1The men of Ephraim gathered, crossed the Jordan northward and said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and attack the Ammonites without asking us to march with you? For this we shall burn you inside your house.” 2Jephthah answered them, “My people and I had a great struggle with the Ammonites. I asked help from you but you did not save me from their hands. 3When I saw that no one had come to help me, I risked my own life and marched against the Ammonites, and Yahweh gave them into my hands. Why, then, have you come up today to fight me?”
4Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and attacked Ephraim. The Gileadites defeated the Ephraimites who told them, “You, Gileadites, are fugitives who crossed from Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5Gilead seized the shallow waters of the Jordan and blocked the way. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me pass,” the men of Gilead would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he responded, “No,” 6they would add, “Then say Shibboleth.”
But then he would say, “Sibboleth” for an Ephraimite could not pronounce it correctly. So they would seize him and cut his throat by the shallow waters of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand men from Ephraim perished at that time.
7Jephthah was judge in Israel for six years. Then he died and was buried in his city, Mizpah of Gilead. 8After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem was judge in Israel. 9He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. His thirty daughters were given in marriage outside his clan, but for his sons, he brought in thirty women. He was judge in Israel for seven years. 10When Ibzan died, he was buried in Bethlehem.
11After him, Elon the Zebulunite became judge in Israel. He governed Israel for ten years. 12Then he died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13After him, Abdon, the son of Hillel of Pirathon, was judge in Israel. 14He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy asses. He was judge in Israel for eight years. 15Then he died and was buried at Pirathon, in the mountains of Ephraim, in the mountain of the Amorites.
