Judges 10:17–11:11

¹⁷And the Ammonites^t were summoned,^u and they camped in Gilead. And the Israelites^v gathered and camped at Mizpah. ¹⁸The people, the ones commanding Gilead, said to each other,^w “Who is the man that will begin to fight against the Ammonites?^x He will be as head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah

11Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.^{a 2}Gilead’s wife also bore for him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up and drove Jephthah away, and they said to him, “You will not inherit the house of our father because you are the son of another woman.” ³So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers, and he lived in the land of Tob. And outlaws^b gathered around Jephthah and went with him.

⁴After a time the Ammonites^c made war with Israel. ⁵When the Ammonites^d made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, so that we may make war against the Ammonites.”^{e 7}Jephthah said to the elders, “Did you not shun me and drive me out from the house of my father? Why do you come to me now when you have trouble?” ⁸And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That being so, we have now returned to you, that you may go with us to fight^f against the Ammonites^g and become for us as head of all the inhabitants of Gilead.” ⁹So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me back to fight^h against the Ammonites,ⁱ and Yahweh gives them over to me,^j will I be your head?” ¹⁰And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh will be a witness^k between us; we will act according to your word.” ¹¹So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at Mizpah.