Judges 12

¹ The men of Ephraim don prepare for battle; dem cross River Jordan go Zaphon and tell Jephthah say, “Why you cross the border go fight the Ammonites and you no tell us make we go with you? We go burn the house down on top your heard!

² But Jephthah tell them say, “Me and my people get serious quarrel with the Ammonites. I call una, but una no save me from them.

³ When I see say una no go help me, I con risk my life and cross the border to fight them, and God give me victory over them. So why una dey come fight me now?”

⁴ Then Jephthah con bring all the men of Gilead together, to fight the men of Ephraim and dem defeat them. (The Ephraim people don talk say, “Una people of Gilead wey dey Ephraim and Manasseh, una be runaway people from Ephraim!”)

⁵ To keep the Ephraim people make dem no escape, the Gilead people con capture the places where dem fit cross Jordan. When any person from Ephraim wey dey try escape ask for permission to cross, the men of Gilead go ask say, “Shey you be Ephraimite?” if he talk say, “No,”

⁶ dem go tell him make he say “Shibboleth”. But he go say “Sibboleth”, because he no go fit talk am well. Dem go take him and kill him there for one of the place dem dey cross the Jordan. Na 42,000 Ephraim people dem kill that time.

⁷ Jephthah lead Israel for six years. He die and dem bury him for him hometown in Gilead.

⁸ After Jephthah, na Ibzan from Bethlehem lead Israel.

⁹ He get thirty sons and thirty daughters. He marry him daughters give outside clan and con bring thirty women from outside clan for him sons make dem marry. Ibzan lead Israel for seven years,

¹⁰ He con die and dem bury him for Bethlehem.

¹¹ After Ibzan, na Elon from Zebulun lead Israel for ten years.

¹² He con die and dem bury him for Aijalon for territory of Zebulun.

¹³ After Elon, na Abdon son of Hillel from Pirathon lead Israel.

¹⁴ Na 40 sons and 30 grandsons he get, wey ride on top 70 donkeys, Abdon lead Israel for 8 years,

¹⁵ he con die and dem bury him for Pirathon for territory of Ephraim in the hill country of the Amalekites.