The Ephraim Tribe Fights Jephthah's Army
1 The men of the Ephraim tribe got together an army and went across the Jordan River to Zaphon to meet with Jephthah. They said, “Why did you go to war with the Ammonites without asking us to help? Just for that, we're going to burn down your house with you inside!”
2 “But I did ask for your help,” Jephthah answered. “That was back when the people of Gilead and I were having trouble with the Ammonites, and you wouldn't do a thing to help us. 3 So when we realized you weren't coming, we risked our lives and attacked the Ammonites. And the Lord let us defeat them. There's no reason for you to come here today to attack me.”
4 But the men from Ephraim said, “You people of Gilead are nothing more than refugees from Ephraim. You even live on land that belongs to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
So Jephthah called together the army of Gilead, then they attacked and defeated the army from Ephraim. 5 The army of Gilead also posted guards at all the places where the soldiers from Ephraim could cross the Jordan River to return to their own land.
Whenever one of the men from Ephraim would try to cross the river, the guards would say, “Are you from Ephraim?”
“No,” the man would answer, “I'm not from Ephraim.”
6 The guards would then tell them to say “Shibboleth,” because they knew that people of Ephraim could say “Sibboleth,” but not “Shibboleth.”
If the man said “Sibboleth,” the guards would grab him and kill him right there. Altogether, 42,000 men from Ephraim were killed in the battle and at the Jordan.
7 Jephthah was a leader of Israel for six years, before he died and was buried in his hometown Mizpah in Gilead.
Ibzan
8 Ibzan, the next leader of Israel, came from Bethlehem. 9 He had 30 daughters and 30 sons, and he let them all marry outside his clan.
Ibzan was a leader for seven years, 10 before he died and was buried in Bethlehem.
Elon
11 Elon from the Zebulun tribe was the next leader of Israel. He was a leader for ten years, 12 before he died and was buried in Aijalon that belonged to the Zebulun tribe.
Abdon
13-15 Abdon the son of Hillel was the next leader of Israel. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons, and each one of them had his own donkey. Abdon was a leader for eight years, before he died and was buried in his hometown of Pirathon, which is located in the part of the hill country of Ephraim where Amalekites used to live.
1 اجتمَعَ رِجالُ أفرايمَ وعبَروا إلى صافونَ وقالوا ليَفتاحَ: «لِماذا ذهبْتَ لِمُحاربةِ بَني عَمُّونَ وما دَعوتَنا لِنَذهبَ معَكَ؟ سَنَحرُقُ علَيكَ بَيتَكَ بالنَّارِ». 2 فقالَ لهُم يَفتاحُ: «كانَ لي ولِشعبـي خِصامٌ شديدٌ معَ بَني عَمُّونَ، ودَعوتُكُم فلم تُخَلِّصوني مِنْ أيديهِم. 3 وحينَ رأيتُ أنَّكُم لم تُخَلِّصوني خاطَرتُ بِروحي وعَبرْتُ إلى بَني عَمُّونَ، فسلَّمَهُمُ الرّبُّ إلى يدي. فلِماذا جِئتُم إليَّ لِتُحارِبوني اليومَ؟»
4 وجمَعَ يَفتاحُ رِجالَ جِلعادَ، فحارَبَ بَني أفرايمَ وهزَمَهُم لأنَّ بَني أفرايمَ قالوا: «أنتُمُ الجِلعاديُّونَ كُنتُم وسَطَ أفرايمَ ومنَسَّى، وما أنتُم هُنا إلاَّ لأنَّكُم هَربتُم مِنْ أفرايمَ». 5 فقَطَعَ الجِلعاديُّونَ على بَني أفرايمَ مَعابِرَ الأردُنِّ، فكانَ إذا أحدُ الهارِبـينَ مِنْ بَني أفرايمَ قالَ: «دَعوني أعبُرُ»، يسألُهُ الجِلعاديُّونَ: «أمِنْ أفرايمَ أنتَ؟» فيُجيـبُ: «لا». 6 فيقولونَ لَه: «إذا قُلْ شِبُّولَتْ» فيقولُ: «سِبُّولَتْ»، غيرَ مُنتَبِهٍ إلى صِحَّةِ لَفظِها فيَقبِضونَ علَيهِ ويذبَحونَهُ على معابِرِ الأردُنِّ. فقَتلوا في ذلِكَ الوقتِ مِنْ أفرايمَ اثنَينِ وأربعينَ ألفا.
القضاة: إبصان، وإيلون وعبدون
7 وتَولَّى يَفتاحُ القضاءَ على إِسرائيلَ ستَّ سِنينَ، وماتَ ودُفِنَ في مَسقطِ رأسِهِ. 8 وتَولَّى القضاءَ بَعدَهُ إبصانُ مِنْ بَيتَ لَحمَ. 9 وكانَ لَه ثَلاثونَ ابنا وثَلاثونَ ابنَةً، فزوَّجَ بَناتِهِ الثَّلاثينَ وأدخَلَ ثَلاثينَ كَنَّةً لِبَنيهِ. وكانَت مُدَّةُ قضائِهِ على إِسرائيلَ سَبعَ سِنينَ. 10 وماتَ إبصانُ ودُفِنَ في بـيتَ لَحمَ.
11 فتولَّى القضاءَ على إِسرائيلَ بَعدَهُ إيلونُ الزَّبولونيُّ. وكانَت مُدَّةُ قضائِهِ عشْرَ سِنينَ، 12 وماتَ ودُفِنَ في إيلونَ في أرضِ زَبولونَ.
13 فتَولَّى القضاءَ بَعدَهُ عَبدونُ بنُ هِلِّيلَ الفِرعَتونيُّ. 14 وكانَ لَه أربعونَ ابنا وثَلاثونَ حفيدا، وكانوا يَملِكونَ سَبعينَ جَحشا. وكانَت مُدَّةُ قضائِهِ على إِسرائيلَ ثمانيَ سِنينَ، 15 وماتَ ودُفِنَ في فِرعَتونَ، في أرضِ أفرايمَ، في جبَلِ بَني عَماليقَ.
