Judges 12

1 And the men of Ephraim were called together, and passed over northwards, and said to Jephthah, Why didst thou pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? We will burn thy house upon thee with fire.

Then the Ephraimites were called up and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight the Ammonites without summoning us to go with you? We're going to burn your house down with you inside it!”

2 And Jephthah said to them, I was at great strife, I and my people, with the children of Ammon; and I called you, but ye saved me not out of their hand.

“I was a man with a great fight on my hands,” Jephthah replied. “I and my people were fighting the Ammonites. When I called on you for help, you didn't come and help save me from them.

3 And when I saw that ye would not save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah gave them into my hand. Why then are ye come up to me this day, to fight against me?

When I realized that you weren't going to help, I took my life in my hands and went to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord made me victorious over them. So why have you come here today to attack me?”

4 And Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye, Gilead, ye are fugitives of Ephraim in the midst of Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh.

Jephthah summoned all of the men of Gilead and fought against the Ephraimites. The men of Gilead killed them because the Ephraimites taunted them, saying, “You Gileadites are nothing more than escapees living among Ephraim and Manasseh.”

5 And Gilead took the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim; and it came to pass that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Art thou an Ephraimite? and he said, No.

The Gileadites took control of the fords over the Jordan River that led to Ephraim's territory, and when an Ephraimite escapee from the battle would come and ask, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would question him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,”

6 Then they said to him, Say now Shibboleth! and he said, Sibboleth, and did not manage to pronounce [it] rightly. Then they took him, and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand.

they would tell him, “Say Shibboleth.” If he was from Ephraim he would say “Sibboleth” because he couldn't pronounce it right, and they'd grab him and kill him there at the Jordan fords. A total of 42,000 were killed at that time.

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

Jephthah led Israel as judge for six years. Then he died and was buried in one of Gilead's towns.

8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

After Jephthah, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel as a judge.

9 And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent out of the house, and thirty daughters he took in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He married off his daughters to men of other tribes, and he brought in thirty wives from other tribes to marry his sons. Ibzan led Israel as judge for seven years.

10 And Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.

Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

11 And after him Elon, the Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel as judge for ten years.

12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Ajalon in the land of Zebulun.

Then he died and was buried at Aijalon in the territory of Zebulun.

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

After him, Abdon, son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel as judge.

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

He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode seventy donkeys. He led Israel as judge for eight years.

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

Then he died and was buried at Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.