Jephthah and His Successors

12 Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed ^[a]to Zaphon and ^(A)said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you.” ² Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. ³ When I saw that you would not deliver me, I ^[b](B)took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, 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 Ephraim; and the men of Gilead ^[c]defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” ⁵ The Gileadites ^(C)captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” ⁶ then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not ^[d]pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.

⁷ Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

⁸ Now Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him. ⁹ He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters whom he ^[e]gave in marriage outside the family, and he brought in thirty daughters from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. ¹⁰ Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹ Now Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; and he judged Israel ten years. ¹² Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ Now Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel after him. ¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years. ¹⁵ Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Paul Describes Himself

10 Now ^(A)I, Paul, myself ^(B)urge you by the ^(C)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who ^(D)am ^[a]meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! ² I ask that ^(E)when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against ^(F)some, who regard us as if we walked ^(G)according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war ^(H)according to the flesh, ⁴ for the ^(I)weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but ^[b]divinely powerful ^(J)for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying speculations and every ^(K)lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the ^(L)obedience of Christ, ⁶ and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever ^(M)your obedience is complete.

^7 [c](N)You are looking at ^[d]things as they are outwardly. ^(O)If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, ^(P)so also are we. ⁸ For even if ^(Q)I boast somewhat ^[e]further about our ^(R)authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, ^9 [f]for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his ^[g]personal presence is ^(S)unimpressive and ^(T)his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

¹² For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with ^[h]some of those who ^(U)commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. ¹³ But we will not boast ^(V)beyond our measure, but ^[i](W)within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for ^(X)we were the first to come even as far as you in the ^(Y)gospel of Christ; ¹⁵ not boasting ^(Z)beyond our measure, that is, in ^(AA)other men’s labors, but with the hope that as ^(AB)your faith grows, we will be, ^[j]within our sphere, ^(AC)enlarged even more by you, ¹⁶ so as to ^(AD)preach the gospel even to ^(AE)the regions beyond you, and not to boast ^[k](AF)in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. ¹⁷ But ^(AG)he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. ¹⁸ For it is not he who ^(AH)commends himself that is approved, but he ^(AI)whom the Lord commends.