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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Amplified Bible

Judges 12:5

And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan opposite the Ephraimites; and 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,"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ephraim;   Israel;   Jordan;   Judge;   Strife;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ephraim, Tribe of;   Jordan, the River;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jordan;   Shibboleth;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jephthah;   Palestine;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ford;   Passage;   Shibboleth;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ephraim, Wood of;   Manassites;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Accent, Galilean;   Ford;   Gilead;   Hebrew;   Judges, Book of;   Rivers and Waterways in the Bible;   Transportation and Travel;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ford;   Levi;   Shibboleth;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephraim ;   Ephraimite ;   Ephrathite ;   Forest;   Gileadites ;   Jephthah, Jephthae ;   Passage;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jephthah;   Shibboleth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'phra-Imite;   Gli'e-Adites, the,;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ford;   Israel, History of the People;   Jephthah;   Judges, Period of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elkanah;   Jephthah;   Jordan, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,”
Hebrew Names Version
The Gil`adi took the fords of the Yarden against the Efrayim. It was so, that when [any of] the fugitives of Efrayim said, Let me go over, the men of Gil`ad said to him, Are you an Efratite? If he said, No;
King James Version
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
Lexham English Bible
Then Gilead captured the fords of the Jordan from Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No,"
English Standard Version
And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No,"
New Century Version
The men of Gilead captured the crossings of the Jordan River that led to the country of Ephraim. A person from Ephraim trying to escape would say, "Let me cross the river." Then the men of Gilead would ask him, "Are you from Ephraim?" If he replied no,
New English Translation
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
New American Standard Bible
And the Gileadites took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened whenever any of the survivors of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," that the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also the Gileadites tooke the passages of Iorden before the Ephraimites, and when the Ephraimites that were escaped, saide, Let me passe, then the men of Gilead said vnto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay,
Legacy Standard Bible
En Gílead het die Efraimiete van die Jordaan-driwwe afgesny; en as die vlugtelinge van Efraim sê: Ek wil deurgaan--dan vra die manne van Gílead vir hom: Is jy 'n Efraimiet? As hy sê: Nee,
Contemporary English Version
The army of Gilead also posted guards at all the places where the soldiers from Ephraim could cross the Jordan River to return to their own land. Whenever one of the men from Ephraim would try to cross the river, the guards would say, "Are you from Ephraim?" "No," the man would answer, "I'm not from Ephraim."
Complete Jewish Bible
The men of Gil‘ad cut off Efrayim from the crossings over the Yarden, and whenever anyone from Efrayim tried to escape and said, "Let me go across," the men of Gil‘ad would ask him, "Are you from Efrayim?" and if he said, "No,"
Darby Translation
And Gilead took the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim; and it came to pass that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Art thou an Ephraimite? and he said, No.
Easy-to-Read Version
The men of Gilead captured the places where people cross the Jordan River. Those places led to the country of Ephraim. Any time a survivor from Ephraim came to the river and said, "Let me cross," the men of Gilead would ask him, "Are you from Ephraim?" If he said, "No,"
George Lamsa Translation
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan which belonged to Ephraim; and when any of the fugitives of Ephraim tried to cross over the passage, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No;
Good News Translation
In order to keep the Ephraimites from escaping, the Gileadites captured the places where the Jordan could be crossed. When any Ephraimite who was trying to escape would ask permission to cross, the men of Gilead would ask, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
Literal Translation
And Gilead captured the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim. And it happened when the fugitives from Ephraim said, Let me pass over, then the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? And he said, No.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the Gileadites toke ye ferye of Iordane from Ephraim. Now wha one of ye fugityue Ephraites dyd saye: Let me go ouer, ye men of Gilead sayde: Art thou an Ephraite? yf he answered: No,
American Standard Version
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
Bible in Basic English
And the Gileadites took the crossing-places of Jordan against the Ephraimites; and when any of the men of Ephraim who had gone in flight said, let me go over; the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? And if he said, No;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Moreouer, the men of Gilead toke the passages of Iordane before the Ephraites: And when those Ephraites that were escaped, said, Let me go ouer: then the men of Gilead sayde vnto hym, Art thou an Ephraite? If he sayde, nay:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites; and it was so, that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said: 'Let me go over,' the men of Gilead said unto him: 'Art thou an Ephraimite?' If he said: 'Nay';
King James Version (1611)
And the Gileadites tooke the passages of Iordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so that when those Ephraimites which were escaped saide, Let me go ouer, that the men of Gilead said vnto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Galaad took the fords of Jordan before Ephraim; and they that escaped of Ephraim said to them, Let us go over: and the men of Galaad said, Art thou an Ephrathite? and he said, No.
English Revised Version
And the Gileadites took the fords of Jordan against the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
Berean Standard Bible
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, "Let me cross over," the Gileadites would ask him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he answered, "No,"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the men of Galaad ocupieden the forthis of Jordan, bi whiche Effraym schulden turne ayen. And whanne a man fleynge of the noumbre of Effraym hadde come to tho forthis, and hadde seid, Y biseche, that thou suffre me passe; men of Galaad seiden to hym, Whether thou art a man of Effraym? And whanne he seide, Y am not,
Young's Literal Translation
And Gilead captureth the passages of the Jordan to Ephraim, and it hath been, when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim say, `Let me pass over,' and the men of Gilead say to him, `An Ephramite thou?' and he saith, `No;'
Update Bible Version
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No;
Webster's Bible Translation
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was [so], that when those Ephraimites who had escaped, said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said to him, [Art] thou an Ephraimite? If he said, No;
World English Bible
The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. It was so, that when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No;
New King James Version
The Gileadites seized the 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,"
New Living Translation
Jephthah captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to go back across, the men of Gilead would challenge him. "Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?" they would ask. If the man said, "No, I'm not,"
New Life Bible
The people of Gilead took the crossing places of the Jordan beside Ephraim. When any of the Ephraimite men ran away and said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"
New Revised Standard
Then the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. Whenever one of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No,"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan, against the Ephraimites, - and so it was, that, when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me pass over, the men of Gilead said to him, An Ephraimite, art thou? and, if he said - Nay!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Galaadites secured the fords of the Jordan, by which Ephraim was to return. And when any one of the number of Ephraim came thither in the flight, and said: I beseech you let me pass: the Galaadites said to him: Art thou not an Ephraimite? If he said: I am not:
Revised Standard Version
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the E'phraimites. And when any of the fugitives of E'phraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an E'phraimite?" When he said, "No,"
THE MESSAGE
Gilead captured the fords of the Jordan at the crossing to Ephraim. If an Ephraimite fugitive said, "Let me cross," the men of Gilead would ask, "Are you an Ephraimite?" and he would say, "No." And they would say, "Say, ‘Shibboleth.'" But he would always say, "Sibboleth"—he couldn't say it right. Then they would grab him and kill him there at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two Ephraimite divisions were killed on that occasion.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The Gileadites 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,"

