Judges 12

CHAPTER 12

Jephthah Fights Ephraim

¹Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed ¹to Zaphon and ^asaid to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon, but did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you.”

²Then Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon. And I cried out to you, but you did not save me from their hand.

³“And I saw that you would not save me, so I ^1atook my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”

⁴Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim down because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.”

⁵And the Gileadites ^acaptured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

⁶then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not ¹pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.

⁷And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon Judge Israel

⁸Then Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him.

⁹And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters whom he ¹gave in marriage outside the family, and he brought in thirty daughters from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

¹⁰Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹Then Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; and he judged Israel ten years.

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

¹³Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel after him.

¹⁴And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years.

¹⁵Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.