1 A nd the men of Ephraim are called together, and pass over northward, and say to Jephthah, `Wherefore has thou passed over to fight against the Bene-Ammon, and on us hast not called to go with thee? thy house we burn over thee with fire.'

2 A nd Jephthah saith unto them, `A man of great strife I have been (I and my people) with the Bene-Ammon, and I call you, and ye have not saved me out of their hand,

3 a nd I see that thou art not a saviour, and I put my life in my hand, and pass over unto the Bene-Ammon, and Jehovah giveth them into my hand -- and why have ye come up unto me this day to fight against me?'

4 A nd Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead, and fighteth with Ephraim, and the men of Gilead smite Ephraim, because they said, `Fugitives of Ephraim ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim -- in the midst of Manasseh.'

5 A nd Gilead captureth the passages of the Jordan to Ephraim, and it hath been, when the fugitives of Ephraim say, `Let me pass over,' and the men of Gilead say to him, `An Ephramite thou?' and he saith, `No;'

6 t hat they say to him, `Say, I pray thee, Shibboleth;' and he saith, `Sibboleth,' and is not prepared to speak right -- and they seize him, and slaughter him at the passages of the Jordan, and there fall at that time, of Ephraim, forty and two chiefs.

7 A nd Jephthah judged Israel six years, and Jephthah the Gileadite dieth, and is buried in the cities of Gilead.

8 A nd after him Ibzan of Beth-Lehem judgeth Israel,

9 a nd he hath thirty sons and thirty daughters, he hath sent without and thirty daughters hath brought in to his sons from without; and he judgeth Israel seven years.

10 A nd Ibzan dieth, and is buried in Beth-Lehem.

11 A nd after him Elon the Zebulunite judgeth Israel, and he judgeth Israel ten years,

12 a nd Elon the Zebulunite dieth, and is buried in Aijalon, in the land of Zebulun.

13 A nd after him, Abdon son of Hillel, the Pirathonite, judgeth Israel,

14 a nd he hath forty sons, and thirty grandsons, riding on seventy ass-colts, and he judgeth Israel eight years.

15 A nd Abdon son of Hillel, the Pirathonite, dieth, and is buried in Pirathon, in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekite.