Hæ sunt gentes quas Dominus dereliquit, ut erudiret in eis Israëlem, et omnes qui non noverant bella Chananæorum:

These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites:

Spared they must be, so that a new generation of Israelites, who had not fought against Chanaan,

ut postea discerent filii eorum certare cum hostibus, et habere consuetudinem præliandi:

That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war:

might learn a soldierly tradition, and skill in the use of arms;

quinque satrapas Philisthinorum, omnemque Chananæum, et Sidonium, atque Hevæum, qui habitabat in monte Libano, de monte Baal Hermon usque ad introitum Emath.

The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in mount Libanus, from mount Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath.

the five princes of the Philistines, the Chanaanites in general, the men of Sidon, and the Hevites of mount Lebanon, between Baal-hermon hill and the path that leads to Emath.

Dimisitque eos, ut in ipsis experiretur Israëlem, utrum audiret mandata Domini quæ præceperat patribus eorum per manum Moysi, an non.

And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses, or not.

Spared they must be, so as to have a test of Israel’s loyalty; would the Israelites obey the commands which the Lord had given to their fathers through Moses, or not?

Itaque filii Israël habitaverunt in medio Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Jebusæi:

So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite:

Thus the men of Israel lived surrounded by Chanaanite and Hethite, by Amorrhite and Pherezite, by Hevite and Jebusite,

et duxerunt uxores filias eorum, ipsique filias suas filiis eorum tradiderunt, et servierunt diis eorum.

And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

mated with their daughters, and gave Israelite wives to their sons, and so came to worship their gods.

Feceruntque malum in conspectu Domini, et obliti sunt Dei sui, servientes Baalim et Astaroth.

And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth.

They defied the Lord’s will, forsook him, their own God, and paid court instead to the gods of the country-side, and to Astaroth;

Iratusque contra Israël Dominus, tradidit eos in manus Chusan Rasathaim regis Mesopotamiæ, servieruntque ei octo annis.

And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years.

and the Lord, in high displeasure against Israel, left them at the mercy of Chusan-Rasathaim, king of the Mesopotamian land, who for eight years became their master.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem, et liberavit eos, Othoniel videlicet filium Cenez, fratrem Caleb minorem:

And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, to wit, Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:

Then they cried out to the Lord, and he sent a champion to their rescue, Othoniel son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb.

fuitque in eo spiritus Domini, et judicavit Israël. Egressusque est ad pugnam, et tradidit Dominus in manus ejus Chusan Rasathaim regem Syriæ, et oppressit eum.

And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered into his hands Chusan Rasathaim king of Syria, and he overthrew him.

On him the Lord’s spirit fell, and he became the ruler of Israel; he fought, and the Lord gave him victory over the Syrian king Chusan-Rasathaim, whose power he crushed.

Quievitque terra quadraginta annis, et mortuus est Othoniel filius Cenez.

And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel the son of Cenez died.

So, for forty years, the land was at peace, till Othoniel son of Cenez died.

Addiderunt autem filii Israël facere malum in conspectu Domini: qui confortavit adversum eos Eglon regem Moab, quia fecerunt malum in conspectu ejus.

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon king of Moab: because they did evil in his sight.

Then, once again, Israel defied the Lord’s will, and he, thus defied, gave them a rival in Eglon king of Moab,

Et copulavit ei filios Ammon, et Amalec: abiitque et percussit Israël, atque possedit urbem palmarum.

And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

that had Ammon and Amelec fighting at his side. This Eglon made an expedition against the Israelites in which he defeated them, and took possession of the city of Palm-trees.

Servieruntque filii Israël Eglon regi Moab decem et octo annis.

And the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years:

And for eighteen years the king of Moab was master of Israel.

Et postea clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem vocabulo Aod, filium Gera, filii Jemini, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur. Miseruntque filii Israël per illum munera Eglon regi Moab.

And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour called Aod, the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon king of Moab by him.

And now they cried out to the Lord, and he sent them a fresh champion, a Benjamite called Aod, son of Gera. He was left-handed, and when the Israelites sent him to pay King Eglon their tribute,

Qui fecit sibi gladium ancipitem, habentem in medio capulum longitudinis palmæ manus, et accinctus est eo subter sagum in dextro femore.

