Judges 12

Revised Geneva Translation

12 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and went northward, and said to Jephthah, “Why did you go fight against the children of Ammon and not call us to go with you? We will, therefore, burn your house upon you with fire!”

² And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were in a great struggle with the children of Ammon. And when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands.

³ “So, when I saw that you did not deliver me, I put my life in my own hands, and went upon the children of Ammon. So, the LORD delivered them into my hands. Why, then, have you come upon me now to fight against me?”

⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.”

⁵ Also, the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites. And when an Ephraimite who had escaped said, “Let me pass,” then the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

⁶ then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth’.” And if he said ‘Sibboleth’ (for he could not pronounce it) then they took him and killed him at the passages of Jordan. And forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites fell at that time.

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

⁸ After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel,

⁹ who had thirty sons. He also had thirty daughters, whom he sent out. And he took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel for seven years.

¹⁰ Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

¹¹ And after him, Elon, a Zebulunite, judged Israel. And he judged Israel for ten years.

¹² Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon, in the country of Zebulun.

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

¹⁴ And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel for eight years.

¹⁵ Then Abdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, died and was buried in Pirathon, in the land of Ephraim, on the Mount of the Amalekites.