قُضاة 12

١ 1 وَجَهَّزَ سِبْطُ أَفْرَايِمَ جَيْشاً، وَتَقَدَّمُوا شِمَالاً نَحْوَ زَفُونَ قَائِلِينَ لِيَفْتَاحَ: «لِمَاذَا انْطَلَقْتَ لِمُحَارَبَةِ الْعَمُّونِيِّينَ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ تَدْعُوَنَا لِلانْضِمَامِ إِلَيْكَ؟ لِنُحْرِقَنَّ عَلَيْكَ بَيْتَكَ بِالنَّارِ».

The men of the tribe of Ephraim summoned their soldiers, and they crossed [the Jordan River] to [the town of] Zaphon [to talk with] Jephthah. They said to him, “(Why did you not ask us for help?/You should have requested us) to help your army fight the Ammon people-group. So we will burn down your house while you are in it.”

٢ 2 فَأَجَابَهُمْ: «كُنْتُ أَنَا وَقَوْمِي فِي خِصَامٍ عَنِيفٍ مَعَ الْعَمُّونِيِّينَ، فَاسْتَنْجَدْتُ بِكُمْ فَلَمْ تُجِيرُونِي.

Jephthah replied, “The Ammon people-group were oppressing us greatly. When we were prepared to start to attack them, I requested you to come and help us, but you refused. My men and I defeated the Ammon people-group, but you did not help us.

٣ 3 وَعِنْدَمَا رَأَيْتُ تَقَاعُسَكُمْ عَنْ إِجَارَتِي جَازَفْتُ بِحَيَاتِي، وَحَارَبْتُ بَنِي عَمُّونَ، فَنَصَرَنِي الرَّبُّ عَلَيْهِمْ. فَلِمَاذَا اجْتَمَعْتُمْ عَلَيَّ الْيَوْمَ لِمُحَارَبَتِي؟»

When I saw that you would not help us, I was willing to be killed in the battle against the Ammon people-group. But Yahweh helped us to defeat them. [You did not help us when we requested it before], so (why have you come here today to fight against me?/you should not have come here today to fight against me.)” [RHQ]

٤ 4 وَحَشَدَ يَفْتَاحُ كُلَّ رِجَالِ جِلْعَادَ وَحَارَبَ سِبْطَ أَفْرَايِمَ وَهَزَمَهُمْ، لأَنَّ رِجَالَ أَفْرَايِمَ اسْتَخَفُّوا بِالْجِلْعَادِيِّينَ قَائِلِينَ: «إِنَّهُمْ مَنْبُوذُو أَفْرَايِمَ وَمَنَسَّى».

Then Jephthah summoned the men of [the] Gilead [region] to fight [against the men of the tribe of] Ephraim. The men of the tribe of Ephraim said, “You men from [the] Gilead [region] are men who deserted us. Long ago you left us and moved to the area between our tribe and the tribe of Manasseh.” [Because of their saying that], the men of [the] Gilead [region] attacked the men of the tribe of Ephraim.

٥ 5 فَاسْتَوْلَى الْجِلْعَادِيُّونَ عَلَى مَخَاوِضِ نَهْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ، وَكُلَّمَا قَالَ أَحَدُ رِجَالِ أَفْرَايِمَ الْهَارِبِينَ: «دَعُونِي أَعْبُرُ»، كَانَ رِجَالُ جِلْعَادَ يَسْأَلُونَهُ: «أَأَنْتَ أَفْرَايِمِيٌّ؟» فَإِنْ قَالَ: «لا»

The men of Gilead captured that (ford/place where people can walk across) at the Jordan [River] to go to the land where the tribe of Ephraim live. Whenever one of the soldiers from the tribe of Ephraim came to the ford to try to escape, he would say, “Let me cross the river.” Then the men of Gilead would ask him, “Are you from the tribe of Ephraim?” If he said “No,”

