JUDGES 12:1 – 13:8
12:1 Then the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and they crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, Why did you cross over to fight against the children of Ammon and not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down over you.
12:2 And Jephthah said to them, I and my people were in great strife with the children of Ammon; but when I called out to you, you did not save me from their hand.
12:3 So when I saw that there would be no help from you, I put my life in my own hand and crossed over to the children of Ammon; and Jehovah delivered them into my hand. So why have you come up against me this day to fight against me?
12:4 And Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead together and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim because they said, You are fugitives from Ephraim, O Gilead, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.
12:5 And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when a fugitive of Ephraim said, Let me cross over, the men of Gilead would say to him, Are you an Ephraimite? And if he said, No,
12:6 They would say to him, Then say, Shibboleth. And he would say, Sibboleth; for he could not say it correctly. Then they would seize him and slay him at the fords of the Jordan. And at that time forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell.
12:7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. And Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
12:8 Then after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
12:9 And he had thirty sons; and he sent out thirty daughters abroad and brought in thirty foreign daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
12:10 And Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
12:11 Then after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. And he judged Israel ten years.
12:12 And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
12:13 Then after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
12:14 And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode upon seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years.
12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
13:1 Then the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
13:2 And there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.
13:3 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Now you are barren and have borne no children; but you will conceive and bear a son.
13:4 And now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink nor to eat anything unclean;
13:5 For you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy will be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me; and His appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask Him where He was from, nor did He tell me His name;
13:7 But He said to me, You shall conceive and bear a son. And now do not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean; for the boy will be a Nazarite to God from the womb until the day of his death.
13:8 Then Manoah entreated Jehovah and said, Oh, my Lord! Let the man of God, whom You sent, come again to us, I pray; and let Him teach us what we should do with the boy that is to be born.