1   The Ephraimites mustered their forces and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, ‘Why did you march against the Ammonites and not summon us to go with you? We will burn your house over your head.’ 2   Jephthah answered, ‘I and my people had a feud with the Ammonites, and had I appealed to you for help, you would not have saved us ^note from them. 3   When I saw that we were not to look for help from you, I took my life in my hands and marched against the Ammonites,

Israel under the judges and the Lord delivered them into my power. Why then do you attack me today?’ 4   Jephthah then mustered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim, and the Gileadites defeated them. ^note 5   The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan and held them against Ephraim. When any Ephraimite who had escaped begged leave to cross, the men of Gilead asked him, 6   ‘Are you an Ephraimite?’, and if he said, ‘No’, they would retort, ‘Say Shibboleth.’ He would say ‘Sibboleth’, and because he could not pronounce the word properly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand men of Ephraim lost their lives.

7   Jephthah was judge over Israel for six years; when he died he was buried in his own city in ^note Gilead. 8   After him Ibzan of Bethlehem was judge over Israel. 9   He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave away the thirty daughters in marriage and brought in thirty girls for his sons. 10   He was judge over Israel for seven years, and when he died he was buried in Bethlehem.

11   After him Elon the Zebulunite was judge over Israel for ten years. 12    13   When he died, he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. Next Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite was judge over Israel. 14   He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode each on his own ass. He was judge over Israel for eight years; 15   and when he died he was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim on the hill of the Amalekite.

Previous section

Next section