٦ 6 كَانُوا يَطْلُبُونَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: «شِبُّولَتْ» فَيَقُولُ: «سِبُّولَتْ» مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَتَحَفَّظَ فِي لَفْظِهَا لَفْظاً صَحِيحاً، فَيَقْبِضُونَ عَلَيْهِ وَيَذْبَحُونَهُ عَلَى مَخَاوِضِ الأُرْدُنِّ. فَقُتِلَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ مِنْ أَفْرَايِمَ إِثْنَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ أَلْفاً.

they would say to him, “Say the word ‘Shibboleth’.” The men of Ephraim could not pronounce that word correctly. So if the person from the tribe of Ephraim said ‘Sibboleth’, [they would know that he was lying and that he was really from the tribe of Ephraim, and] they would kill him there at the ford. So the men of Gilead killed 42,000 people from the tribe of Ephraim at that time.

٧ 7 وَظَلَّ يَفْتَاحُ قَاضِياً فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ سِتَّ سَنَواتٍ. وَعِنْدَمَا مَاتَ دُفِنَ فِي إِحْدَى مُدُنِ جِلْعَادَ.

Jephthah, the man from [the] Gilead [region], was a leader of the Israeli people for six years. Then he died and was buried in a town in [the] Gilead [region].

٨ 8 وَخَلَفَ إِبْصَانُ مِنْ بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ، يَفْتَاحَ قَاضِياً لإِسْرَائِيلَ.

After Jephthah died, a man named Ibzan, from Bethlehem, became the leader of the Israeli people.

٩ 9 وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَلاثُونَ ابْناً وَثَلاثُونَ ابْنَةً فَزَوَّجَ بَنَاتِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَبْنَاءِ عَشِيرَتِهِ، كَمَا زَوَّجَ أَبْنَاءَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ بَنَاتِ عَشِيرَتِهِ، وَاسْتَمَرَّ قَاضِياً لإِسْرَائِيلَ سَبْعَ سَنَواتٍ.

He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He forced all his daughters to marry men who were not in his clan, and brought women from outside his clan to marry his sons. He was the leader of the Israeli people for seven years.

١٠ 10 ثُمَّ مَاتَ إِبْصَانُ وَدُفِنَ فِي بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ.

When he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

١١ 11 وَأَعْقَبَهُ فِي الْقَضَاءِ لإِسْرَائِيلَ إِيلُونُ الزَّبُولُونِيُّ، فَظَلَّ قَاضِياً مُدَّةَ عَشْرِ سَنَوَاتٍ.

After Ibzan died, a man named Elon, from the tribe of Zebulun, became the leader of the Israeli people. He was their leader for ten years.

١٢ 12 ثُمَّ مَاتَ إِيلُونُ الزَّبُولُونِيُّ فَدُفِنَ فِي إِيَّلُونَ فِي أَرْضِ سِبْطِ زَبُولُونَ.

Then he died and was buried in Aijalon [city] in the area where the tribe of Zebulun lives.

١٣ 13 وَجَاءَ بَعْدَهُ عَبْدُونُ بْنُ هِلِّيلَ الْفِرْعَتُونِيُّ.

After Elon died, a man named Abdon who was the son of Hillel, from Pirathon [city, in the area where the tribe of Ephraim live] became the leader of the Israeli people.

١٤ 14 وَكَانَ لَهُ أَرْبَعُونَ ابْناً وَثَلاثُونَ حَفِيداً يَرْكَبُونَ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ حِمَاراً. هَذَا قَضَى لإِسْرَائِيلَ ثَمَانِيَ سَنَواتٍ.

He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons. Each of them had his own donkey on which to ride. Abdon was the leader of the Israeli people for eight years.

١٥ 15 ثُمَّ مَاتَ عَبْدُونُ بْنُ هِلِّيلَ الْفِرْعَتُونِيُّ وَدُفِنَ فِي فِرْعَتُونَ فِي أَرْضِ أَفْرَايِمَ فِي جَبَلِ الْعَمَالِقَةِ.

When Abdon died, he was buried in Pirathon, in the hilly area where the descendants of Amalek lived previously, [but now it is the area where the tribe of Ephraim lives].