Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

8 ^(A)Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.

⁴¹ Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and ^(A)brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?”

Jephthah's Conflict with Ephraim

12 ^(A)The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” ² And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. ³ And when I saw that you would not save me, ^(B)I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” ⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, ^(C)“You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ And the Gileadites captured ^(D)the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” ⁶ they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at ^(E)the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit ^(A)that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(B)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^(C)“God opposes the proud but ^(D)gives grace to the humble.”

⁴ Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is ^(A)vanity^[a] and a striving after wind.