[1]And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed to Zaphon; and they said unto Jephthah: 'Wherefore 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.' [2]And Jephthah said unto them: 'I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand. [3]And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and ‏𐤉𐤇𐤅𐤇‎ delivered them into my hand; wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?' [4]Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said: 'Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.' [5]And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites; and it was so, that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said: 'Let me go over,' the men of Gilead said unto him: 'Art thou an Ephraimite?' If he said: 'Nay'; [6]Then said they unto him: 'Say now Shibboleth'; and he said 'Sibboleth'; for he could not frame to pronounce it right; then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand. [7]And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. [8]And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. [9]And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. [10]And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. [11]And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. [12]And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land Zebulun. [13]And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. [14]And he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts; and he judged Israel eight years. [15]And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.
 
Top