STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS. 139

all children may learn to submit cheerfully to those
whom God has set over them.

The battles of Jephthah had not yet come to an end.
The Ephraimites in great force crossed the Jordan, and
called Jephthah to account for not asking them to assist
him when he went against the Ammonites; for this neglect
of his they threatened to burn him and his house together.

George. The Ephraimites were strange people; they
made the same complaint once before.

Grandfather. Yes, this was the second time that
Ephraim was jealous of his brother Manasseh. They
first complained of Gideon, who belonged to that half
of the tribe of Manasseh which was settled west of
the Jordan; now they complained of Jephthah, who
belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh which was set-
tled east of the Jordan. Because Jacob, in blessing
the two sons of Joseph, said that Ephraim, the younger
brother, was to become a greater nation than his elder
brother Manasseh, the children of Ephraim thought that
in every thing they were to have the pre-eminence over
the descendants of Manasseh. To this complaint of the
men of Ephraim the reply made by Jephthah was not
so remarkable for its gentleness as that made by Gideon
on a like occasion ; but the words of the Gileadite were
remarkable for their honesty and truth. The accusa-
tion, he said, was untrue, for he had called the sons of
Ephraim to assist him and his people against the chil-
dren of Ammon. ‘They gave him no assistance, so that
his army was small, and he, along with his followers,