[1] The men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and
they said to Jephthah, Why did you pass over to fight against the children
of Ammon, and didn`t call us to go with you? we will burn your house on you
with fire. [2] Jephthah said to them, I and my people were at great strife
with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you didn`t save me out
of their hand. [3] When I saw that you didn`t save me, I put my life in my
hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered
them into my hand: why then are you come up to 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 struck Ephraim, because they
said, You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of
Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh. [5] The Gileadites took the fords
of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. It was so, that when [any of] the
fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him,
Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No; [6] then said they to him, Say now
Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he couldn`t manage to pronounce it
right: then they laid hold on him, and killed him at the fords of the
Jordan. There fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand. [7] Jephthah
judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried
in [one of] the cities of Gilead. [8] After him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged
Israel. [9] He had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and
thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. He judged Israel
seven years. [10] Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. [11] After him
Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. [12]
Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
[13] After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. [14]
He had forty sons and thirty sons` sons, who rode on seventy donkey colts:
and he judged Israel eight years. [15] 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.
