⁵ The Gileadites seized the ^(A)fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

²⁸ Then he said to them, “Follow me, for ^(A)the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the ^(B)fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

¹¹ Now the children of Israel ^(A)heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the ^[a]frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.”

²⁴ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the ^(A)mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and ^(B)seized the watering places as far as ^(C)Beth Barah and the Jordan.

⁷ Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.