Judges 12 Jephthah fights against the Ephraimites and the Gileadites

Judges 12

Jephthah fights against the Ephraimites and the Gileadites

1 Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and went to the north, and said to Jephthah, Why did you proceed to fight against the children of Ammon, and not call us? we will burn your house with fire.

2 And Jephthah said to them, "I and my people had a great strife with the children of Ammon: and I called you, and you were not delivered from his hand;

3 And when I saw that you could not deliver me, I put my soul in my hand, and the Lord gave them into my hands: why did you come up against me today, to fight against me?

4 And Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim; for the Giliadits being between Ephraim and Manasseh said, You are fugitives from Ephraim.

5 But the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan to the Ephraimites: and it came to pass, when the fugitives from Ephraim said, I will pass over; then the men of Gilead said to them, Are you Ephraimite? And he said, No;

6 Then they said to them, Say therefore, Chibolete; but he said, "Sibolete, because he couldn’t pronounce it that well: then they took him and slaughtered him in the fords of the Jordan; and at that time forty-two thousand fell from Ephraim.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years: and Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in the cities of Gilead.