| New Living Translation | King James Bible |
| 1Then the people of Ephraim mobilized an army and crossed over the Jordan River to Zaphon. They sent this message to Jephthah: “Why didn’t you call for us to help you fight against the Ammonites? We are going to burn down your house with you in it!” | 1And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. |
| 2Jephthah replied, “I summoned you at the beginning of the dispute, but you refused to come! You failed to help us in our struggle against Ammon. | 2And Jephthah said unto them, I 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. |
| 3So when I realized you weren’t coming, I risked my life and went to battle without you, and the LORD gave me victory over the Ammonites. So why have you now come to fight me?” | 3And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? |
| 4The people of Ephraim responded, “You men of Gilead are nothing more than fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.” So Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and attacked the men of Ephraim and defeated them. | 4Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. |
| 5Jephthah captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to go back across, the men of Gilead would challenge him. “Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?” they would ask. If the man said, “No, I’m not,” | 5And the Gileadites took the passages 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 him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; |
| 6they would tell him to say “Shibboleth.” If he was from Ephraim, he would say “Sibboleth,” because people from Ephraim cannot pronounce the word correctly. Then they would take him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan. In all, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed at that time. | 6Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. |
| 7Jephthah judged Israel for six years. When he died, he was buried in one of the towns of Gilead. Ibzan Becomes Israel’s Judge | 7And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. |
| 8After Jephthah died, Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel. | 8And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. |
| 9He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He sent his daughters to marry men outside his clan, and he brought in thirty young women from outside his clan to marry his sons. Ibzan judged Israel for seven years. | 9And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. |
| 10When he died, he was buried at Bethlehem. Elon Becomes Israel’s Judge | 10Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem. |
| 11After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun judged Israel for ten years. | 11And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. |
| 12When he died, he was buried at Aijalon in Zebulun. Abdon Becomes Israel’s Judge | 12And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. |
| 13After Elon died, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, judged Israel. | 13And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. |
| 14He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years. | 14And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. |
| 15When he died, he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites. | 15And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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