The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Judges 12
1 The men of Ephraim were gathered
together, and passed northward; and they
said to Jephthah, “Why did youpass over to
fight against the children of Ammon, and
didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn
your house around you with fire!”
2 Jephthahsaid to them, “I andmy 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 have you come up to me today,tofight
against me?”
4 Then Jephthah gathered together
all the men of Gilead, and fought with
Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck
Ephraim, because they said, “You are
fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the
middle of Ephraim, and in the middle of
Manasseh.”
5 The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. Whenever a
fugitive of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,”
the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an
Ephraimite?” If he said, “No;”
6 then they said to him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’ ” and he said “Sibboleth”; for he
couldn’t manage to pronounce it correctly,
then they seized him and killed him at the
fords of the Jordan. At that time, forty-two
thousand of Ephraim fell.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then
Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was
buried in the cities of Gilead.
8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged
Israel.
9 He had thirty sons. He sent his thirty
daughters outside his clan, and he brought
in thirty daughters from outside his clan
for his sons. He judged Israel seven years.
10 Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.
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. 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.