New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Ephraim Fights with Jephthah

Then the people of Ephraim mobilized an army and crossed over the Jordan River to Zaphon. They sent this message to Jephthah: “Why didn’t you call for us to help you fight against the Ammonites? We are going to burn down your house with you in it!”

1

Jephthah Defeats Ephraim

And the men of Ephraim were called together, and passed over northwards, and said to Jephthah, Why 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

Jephthah replied, “I summoned you at the beginning of the dispute, but you refused to come! You failed to help us in our struggle against Ammon.

2

And Jephthah said to them, I was at great strife, I and my people, with the children of Ammon; and I called you, but ye saved me not out of their hand.

3

So when I realized you weren’t coming, I risked my life and went to battle without you, and the LORD gave me victory over the Ammonites. So why have you now come to fight me?”

3

And when I saw that ye would not save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah gave them into my hand. Why then are ye come up to me this day, to fight against me?

4

The people of Ephraim responded, “You men of Gilead are nothing more than fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.” So Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and attacked the men of Ephraim and defeated them.

4

And Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye, Gilead, ye are fugitives of Ephraim in the midst of Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh.

5

Jephthah captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to go back across, the men of Gilead would challenge him. “Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?” they would ask. If the man said, “No, I’m not,”

5

And Gilead took the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim; and it came to pass that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Art thou an Ephraimite? and he said, No.

6

they would tell him to say “Shibboleth.” If he was from Ephraim, he would say “Sibboleth,” because people from Ephraim cannot pronounce the word correctly. Then they would take him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan. In all, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed at that time.

6

Then they said to him, Say now Shibboleth! and he said, Sibboleth, and did not manage to pronounce [it] rightly. Then they took him, and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand.

7

Jephthah judged Israel for six years. When he died, he was buried in one of the towns of Gilead.

7

And Jephthah judged Israel six years. And Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead.

8

Ibzan Becomes Israel’s Judge

After Jephthah died, Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel.

8

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

9

He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He sent his daughters to marry men outside his clan, and he brought in thirty young women from outside his clan to marry his sons. Ibzan judged Israel for seven years.

9

And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent out of the house, and thirty daughters he took in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

10

When he died, he was buried at Bethlehem.

10

And Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.

11

Elon Becomes Israel’s Judge

After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun judged Israel for ten years.

11

And after him Elon, the Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

12

When he died, he was buried at Aijalon in Zebulun.

12

And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Ajalon in the land of Zebulun.

13

Abdon Becomes Israel’s Judge

After Elon died, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, judged Israel.

13

And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, the Pirathonite, judged Israel.

14

He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years.

14

And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy ass colts. And he judged Israel eight years.

15

When he died, he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

15

And 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.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Judges 12

Judges 12