Judges 12

1 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.”

And the men of Ephraim assembled [themselves], and passed on to the north, and said to Jephthae, Therefore did you go over to fight with the children of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? we will burn your house over you with fire.

2 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.

And Jephthae said to them, I and my people and the children of Ammon were very much engaged in war; and I called for you, and you did not save me out of their hand.

3 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]

And I saw that you were no helper, and I put my life in my hand, and passed on to the sons of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand: and therefore are you come up against me this day to fight with me?

4 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.

And Jephthae gathered all the men of Galaad, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Galaad struck Ephraim, because they that were escaped of Ephraim said, You [are] of Galaad in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasse.

5 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,”

And Galaad took the fords of Jordan before Ephraim; and they that escaped of Ephraim said to them, Let us go over: and the men of Galaad said, Are you an Ephrathite? and he said, No.

6 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.

Then they said to him, Say now Stachys; and he did not rightly pronounce it so: and they took him, and killed him at the fords of Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim two and forty thousand.

7 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].

And Jephthae judged Israel six years; and Jephthae the Galaadite died, and was buried in his city Galaad.

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

And after him Abaissan of Bethleem judged Israel.

9 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.

And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent forth; and he brought in thirty daughters for his sons from without; and he judged Israel seven years.

10 When he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

And Abaissan died, and was buried in Bethleem.

11 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.

And after him Aelom of Zabulon judged Israel ten years.

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

And Aelom of Zabulon died, and was buried in Aelom in the land of Zabulon.

13 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.

And after him Abdon the son of Ellel, the Pharathonite, judged Israel.

14 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.

And he had forty sons, and thirty grandsons, that rode upon seventy colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

15 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].

And Abdon the son of Ellel, the Pharathonite, died, and was buried in Pharathon in the land of Ephraim in the mount of Amalec.