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¹ THEN the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said to Jephthah, Why did you cross over to fight against the children of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.

² And Jephthah said to them, O men! I and my people had strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hands.

³ And when I saw that there was no one to deliver me, I risked my life, and crossed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hands; now why have you come up against me this day, to fight with me?

⁴ Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote the men of Ephraim, because they said, The Ephraimites dominate Ephraim and Manasseh.

⁵ And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan which belonged to Ephraim; and when any of the fugitives of Ephraim tried to cross over the passage, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No;

⁶ Then they said to him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not pronounce it so. Then they took him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan; and there fell at that time forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites.

⁷ And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.

⁸ And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

⁹ And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, and his thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside of his tribe, and brought in thirty daughters-in-law from outside. And he judged Israel seven years.

¹⁰ Then Ibzan died and was buried in Beth-lehem.

¹¹ And after him Elon, a Zebulunite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

¹² And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ And after him Acran the son of Hillian, the Aprathonite, judged Israel.

¹⁴ And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy ass colts; and he judged Israel eight years.

¹⁵ Then Acran the son of Hillian, the Aprathonite died, and was buried in Aprathon in the land of Ephraim on the mount of the Amalekites.