Judges 12

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1. 1The men of Ephraim gathered together and went north. They said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you in it!"
2. 2Jephthah answered them, "My people and I were in a great conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hands."
3. 3"When I saw you weren't coming, I risked my own life and crossed over to fight the Ammonites — and the LORD handed them over to me. So why are you coming here now to pick a fight with me?"
4. 4Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim because they said, 'You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and Manassites.'
5. 5The Gileadites took control of the crossings of the Jordan before the Ephraimites. When an Ephraimite who had escaped said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
6. 6Then they would say to him, 'Say now Shibboleth.' But he would say 'Sibboleth,' because he couldn't pronounce it correctly. Then they took him and killed him at the passages of Jordan. At that time, there fell forty-two thousand Ephraimites.
7. 7Jephthah led Israel as judge for 6 years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
8. 8After Jephthah, Ibzan of Bethlehem became judge over Israel.
9. 9He had 30 sons and 30 daughters, whom he sent abroad, and he brought in 30 daughters from abroad for his sons. He judged Israel for 7 years.
10. 10Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11. 11After him, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun became judge over Israel. He led Israel for 10 years.
12. 12Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the territory of Zebulun.
13. 13After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, became judge over Israel.
14. 14He had 40 sons and 30 nephews, who rode on 70 donkey colts. He judged Israel for 8 years.
15. 15Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon, in the territory of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.