Now aJephthah the Gileadite
was a 1valiant
warrior
, but he was the son
of a harlot
. And Gilead
2was the father
of Jephthah
.
Gilead's wife
bore
him sons
; and when his wife's
sons
grew
up, they drove
Jephthah
out and said
to him, "You shall not have
an inheritance
in our father's
house
, for you are the son
of another
woman
."
So Jephthah fled
from his brothers
and lived
in the land
of aTob
; and worthless
fellows
gathered
themselves 1about
Jephthah
, and they went
out with him.
It came about after
a while
that athe sons
of Ammon
fought
against
Israel
.
When the sons
of Ammon
fought
against
Israel
, the elders
of Gilead
went
to get
Jephthah
from the land
of Tob
;
and they said to Jephthah
, "Come
and be our chief
that we may fight
against the sons
of Ammon
."
Then Jephthah said
to the elders
of Gilead
, " aDid you not hate
me and drive
me from my father's
house
? So why
have you come
to me now
when
you are in trouble
?"
The elders of Gilead
said
to Jephthah
, "For this
reason
we have now
returned
to you, that you may go
with us and fight
with the sons
of Ammon
and abecome
head
over all
the inhabitants
of Gilead
."
So Jephthah said
to the elders
of Gilead
, "If
you take
me back
to fight
against the sons
of Ammon
and the LORD
gives
them up 1to me, will I become
your head
?"
The elders of Gilead
said
to Jephthah
, " aThe LORD
is 1witness
between
us; surely
we will do
2as you have said
."
Then Jephthah went
with the elders
of Gilead
, and the people
made
him head
and chief
over
them; and Jephthah
spoke
all
his words
before
the LORD
at aMizpah
.
Now Jephthah sent
messengers
to the king
of the sons
of Ammon
, saying
, "What
is between you and me, that you have come
to me to fight
against my land
?"
The king of the sons
of Ammon
said
to the messengers
of Jephthah
, "Because
Israel
atook
away my land
when they came
up from Egypt
, from the Arnon
as far
as the bJabbok
and the Jordan
; therefore, return
them peaceably
now
."
But Jephthah sent
messengers
again
to the king
of the sons
of Ammon
,
and they said to him, "Thus
says
Jephthah
, `Israel
did not take
away the land
of Moab
nor
the land
of the sons
of Ammon
.
`For when they came up from Egypt
, and Israel
awent
through the wilderness
to the 1Red
Sea
and bcame
to Kadesh
,
then Israel asent
messengers
to the king
of Edom
, saying
, "Please
let us pass
through your land
," but the king
of Edom
would not listen
. bAnd they also
sent
to the king
of Moab
, but he would not consent
. So Israel
remained
at Kadesh
.
`Then they went through the wilderness
and aaround
the land
of Edom
and the land
of Moab
, and came
to the east
side
of the land
of Moab
, and they camped
beyond
the Arnon
; but they bdid not enter
the territory
of Moab
, for the Arnon
was the border
of Moab
.
`And Israel sent
amessengers
to Sihon
king
of the Amorites
, the king
of Heshbon
, and Israel
said
to him, "Please
let us pass
through your land
to our place
."
`But Sihon did not trust
Israel
to pass
through his territory
; so Sihon
gathered
all
his people
and camped
in Jahaz
and fought
with Israel
.
`The LORD, the God
of Israel
, gave
Sihon
and all
his people
into the hand
of Israel
, and they 1 adefeated
them; so Israel
possessed
all
the land
of the Amorites
, the inhabitants
of that country
.
` aSo they possessed all
the territory
of the Amorites
, from the Arnon
as far
as the Jabbok
, and from the wilderness
as far
as the Jordan
.
`Since now the LORD
, the God
of Israel
, drove
out the Amorites
from before
His people
Israel
, are you then to possess
it?
`Do you not possess what
aChemosh
your god
gives
you to possess
? So whatever
the LORD
our God
has driven
out before
us, we will possess
it.
`Now are you any
better
than
aBalak
the son
of Zippor
, king
of Moab
? Did he ever
strive
with Israel
, or
did he ever
fight
against them?
` aWhile Israel lived
in Heshbon
and its villages
, and in Aroer
and its villages
, and in all
the cities
that are on the banks
of the Arnon
, three
hundred
years
, why
did you not recover
them within that time
?
`I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing
me wrong
by making
war
against me; amay the LORD
, the Judge
, judge
today
between
the sons
of Israel
and the sons
of Ammon
.' "
But the king of the sons
of Ammon
1disregarded
the message
which
Jephthah
sent
him.
Now athe Spirit of the LORD
came
upon Jephthah
, so that he passed
through
Gilead
and Manasseh
; then he passed
through
Mizpah
of Gilead
, and from Mizpah
of Gilead
he went
on to the sons
of Ammon
.
Jephthah made
a vow
to the LORD
and said
, "If
You will indeed
give
the sons
of Ammon
into my hand
,
then it shall be that whatever comes
out of the doors
of my house
to meet
me when I return
in peace
from the sons
of Ammon
, it shall be the LORD'S
, and I will offer
it up as a burnt
offering
."
So Jephthah crossed
over
to the sons
of Ammon
to fight
against them; and the LORD
gave
them into his hand
.
He struck them with a very
great
slaughter
from Aroer
1to the entrance
of aMinnith
, twenty
cities
, and as far
as Abel-keramim
. So the sons
of Ammon
were subdued
before
the sons
of Israel
.
When Jephthah came
to his house
at aMizpah
, behold
, his daughter
was coming
out to meet
him bwith tambourines
and with dancing
. Now she was his one
and only
child
; besides
her he had
no
son
or
daughter
.
When he saw her, he tore
his clothes
and said
, "Alas
, my daughter
! You have brought
me very
low
, and you are among those who trouble
me; for I have 1given
my word
to the LORD
, and aI cannot
take
it back
."
So she said to him, "My father
, you have 1given
your word
to the LORD
; ado
to me 2as you have said
, since
the LORD
has avenged
you of your enemies
, the sons
of Ammon
."
She said to her father
, "Let this
thing
be done
for me; let
me alone
two
months
, that I may 1go
to the mountains
and weep
because
of amy virginity
, I and my companions
."
Then he said, "Go
." So he sent
her away
for two
months
; and she left
with her companions
, and wept
on the mountains
because
of her virginity
.
At the end of two
months
she returned
to her father
, who did
to her according to the vow
which
he had made
; and she 1had
no
relations
with a man
. Thus it became
a custom
in Israel
,
that the daughters of Israel
went
yearly
to 1commemorate
the daughter
of Jephthah
the Gileadite
four
days
in the year
.