Judges 12

1 And the me of Ephraim gathered themselues together, and went Northwarde, and saide vnto Iphtah, Wherefore wentest thou to fight against the children of Ammon, and diddest not call vs to goe with thee? we will therefore burne thine house vpon thee with fire.

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.”

2 And Iphtah said vnto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon, and when I called you, ye deliuered me not out of their handes.

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.

3 So when I sawe that ye deliuered me not, I put my life in mine hands, and went vpon the children of Ammon: so the Lord deliuered them into mine handes. Wherefore then are ye come vpon me nowe to fight against me?

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]

4 Then Iphtah gathered all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are runnagates of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

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.

5 Also the Gileadites tooke the passages of Iorden before the Ephraimites, and when the Ephraimites that were escaped, saide, Let me passe, then the men of Gilead said vnto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay,

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,”

6 Then said they vnto him, Say nowe Shibboleth: and he said, Sibboleth: for he could not so pronounce: then they tooke him, and slewe him at the passages of Iorden: and there fel at that time of the Ephraimites two and fourtie thousand.

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.

7 And Iphtah iudged Israel sixe yeere: then dyed Iphtah the Gileadite, and was buryed in one of the cities of Gilead.

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].

8 After him Ibzan of Beth-lehem iudged Israel,

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

9 Who had thirtie sonnes and thirtie daughters, which he sent out, and tooke in thirtie daughters from abroade for his sonnes. and he iudged Israel seuen yeere.

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.

10 Then Ibzan died, and was buryed at Bethlehem.

When he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

11 And after him iudged Israel Elon, a Zebulonite, and he iudged Israel tenne yeere.

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.

12 Then Elon the Zebulonite dyed, and was buryed in Aijalon in the countrey of Zebulun.

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

13 And after him Abdon the sonne of Hillel the Pirathonite iudged Israel.

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.

14 And he had fourty sonnes and thirtie nephewes that rode on seuentie assecoltes: and he iudged Israel eight yeeres.

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.

15 Then dyed Abdon the sonne of Hillel the Pirathonite, and was buryed in Pirathon, in ye lande of Ephraim, in the Mount of the Amalekites.

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].