.

{313}

The Judges

After the death of Joshua there followed a long period of unrest and
fighting. The land was by no means conquered. Many times the
Israelites were opposed by the neighboring people, and all but wiped
out of existence. But each time a hero arose who overthrew the
oppressor, and became the leader or judge, as the office was called,
of the people. These leaders were not all of the highest character,
but they served to hold the nation together, and to preserve it from
extinction, during this period of trouble and unrest.

{314}

{315}

EHUD

The Story of the Young Man Who Killed a King.

And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight
of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against
Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord. And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he
went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees (that
is, Jericho). And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab
eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord,
the Lord raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the
Benjamite, a left-handed man: and the children of Israel sent a
present by him unto Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made him a sword
which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his
raiment upon his right thigh. And he offered the present unto Eglon
king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an
end of offering the present, he sent away the people that bore the
present. But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by
Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret errand unto thee, O king."

And he said, "Keep silence." And all that stood by him went out from
him. And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in his
summer room. {316} And Ehud said, "I have a message from God to thee."
And he arose out of his seat.

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right
thigh, and thrust it into his body: and the haft also went in after
the blade; and the fat closed upon