Jephthah Defeats Ephraim
Ephraim arrives in anger and threatens Jephthah, but he answers that he had called for help and received none. He says he risked his life against Ammon, and the LORD gave the victory.
T1hen the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!” 2But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands. 3When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”
Jephthah gathers Gilead and fights Ephraim after Ephraim insults the Gileadites. Control of the Jordan fords turns the retreat into a deadly test of identity and speech.
4Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” 6If he answered, “No,” they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.”
Jephthah's six years of judging end with his death and burial in Gilead. The notice closes his brief and troubled place in Israel's story.
7Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.