But now Ephraim raised the banners of civil war, crossing the river and march-ing northwards. The complaint they made to Jephte was, Why didst thou not summon us to thy aid when thou didst go to war with the Ammonites? We mean to take vengeance by burning thy house down about thy ears.

Why, said he, this was a bitter quarrel I and my people had with the sons of Ammon, and I did call upon you for aid, but you would do nothing;

so I must needs put my life in peril, and march against the Ammonites. And now the Lord has given me victory over them; what is there in all this to make you levy war on me?

So he mustered all his Galaadites, and fought against the men of Ephraim, and the Galaadites defeated them. They had taunted the men of Galaad with being fugitives from Ephraim, living in territory that belonged to Ephraim and Manasses.

So now these men of Galaad seized the fords of Jordan, by which the Ephraimites must needs pass on their way home; and when any of Ephraim’s men came up asking for passage, they would ask him, Art thou from Ephraim? Not I, would be his answer.

Then they would bid him say the word Scibboleth, which means an ear of corn; and he would answer, Sibboleth, pronouncing the word amiss. So then, without more ado, they would take him down to Jordan ford and slay him; there were forty-two thousand men of Ephraim who then perished.

Jephte died when he had ruled Israel six years, and was buried in his own Galaadite city.

After him, Israel was ruled by Abesan of Bethlehem;

thirty daughters left his house to wed, and his thirty sons brought thirty brides into it. For seven years he ruled Israel,

and died and was buried at Bethlehem.

He was followed by Ahialon the Zabulonite, who ruled Israel ten years,

and died and was buried in the country of Zabulon;

and he was followed by Abdon son of Illel, a Pharathonite.

Abdon had forty sons and thirty grandsons that rode upon an ass’s colt each of them; and when he had ruled Israel for eight years,

he too died, and they buried him at Pharathon that belongs to Ephraim, on the hill called Amalec.