Judges 12

1 The men of the tribe of Ephraim summoned their soldiers, and they crossed [the Jordan River] to [the town of] Zaphon [to talk with] Jephthah. They said to him, “(Why did you not ask us for help?/You should have requested us) to help your army fight the Ammon people-group. So we will burn down your house while you are in it.”

Ephraim hlang neh tlangpuei la aka kat te a hueh tih Jephthah taengah, “Ammon ca rhoek vathoh thil ham na kat vaengah balae tih nang neh aka pongpa hmaih ham kaimih khaw nang khue pawh. Te dongah na im neh namah te hmai neh kang hoeh uh ni,” a ti nah.

2 Jephthah replied, “The Ammon people-group were oppressing us greatly. When we were prepared to start to attack them, I requested you to come and help us, but you refused. My men and I defeated the Ammon people-group, but you did not help us.

Tedae amih te Jephthah loh, “Kai tah ka pilnam neh pilnu Ammon ca rhoek kah tuituknah khuikah hlang la ka om tih nangmih te kan doek dae kai he amih kut lamloh nan khang uh moenih.

3 When I saw that you would not help us, I was willing to be killed in the battle against the Ammon people-group. But Yahweh helped us to defeat them. [You did not help us when we requested it before], so (why have you come here today to fight against me?/you should not have come here today to fight against me.)” [RHQ]

Khangnah na khueh pawt te ka hmuh van vaengah tah ka kut dongkah ka hinglu ka khuen tih Ammon ca rhoek te ka paan. Te vaengah amih te BOEIPA loh ka kut dongah m'paek. Balae tih kai vathoh thil ham tihnin atah kai taengla na lo uh kanoek,” a ti nah.

4 Then Jephthah summoned the men of [the] Gilead [region] to fight [against the men of the tribe of] Ephraim. The men of the tribe of Ephraim said, “You men from [the] Gilead [region] are men who deserted us. Long ago you left us and moved to the area between our tribe and the tribe of Manasseh.” [Because of their saying that], the men of [the] Gilead [region] attacked the men of the tribe of Ephraim.

Te dongah Jephthah loh Gilead hlang boeih te a coi tih Ephraim te a tloek. Ephraim lakli ah khaw, Manasseh lakli ah khaw, “Gilead nang he Ephraim hlangyong ni,” a ti uh dongah Ephraim te Gilead hlang rhoek loh a tloek uh.

5 The men of Gilead captured that (ford/place where people can walk across) at the Jordan [River] to go to the land where the tribe of Ephraim live. Whenever one of the soldiers from the tribe of Ephraim came to the ford to try to escape, he would say, “Let me cross the river.” Then the men of Gilead would ask him, “Are you from the tribe of Ephraim?” If he said “No,”

Ephraim te Jordan lamkai ah Gilead loh a mah tih a om vaengah Ephraim hlangyong rhoek loh, “Ng'kat sak uh mai,” a ti nauh. Te dongah anih te Gilead hlang rhoek loh, “Nang Ephraim a?,” a ti nah hatah, “Moenih,” a ti nah.

6 they would say to him, “Say the word ‘Shibboleth’.” The men of Ephraim could not pronounce that word correctly. So if the person from the tribe of Ephraim said ‘Sibboleth’, [they would know that he was lying and that he was really from the tribe of Ephraim, and] they would kill him there at the ford. So the men of Gilead killed 42,000 people from the tribe of Ephraim at that time.

Tedae anih te, “Thingpae ti mai,” a ti na uh dongah hmantang la a thui ham coeng pawt tih, “Cangyang ni,” a ti. Te phoeiah anih te a tuuk uh tih Jordan lamkai ah a ngawn uh. Te vaeng hnin ah Ephraim thawng sawmli panit te a cungku sak.

7 Jephthah, the man from [the] Gilead [region], was a leader of the Israeli people for six years. Then he died and was buried in a town in [the] Gilead [region].

Jephthah loh Israel te kum rhuk lai a tloek pah. Giladi Jephthah he a duek vaengah Gilead khopuei ah a up uh.

8 After Jephthah died, a man named Ibzan, from Bethlehem, became the leader of the Israeli people.

Anih hnukah Israel te Bethlehem kah Ibzan loh lai a tloek pah.

9 He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He forced all his daughters to marry men who were not in his clan, and brought women from outside his clan to marry his sons. He was the leader of the Israeli people for seven years.

Anih te capa sawmthum a om pah hatah canu sawmthum te kholong la a tueih tih kholong nu sawmthum te a ca rhoek ham a loh pah. Anih long khaw Israel ham kum rhih lai a tloek pah.

10 When he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

Ibzan a duek phoeiah Bethlehem ah a up uh.

11 After Ibzan died, a man named Elon, from the tribe of Zebulun, became the leader of the Israeli people. He was their leader for ten years.

Anih hnukah Israel he Zebulon Elon loh lai a tloek pah. Te dongah kum rha khuiah tah Israel ham lai a tloek.

12 Then he died and was buried in Aijalon [city] in the area where the tribe of Zebulun lives.

Zebulon Elon khaw duek tih Zebulun khohmuen Aijalon ah a up uh.

13 After Elon died, a man named Abdon who was the son of Hillel, from Pirathon [city, in the area where the tribe of Ephraim live] became the leader of the Israeli people.

Anih hnukah Israel te Pirathon Hillel capa Abdon loh lai a tloek pah.

14 He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons. Each of them had his own donkey on which to ride. Abdon was the leader of the Israeli people for eight years.

Anih ham laak sawmrhih dongah aka ngol capa sawmli neh a ca rhoek kah a ca sawmthum om. Te vaengah Israel te kum rhet lai a tloek pah.

15 When Abdon died, he was buried in Pirathon, in the hilly area where the descendants of Amalek lived previously, [but now it is the area where the tribe of Ephraim lives].

Pirathon Hillel capa Abdon a duek vaengah Amalek tlang kah Ephraim khohmuen Pirathon ah a up uh.