12 Now the men of Efraim were summoned and they passed northward and they said to Yiftah, “Why did you pass through in order to fight against the Ammonites, but you didn’t call us to go with you? We’re going to burn your house down over you!”

2 “I’ve been involved in very intense disputes—my people against the Ammonites,” Yiftah told them. “When I summoned you all, you didn’t come and rescue me from them. 3 When I could see that you weren’t coming to assist, I took my life into my own hands. I advanced against the Ammonites, and Yahweh gave me victory over them. So why then have you all come here to fight against me today?” 4 Then Yiftah assembled all of the men of Gilead and they battled against Efraim. The men of Gilead struck Efraim because they had said, “You Gilead people are just fugitives from Efraim—living here in the middle of Efraim, in the middle of Manashsheh.” 5 The Gileadites captured the crossing places of the Jordan along Efraim. Then when any of the survivors from Efraim would say, “May I cross over,” the men of Gilead would ask, “Are you an Efraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they’d demand, “Now say: Shibboleth.” But if he said “Sibboleth” because he didn’t have time to think to pronounce it correctly, they would seize him and would slaughter him at those crossing places of the Yordan. Forty-two thousand from Efraim fell at that time.

7 Yiftah the Gileadite led Israel for six years, then he died and was buried among the cities of Gilead.