¹⁷Then the Ammonite army prepared for battle and made camp in Gilead. The people of Israel came together and camped at Mizpah in Gilead. ¹⁸There the people and the leaders of the Israelite tribes asked one another, “Who will lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.”

11Jephthah, a brave soldier from Gilead, was the son of a prostitute. His father Gilead ²had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They said to him, “You will not inherit anything from our father; you are the son of another woman.” ³Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There he attracted a group of worthless men, and they went round with him.

⁴It was some time later that the Ammonites went to war against Israel. ⁵When this happened, the leaders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. ⁶They said, “Come and lead us, so that we can fight the Ammonites.”

⁷But Jephthah answered, “You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my father’s house. Why come to me now that you’re in trouble?”

⁸They said to Jephthah, “We are turning to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead.”

⁹Jephthah said to them, “If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives me victory, I will be your ruler.”

¹⁰They replied, “We agree. The Lord is our witness.” ¹¹So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and the people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in the presence of the Lord.

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