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 it was summoned [the] man of Ephraim and it passed over Zaphon towards and they said to Jephthah why? - did you pass over - to wage war against [the] people of Ammon and us not you summoned to go with you house your we will burn 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 he said Jephthah to them a man of strife I was I and people my and [the] people of Ammon exceedingly and I summoned you and not you delivered me from hand their.

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 not you ([were] a deliverer *L(abh)*) and I put! life my in palm my and I passed over! against [the] people of Ammon and he gave them Yahweh in hand my and why? have you come up against me the day this to fight against 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 he gathered Jephthah all [the] men of Gilead and he fought with Ephraim and they attacked [the] men of Gilead Ephraim for they had said [are] fugitives of Ephraim you O Gilead in [the] midst of Ephraim in [the] midst of Manasseh.

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 it captured Gilead [the] fords of the Jordan to Ephraim and it was that they said [the] fugitives of Ephraim let me pass over and they said to him [the] men of Gilead ¿ an Ephrathite [are] you 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.

And they said to him say please Shibboleth and he said Sibboleth and not he gave attention to speak right and they seized him and they slaughtered him to [the] fords of the Jordan and it fell at the time that of Ephraim forty and two 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 he judged Jephthah Israel six years and he died Jephthah the Gileadite and he was buried in [the] cities of Gilead.

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

And he judged after him Israel Ibzan from Beth-lehem.

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 it belonged to him thirty sons and thirty daughters he sent away the outside towards and thirty daughters he brought for sons his from the outside and he judged Israel seven years.

10 When he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

And he died Ibzan and he was buried in Beth-lehem.

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 he judged after him Israel Elon the Zebulunite and he judged Israel ten years.

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

And he died Elon the Zebulunite and he was buried in Aijalon in [the] land of Zebulun.

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 he judged after him Israel Abdon [the] son of Hillel the Pirathonite.

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 it belonged to him forty sons and thirty sons of sons [who] rode on seventy donkeys 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 he died Abdon [the] son of Hillel the Pirathonite and he was buried at Pirathon in [the] land of Ephraim in [the] hill country of the Amalekite[s].