Judges 3:15-30

15But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a man to rescue them, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the Israelites sent a gift of tribute by him to Eglon king of Moab.

16Now Ehud made for himself a sword a cubit long, which had two edges, and he bound it on his right thigh under his robe.

17And he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

18And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it.

19But Ehud himself turned back from the sculptured stones at Gilgal, [and he returned to Eglon] and said [to him], “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said “Keep silence.” And all who attended him left him.

20Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his [private] cool upper chamber, and Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And the king got up from his seat.

21Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.

22And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because Ehud did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.

23Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them.

24When Ehud departed, Eglon’s servants came. And when they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, “He is only relieving himself in the cool room.”

25They waited [a very long time] until they became embarrassed and uneasy, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. So [finally] they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor, dead.

26Now Ehud escaped while they lingered, and he passed beyond the sculptured stones and escaped to Seirah.

27When he had arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.

28And he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed over your enemies the Moabites to you.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab and did not allow anyone to cross.

29They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabite men, all strong, courageous men; not a man escaped.

30So Moab was subdued and humbled that day under the hand of Israel, and the land was at rest for eighty years.