Bible in Basic English
So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.
And he took the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
And after giving the offering, he sent away the people who had come with the offering.
But he himself, turning back from the stone images at Gilgal, said, I have something to say to you in secret, O king. And he said, Let there be quiet. Then all those who were waiting before him went out.
Then Ehud came in to him while he was seated by himself in his summer-house. And Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. And he got up from his seat.
And Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right side, and sent it into his stomach;
And the hand-part went in after the blade, and the fat was joined up over the blade; for he did not take the sword out of his stomach. And he went out into the ...
Then Ehud went out into the covered way, shutting the doors of the summer-house on him and locking them.
Now when he had gone, the king's servants came, and saw that the doors of the summer-house were locked; and they said, It may be that he is in his summer-house for a private purpose.
And they went on waiting till they were shamed, but the doors were still shut; so they took the key, and, opening them, saw their lord stretched out dead on the floor.
But Ehud had got away while they were waiting and had gone past the stone images and got away to Seirah.
And when he came there, he had a horn sounded in the hill-country of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he at their head.
And he said to them, Come after me; for the Lord has given the Moabites, your haters, into your hands. So they went down after him and took the crossing-places of Jordan against Moab, and let no one go across.
At that time they put about ten thousand men of Moab to the sword, every strong man and every man of war; not a man got away.
So Moab was broken that day under the hand of Israel. And for eighty years the land had peace.
And after him came Shamgar, the son of Anath, who put to death six hundred Philistines with an ox-stick; and he was another saviour of Israel.
— Judges 3:16-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Ehud made himself a sword– it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab.(Now Eglon was a very fat man.) After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal. He said to Eglon,“I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said,“Be quiet!” All his attendants left. When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself. Ehud said,“I have a message from God for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s belly. The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. When Ehud had left, Eglon’s servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said,“He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room.” They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah. When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. He said to them,“Follow me, for the LORD is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross. That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites– all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years. After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. He killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. So he also delivered Israel.”
And Eglon got together the people of Ammon and Amalek, and they went and overcame Israel and took the town of palm-trees.
And the children of Israel were servants to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.
Then when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man; and the children of Israel sent an offering by him to Eglon, king of Moab.
So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.
And he took the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
And after giving the offering, he sent away the people who had come with the offering.
But he himself, turning back from the stone images at Gilgal, said, I have something to say to you in secret, O king. And he said, Let there be quiet. Then all those who were waiting before him went out.
Then Ehud came in to him while he was seated by himself in his summer-house. And Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. And he got up from his seat.
And Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right side, and sent it into his stomach;
And the hand-part went in after the blade, and the fat was joined up over the blade; for he did not take the sword out of his stomach. And he went out into the ...
Then Ehud went out into the covered way, shutting the doors of the summer-house on him and locking them.
Now when he had gone, the king's servants came, and saw that the doors of the summer-house were locked; and they said, It may be that he is in his summer-house for a private purpose.
And they went on waiting till they were shamed, but the doors were still shut; so they took the key, and, opening them, saw their lord stretched out dead on the floor.
But Ehud had got away while they were waiting and had gone past the stone images and got away to Seirah.
And when he came there, he had a horn sounded in the hill-country of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he at their head.
And he said to them, Come after me; for the Lord has given the Moabites, your haters, into your hands. So they went down after him and took the crossing-places of Jordan against Moab, and let no one go across.
At that time they put about ten thousand men of Moab to the sword, every strong man and every man of war; not a man got away.
So Moab was broken that day under the hand of Israel. And for eighty years the land had peace.
And after him came Shamgar, the son of Anath, who put to death six hundred Philistines with an ox-stick; and he was another saviour of Israel.