Jephthah Defeats Ephraim
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 Ammonites and did not call on us to go with you? We will burn your house down around you!”
2 Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were in great strife with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you did not save me, I put my life in my hand and passed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me today, to fight against me?”
4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. 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. 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 could not manage to pronounce it correctly, then they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, 42,000 of Ephraim fell.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in the cities of Gilead.
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had 30 sons. He sent his 30 daughters outside his clan, and he brought in 30 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 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 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.