And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith under his garment on the right thigh.

he wore at his right side, under his cloak, a hilted dagger, two-edged, nine inches long.

Obtulitque munera Eglon regi Moab. Erat autem Eglon crassus nimis.

And he presented the gifts to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceeding fat.

Gift in hand he came before Eglon, who sat there gross and pampered of body.

Cumque obtulisset ei munera, prosecutus est socios, qui cum eo venerant.

And when he had presented the gifts unto him, he followed his companions that came along with him.

So, letting his companions go on before him, when the tribute had been paid,

Et reversus de Galgalis, ubi erant idola, dixit ad regem: Verbum secretum habeo ad te, o rex. Et ille imperavit silentium: egressisque omnibus qui circa eum erant,

Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,

he himself went back all the way from the carved rocks of Galgal, and told the king he had a secret to make known to him. Eglon bade him keep his counsel, and sent all the courtiers out;

ingressus est Aod ad eum: sedebat autem in æstivo cœnaculo solus: dixitque: Verbum Dei habeo ad te. Qui statim surrexit de throno.

Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne,

alone he sat in his summer parlour, when Aod found him. I have a message for thee from the Lord, said Aod, and, as Eglon rose from his seat,

Extenditque Aod sinistram manum, et tulit sicam de dextro femore suo, infixitque eam in ventre ejus

And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,

the dagger hidden at Aod’s right side was plunged into his belly.

tam valide, ut capulus sequeretur ferrum in vulnere, ac pinguissimo adipe stringeretur. Nec eduxit gladium, sed ita ut percusserat, reliquit in corpore: statimque per secreta naturæ alvi stercora proruperunt.

With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in his body as he had struck it in. And forthwith by the secret parts of nature the excrements of the belly came out.

Such was the force of the blow, that hilt followed blade into the wound, stuck deep in the fat; and thereupon the bowels discharged their load.

Aod autem clausis diligentissime ostiis cœnaculi, et obfirmatis sera,

But Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour and locking them,

Good care Aod took to secure lock and bolt behind him;

per posticum egressus est. Servique regis ingressi viderunt clausas fores cœnaculi, atque dixerunt: Forsitan purgat alvum in æstivo cubiculo.

Went out by a postern door. And the king’s servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.

then he made his escape by a postern door.When the king’s servants came and found locked doors they thought he was easing himself, like enough, there in his summer retreat.

Expectantesque diu donec erubescerent, et videntes quod nullus aperiret, tulerunt clavem: et aperientes invenerunt dominum suum in terra jacentem mortuum.

And waiting a long time till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.

But at last, ashamed of waiting, they brought a key to open it, and there was their master stretched on the ground dead.

Aod autem, dum illi turbarentur, effugit, et pertransiit locum idolorum, unde reversus fuerat. Venitque in Seirath:

But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols, from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:

In the confusion, Aod escaped; he made his way back to the Carved Rocks, and thence to Seirath.

et statim insonuit buccina in monte Ephraim, descenderuntque cum eo filii Israël, ipso in fronte gradiente.

And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front.

There, on the slopes of Ephraim, he blew his horn, and the men of Israel came down from the hills with Aod at their head

Qui dixit ad eos: Sequimini me: tradidit enim Dominus inimicos nostros Moabitas in manus nostras. Descenderuntque post eum, et occupaverunt vada Jordanis quæ transmittunt in Moab: et non dimiserunt transire quemquam:

And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over.

crying out, Follow me, the Lord has granted us victory over the Moabite invader. Down they went at his heels, and seized the ford across Jordan that leads to Moab. Not a man did they allow to cross,

sed percusserunt Moabitas in tempore illo, circiter decem millia, omnes robustos et fortes viros. Nullus eorum evadere potuit.

But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape.

but slew, that day, some ten thousand Moabite warriors, cut off from all hope of escape.

Humiliatusque est Moab in die illo sub manu Israël: et quievit terra octoginta annis.

And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the land rested eighty years.

Thus Israel brought Moab to the dust, and for eighty years the land was at peace.

Post hunc fuit Samgar filius Anath, qui percussit de Philisthiim sexcentos viros vomere: et ipse quoque defendit Israël.

After him was Samgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.

Aod was followed by Samgar, the son of Anath; he it was that slew six hundred Philistines with a ploughshare; he, too, was a champion of Israel.