Judges 12

Modern

Literal

Jephthah Defeats Ephraim

¹Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”

¹And 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.”

²But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands.

²And 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.

³When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”

³And 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?”

⁴Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”

⁴And 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.”

⁵The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?”

If he answered, “No,”

⁵And 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,”

⁶they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.”

If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were killed.

⁶they 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.

⁷Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.^a

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

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

⁸After Jephthah, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

⁸And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

⁹He had thirty sons, as well as thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage to men outside his clan; and for his sons he brought back thirty wives from elsewhere. Ibzan judged Israel seven years.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem.

¹⁰And Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹After Ibzan, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel ten years.

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

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

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

¹³After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, judged Israel.

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

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

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

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

¹⁵And Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and he was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekite.