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1–6. The discontent of the Ephraimites against Jephthah and their punishment. 7. Death of Jephthah. 8–15. Judges who were after the death of Jephthah. Judges 12:1. The Ephraimites gathered together and went over to Shebina and said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight with the Ammonites, but did not call us with you?” We will burn your house with fire, and together with you. Having crossed the Jordan and gathered in Sevin (Zaphon, cf. Joshua 13:27), the inhabitants of the tribe of Ephraim began to reproach Jephthah for not inviting them with him to the war against the Ammonites (cf. Judges 8:1). Judges 12:2. Jephthah said to them: I and my people had a great quarrel with the Ammonites; I called you, but you did not save me from their hand; Judges 12:3. Seeing that you did not save me, I endangered my life and went against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hands; Why have you come to fight with me now? Judges 12:4. And Jephthah gathered together all the inhabitants of Gilead and fought with the Ephraimites, and the inhabitants of Gilead slew the Ephraimites, saying, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, but Gilead is among Ephraim and among Manasseh.” Judges 12:5. And the Gileadites intercepted the crossing of the Jordan from the Ephraimites, and when one of the surviving Ephraimites said: “Let me cross,” the inhabitants of Gilead said to him: “Are you not an Ephraimite?” He said: no. Judges 12:6. They told him, “Say: shibboleth,” and he said, “sibboleth,” and could not pronounce it any other way. Then they took him and stabbed him to death at the crossing of the Jordan. And at that time forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites fell. As punishment for the insolence of the Ephraimites, Jephthah, gathering the Gileadites, fought with the Ephraimites and put them to flight, so that they were forced to cross the Jordan to their inheritance. Having intercepted the crossing of the river, Jephthah detained the returning Ephraimites, whom he distinguished by the pronunciation of the word “shibboleth” (“ear of grain” or “stream”, cf. Is. 17:12, as Jordan could be called), which they pronounced “sibboleth”, and here he beat them. Judges 12:7. Jephthah judged Israel for six years, and Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. After his death, Jephthah, who was a judge of the Israelites for a relatively short time (6 years) and, probably, only in the eastern half of Palestine, was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. Judges 12:8. After him, Heshbon from Bethlehem was judge of Israel. Judges 12:9. He had thirty sons, and he sent thirty daughters away from home [to marry], and he took thirty daughters from outside for his sons, and he was a judge of Israel for seven years. Judges 12:10. And Heshbon died and was buried in Bethlehem. Judges 12:11. After him Elon the Zebulunite became a judge of Israel and judged Israel for ten years. Judges 12:12. And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. Judges 12:13. After him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pyrathonite, judged Israel. Judges 12:14. He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode seventy young donkeys; he judged Israel for eight years. Judgment 12:15 . And Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pyrathonite, died and was buried at Pyrathon in the land of Ephraim, on Mount Amalek. After the death of Jephthah, the judges of the Israelites were Heshbon, Elon and Abdon, who did not declare themselves by special actions among the people. The first of them was buried in Bethlehem upon death, probably by Judah; the second - in Aijalon Zebulun (Joshua 19:33 according to the Hebrew text), and the third - in the tribe of Ephraim, in a place called Mount Amalek. The birthplace of Abdon, the city of Piratho, is found in modern Ferata (in 1 Mac. 9:50: Pharatho). You might be interested in: