Judges
Chapter 12
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1The men of Ephraim were called out and crossed to Zaphon, and they said to Jephthah, Why did you cross to fight the sons of Ammon and not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.
2Jephthah said to them, I was a man of a great dispute, I and my people, with the sons of Ammon. I called you, and you did not save me from their hand.
3I saw that you were not going to save me, so I took my life in my hand and crossed to the sons of Ammon, and God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. gave them into my hand. Why have you come up against me this day to fight me?
4Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they had said, You are fugitives of Ephraim, Gilead, in the middle of Ephraim, in the middle of Manasseh.
5Gilead captured the fords of the Jordan against Ephraim. When the fugitives of Ephraim would say, Let me cross, the men of Gilead would say to him, Are you an Ephraimite? He would say, No.
6They would say to him, Please say shibbolet. He would say sibbolet, and he could not get it ready to speak that way. They would seize him and slaughter him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim fell.
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- Translation
Shibbolet is the word they asked him to say. It can mean a stream, or an ear of grain. Sibbolet is how he said it. The line turns on that sound.
7Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in the cities of Gilead.
8After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
9He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he sent outside, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. He judged Israel seven years.
10Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years.
12Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon, in the land of Zebulun.
13After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
14He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel eight years.
15Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon, in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekite.