Judges 11:4–11

⁴Now it happened after a while that ^athe sons of Ammon fought against Israel.

⁵So it happened that as the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

⁶and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”

⁷Then 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 distress?”

⁸And 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.”

⁹So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and Yahweh gives them up ¹to me, will I become your head?”

¹⁰And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “^aYahweh is ¹witness between us; surely we will do ²as you have said.”

¹¹Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at ^aMizpah.