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[194]
Hereupon Ehud informed the people of Jericho privately of
what he had done, and exhorted them to recover their liberty; who heard
him gladly, and went to their arms, and sent messengers over the country,
that should sound trumpets of rams' horns; for it was our custom to call
the people together by them. Now the attendants of Eglon were ignorant
of what misfortune had befallen him for a great while; but, towards the
evening, fearing some uncommon accident had happened, they entered into
his parlor, and when they found him dead, they were in great disorder,
and knew not what to do; and before the guards could be got together, the
multitude of the Israelites came upon them, so that some of them were slain
immediately, and some were put to flight, and ran away toward the country
of Moab, in order to save themselves. Their number was above ten thousand.
The Israelites seized upon the ford of Jordan, and pursued them, and slew
them, and many of them they killed at the ford, nor did one of them escape
out of their hands; and by this means it was that the Hebrews freed themselves
from slavery under the Moabites. Ehud also was on this account dignified
with the government over all the multitude, and died after he had held
the government eighty years 1
He was a man worthy of commendation, even besides what he deserved for
the forementioned act of his. After him Shamgat, the son of Anath, was
elected for their governor, but died in the first year of his government.
2
1 These eighty years for the government of Ehud are necessary to Josephus's usual large numbers between the exodus and the building of the temple, of five hundred and ninety-two or six hundred and twelve years, but not to the smallest number of four hundred and eighty years, 1 Kings 6:1; which lesser number Josephus seems sometimes to have followed. And since in the beginning of the next chapter it is said by Josephus, that there was hardly a breathing time for the Israelites before Jabin came and enslaved them, it is highly probable that some of the copies in his time had here only eight years instead of eighty; as had that of Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autolye. 1. iii., and this most probably from his copy of Josephus.
2 HOW THE CANAANITES BROUGHT THE ISRAELITES UNDER SLAVERY FOR TWENTY YEARS; AFTER WHICH THEY WERE DELIVERED BY BARAK AND DEBORAH, WHO RULED OVER THEM FOR FORTY YEARS.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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