Judges 10:17–11:11

¹⁷Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in ^zMizpah. ¹⁸And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall ^abe head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah

11Now ^aJephthah the Gileadite was ^ba mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. ²Gilead’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.” ³Then 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.

⁴It came to pass after a time that the ^fpeople of Ammon made war against Israel. ⁵And 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. ⁶Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”

⁷So 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?”

^8hAnd 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.”

⁹So 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?”

¹⁰And 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.” ¹¹Then 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.