Jephthah

11 Now aJephthah the Gileadite was ba mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have cno inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of dTob; and eworthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

4 It came to pass after a time that the fpeople of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”

7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, g“Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in 1distress?”

8 hAnd the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have iturned 2again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be jour head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”

10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, k“The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him lhead and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words mbefore the Lord in Mizpah.

12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, n“What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”

13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, o“Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from pthe Arnon as far as qthe Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.”

14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: r‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; 16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and scame to Kadesh. 17 Then tIsrael sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” uBut the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the vking of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel wremained in Kadesh. 18 And they xwent along through the wilderness and ybypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Then zIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please alet us pass through your land into our place.” 20 bBut Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the Lord God of Israel cdelivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they ddefeated 3them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 They took possession of eall the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23 ‘And now the Lord God of Israel has 4dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? 24 Will you not possess whatever fChemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever gthe Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. 25 And now, are you any better than hBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel dwelt in iHeshbon and its villages, in jAroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? 27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, kthe Judge, lrender judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ” 28 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.

Jephthah’s Vow and Victory

29 Then mthe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah nmade a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, oshall surely be the Lord’s, pand I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33 And he 5defeated them from Aroer as far as qMinnith—twenty cities—and to 6Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Jephthah’s Daughter

34 When Jephthah came to his house at rMizpah, there was shis daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he ttore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I uhave 7given my word to the Lord, and vI cannot 8go back on it.”

36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, wdo to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because xthe Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and 9bewail my virginity, my 1friends and I.”

38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he ycarried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She 2knew no man.

And it became a custom in Israel