12
1 The
men of Ephraim
were gathered
together, and
passed northward;
and they said
to Jephthah, “Why
did you pass
over to fight
against the
children of Ammon,
and didn’t call us
to go with
you? We will burn
your house around
you with fire!”
2 Jephthah said
to them, “I
and my people
were at great
strife with the
children of Ammon;
and when I
called you,
you didn’t save me
out of their
hand.
3 When
I saw that
you didn’t save me,
I put my
life in my
hand, and passed
over against the
children of Ammon,
and the LORD
delivered them
into my hand.
Why then have
you come up
to me today,
to fight against
me?”
4 Then
Jephthah gathered
together all the
men of Gilead,
and fought
with Ephraim. The
men of Gilead
struck Ephraim, because
they said, “You are
fugitives of Ephraim,
you Gileadites, in
the middle
of Ephraim, and in
the middle of
Manasseh.”
5 The
Gileadites took
the fords of
the Jordan against
the Ephraimites. Whenever
a fugitive
of Ephraim said, “Let
me go over,”
the men of
Gilead said to him,
“Are you
an Ephraimite?” If
he said, “No;”
6 then
they said to
him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’ ” and he
said “Sibboleth”;
for he couldn’t manage
to pronounce it
correctly, then
they seized him
and killed him
at the fords
of the Jordan.
At that time,
forty-two thousand of Ephraim
fell.
7 Jephthah
judged Israel six
years. Then
Jephthah the
Gileadite died,
and was buried
in the cities
of Gilead.
8 After him
Ibzan of Bethlehem
judged Israel.
9 He
had thirty sons.
He sent his
thirty daughters
outside his clan,
and he brought
in thirty
daughters from
outside his clan
for his sons.
He judged Israel
seven years.
10 Ibzan died,
and was buried at
Bethlehem.
11 After him,
Elon the Zebulunite
judged Israel; and
he judged Israel
ten years.
12 Elon the
Zebulunite died,
and was buried
in Aijalon in
the land of
Zebulun.
13 After him,
Abdon the son
of Hillel the
Pirathonite judged
Israel.
14 He
had forty sons and
thirty sons’ sons
who rode on
seventy donkey colts.
He judged Israel
eight years.
15 Abdon
the son of
Hillel the
Pirathonite died,
and was buried
in Pirathon in
the land of Ephraim,
in the hill
country of the
Amalekites.