10 After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works that He had done for Israel. 11And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.

12 Thus they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the Lord to anger, 13for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.

17 Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them. 19But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, 21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the Lord by walking in it as their fathers did.”

23 That is why the Lord had left those nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.

1 These are the nations that the Lord left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, 2if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: 3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the Lord, which He had given their fathers through Moses. 5Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8Then the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.

9 But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them. 10The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

11 So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15And again they cried out to the Lord, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

16 Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak 17and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.

18 After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it. 19But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”

“Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.

20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.

21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. 22Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied. 23Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.

24 After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said. 25So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors— and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.

26 Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

27 On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. 28“Follow me,” he told them, “for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.”

So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over. 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.

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

31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.

14 When the hour had come, Jesus reclined at the table with His apostles. 15And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering. 16For I tell you that I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. 18For I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.

21 Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on the table. 22Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but woe to that man who betrays Him.”

23 Then they began to question among themselves which of them was going to do this.

24 A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors. 26But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.

28 You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials. 29And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father has bestowed one on Me, 30so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon , that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33“Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”

34 But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”