THE BOOK OF
JUDGES

Judges 12 ©

Those of Ephraim mutinied against Jephthah without a cause, v. 1, etc. And are slain to the number of two and forty thousand, 4. Jephthah dies, 7. After him are judges, Ebzan, 8. Elon, 11. Abdon, 13.

1

AND the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went 1northward, and said unto Jephthah, 2Whereforea passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst 3not call us to go with thee? we will burn 4thine house upon thee with fire.

2

And Jephthah said unto them, 5I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

3

And when I saw that 6ye delivered me not, I put my life in my 7hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the 8LORD delivered them into my hand: 9wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

4

Then Jephthah 10gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, 11because they 12said, Ye Gileadites are 13fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

5

And the Gileadites took the 14passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto 15him, Art thou an 16Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

6

Then said they unto him, 17Say now 18Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frameb to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and 19slew him at the passagesc of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

7

And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the 20cities of Gilead.

8

¶And after him Ibzan of 21Beth-lehem judged Israel.

9

And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he 22sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

10

Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.

11

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

12

And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in 23Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

13

¶And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a 24Pirathonite, judged Israel.

14

And he had forty sons and thirty nephews,d that 25rode on threescore and ten ass colts:e and he judged Israel eight years.

15

And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the 26Amalekites.