Judges 12:1-14 ▼

1 And the men of Ephraim gathered together and passed over toward Zaphon, and they said to Jephthah, “Why did you pass over to fight against the sons of Ammon and did not call us to go with you? Your house we will burn down over you with the fire.”

2 And Jephthah said to them, “I have been a man of exceedingly great struggle—I and My people—with the sons of Ammon. And I called you? and you? did not deliver me out of their hands.

3 And I saw that you would not deliver me, and I took my life in my hands, and passed over against the sons of Ammon. And YHWH delivered them into my hand. Why have you? come up to me this day to fight against me?”

4 And Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You? Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim in the midst of Ephraim, in the midst of Manasseh.”

5 And Gilead seized the fords of the Jordan to Ephraim, and when a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me pass over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” And if he said, “No,”

6 they would say to him, “Say, please, Shibboleth.” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it correctly. And they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. And Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried among the cities of Gilead.

8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage to outsiders, and thirty daughters he brought in for his sons from outside. And He judged Israel seven years.

10 And Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

11 And after him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. And He judged Israel ten years.

12 And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon, in the land of Zebulun.

13 And after him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel,

14 and there were unto him forty sons and thirty sons of sons, who rode on seventy young donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years.