Contextual Overview

1The men of [the tribe of] Ephraim were summoned [to action], and they crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight with the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? [For that] we will burn your house down upon you." 2And Jephthah said to them, "My people and I were in a major conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called you [for help], you did not rescue me from their hand. 3"So when I saw that you were not coming to help me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the LORD handed them over to me. So why have you come up to me this day to fight against me?" 4Then Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and fought with [the tribe of] Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they had said, "You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim, in the midst of [the tribes of] Ephraim and Manasseh." 5And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan opposite the Ephraimites; and 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,"6they said to him, "Then say 'Shibboleth.'" And he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites fell. 7Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Judges 3:28, Judges 7:24, Joshua 2:7, Joshua 22:11

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 1:1 - Ephrathite

Cross-References

Genesis 10:19
The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as one goes to Gerar, as far as Gaza; and as one goes to Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Genesis 11:31
Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together to go from Ur of the Chaldeans into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran [about five hundred and fifty miles northwest of Ur], they settled there.
Genesis 12:5
Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had acquired, and the people (servants) which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:8
Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].
Genesis 12:9
Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev (the South country of Judah).
Genesis 14:14
When Abram heard that his nephew [Lot] had been captured, he armed and led out his trained men, born in his own house, [numbering] three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far [north] as Dan.
Genesis 14:21
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods (spoils of battle) for yourself."
Acts 7:4
"Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God sent him to this country in which you now live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites,.... Being either swifter of foot, or going a nearer and shorter way, being better acquainted with their own country:

and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, let me go over; the fugitives of Ephraim, as before called, who ran away from the battle, made their escape, and the best of their way to the passages of Jordan, to get over there to their own country:

that the men of Gilead said unto him; to everyone of them, as they came up,

art thou an Ephraimite? or an Ephrathite; for so it seems those of the tribe of Ephraim were called, as Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:26

if he said, nay; that he was not an Ephraimite;


 
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