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Judges 12 · Grade 4

A Test Word at the Jordan

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Read and Think

Once again Ephraim was offended. They crossed the Jordan and threatened to burn Jephthah's house because he had not called them. Gideon had answered Ephraim gently, but Jephthah answered with the facts: he had called them, they had not helped, and he had put his life in his hand. Yahweh had given the victory.

The quarrel turned into war between tribes of Israel. Gilead took the fords of the Jordan. Anyone who tried to cross was asked to say Shibboleth. Men from Ephraim said Sibboleth instead, and many from Ephraim died there.

Jephthah judged six years and was buried in Gilead. Three judges followed. Ibzan of Bethlehem judged seven years and arranged marriages for thirty sons and thirty daughters. Elon the Zebulunite judged ten years. Abdon the son of Hillel judged eight years, and his forty sons and thirty grandsons rode seventy donkey colts.

Show What You Know

  1. What did Ephraim threaten to do?

  2. How did Jephthah's answer differ from Gideon's?

  3. What did men from Ephraim say instead of Shibboleth?

  4. Who were the three judges after Jephthah?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

ElonJordanIbzanAbdon
  1. Gilead took the fords of the .
  2. of Bethlehem judged seven years and arranged marriages for thirty sons and thirty daughters.
  3. the Zebulunite judged ten years.
  4. the son of Hillel judged eight years, and his forty sons and thirty grandsons rode seventy donkey colts.

Think About It

  1. Gideon's gentle answer calmed Ephraim, but this quarrel became a war. How can the way we answer change what happens next?

  2. Israel's tribes fought each other instead of their enemies. Why is it so sad when God's people fight one another?

Memory Verse

When I saw that you didn’t save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me today, to fight against me?”

Judges 12:3 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for giving us the victory. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What do the short stories of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon add?
  • How does pride lead to fighting?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.