1 N ow Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. Gilead was Jephthah’s father.

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a powerful soldier. But he was the son of a woman who sold the use of her body. Jephthah’s father was Gilead.

2 A nd Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when his wife’s sons grew up, they thrust Jephthah out and said to him, You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.

Gilead’s wife gave birth to his sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah away. They told him, “You will not have any share in our father’s house. For you are the son of another woman.”

3 T hen Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men gathered around Jephthah and went on raids with him.

So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Men of no worth gathered around Jephthah and went fighting and stealing with him.

4 A nd after a time, the Ammonites made war against Israel.

The time came when the men of Ammon fought against Israel.

5 A nd when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob;

When the men of Ammon fought against Israel, the leaders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

6 A nd they said to Jephthah, Come and be our leader, that we may fight with the Ammonites.

They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, so we may fight against the men of Ammon.”

7 B ut Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?

Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”

8 A nd the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, This is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight the Ammonites and be our head over all the citizens of Gilead.

The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have returned to you now. So you may go with us and fight the men of Ammon. You will be the head of all the people of Gilead.”

9 J ephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.

Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight the men of Ammon and the Lord gives them to me, will I become your head?”

10 A nd the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The Lord is witness between us, if we do not do as you have said.

The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is listening to what we say. For sure we will do as you have said.”

11 S o Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah repeated all he had promised before the Lord at Mizpah.

So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. And the people made him head and leader over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

12 A nd Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, What have you to do with me, that you have come against me to fight in my land?

Then Jephthah sent men to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me? Why have you come to fight against my land?”

13 T he Ammonites’ king replied to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.

The king of the people of Ammon said to these men of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came from Egypt. They took my land from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan. So I ask you to return this land to me in peace.”

14 A nd Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the Ammonites

But Jephthah sent men to the king of the people of Ammon again,

15 A nd said to him, Thus says Jephthah, Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

saying, “Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the people of Ammon.

16 B ut when came up from Egypt, walked through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

Israel came out of Egypt, went through the desert to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh.

17 T hen Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Let us, we pray, pass through your land, but the king of Edom would not listen. Also they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

Then Israel sent men to the king of Edom, saying, “We ask you to let us pass through your land.” But the king of Edom would not listen. They asked the king of Moab also. But he would not let them pass through. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

18 T hen they went through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

’Then Israel went through the desert and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab. There they set up their tents on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not go into the land of Moab. For the Arnon flowed along the side of Moab.

19 T hen Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land to our country.

Israel sent men to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, saying, “We ask you to let us pass through your land to our place.”

20 B ut Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.

But Sihon did not trust Israel. He would not let them pass through his land. Sihon gathered all his people together. They set up their tents in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

21 A nd the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

The Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel. They won the war against Sihon. So Israel took all the land of the Amorites, the people of that country.

22 T hey possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.

They took all the land of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the desert as far as the Jordan.

23 S o now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel, and should you possess them?

’So the Lord, the God of Israel, drove the Amorites away from His people Israel. Now are you to take the land for your own?

24 W ill you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all the Lord our God dispossessed before us, we will possess.

Do you not keep for your own what your god Chemosh gives you? We will keep the land of the people the Lord our God drove away for us.

25 N ow are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel or did he ever go to war with them?

Are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever fight with Israel? Did he ever go to war against them?

26 W hile Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon for 300 years, why did you not recover during that time?

While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns and Aroer and its towns and in all the cities beside the Arnon for 300 years, why did you not take them again during that time?

27 S o I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong to war against me. The Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.

I have not sinned against you. But you are doing wrong to me by making war against me. The Lord is the judge. May He decide today between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.’”

28 B ut the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the message Jephthah sent him.

But the king of the people of Ammon would not listen to what Jephthah said

29 T hen the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. So he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and through Mizpah of Gilead. He went from Mizpah of Gilead to the people of Ammon.

30 A nd Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, If You will indeed give the Ammonites into my hand,

Jephthah made a promise to the Lord and said, “You give the people of Ammon into my hand.

31 T hen whatever or whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it or him up as a burnt offering.

And I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon. I will give it to the Lord as a burnt gift.”

32 T hen Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord gave them into his hand.

Then Jephthah crossed over to fight against the people of Ammon. And the Lord gave them into his hand.

33 A nd from Aroer to Minnith he smote them, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.

He killed many of them from Aroer to Minnith, through twenty cities, as far as Abelkeramin. The people of Ammon were destroyed in front of the people of Israel. Jephthah’s Daughter

34 T hen Jephthah came to Mizpah to his home, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances! And she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. His daughter came out to meet him with music and dancing. She was his one and only child. He had no other sons or daughters.

35 A nd when he saw her, he rent his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are the cause of great trouble to me; for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “It is bad, my daughter! You have made me very sad. You have brought much trouble to me. For I have made a promise to the Lord, and I must keep it.”

36 A nd she said to him, My father, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to what you have vowed, since the Lord has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, the Ammonites.

She said to him, “My father, you have made a promise to the Lord. Do to me what you have promised you would do. Because the Lord has punished the people of Ammon, who fought against you.

37 A nd she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go and wander upon the mountains and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

But do this for me. Let me alone for two months. So I and my friends may go to the mountains and cry because I will never have a man.”

38 A nd he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months, and she went with her companions and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

Jephthah said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months with her friends. And they cried on the mountains because she would never have a man.

39 A t the end of two months she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. She never mated with a man. This became a custom in Israel—

She returned to her father after two months. And he did what he promised the Lord and she died without having a man. So it became the way in Israel

40 T hat the daughters of Israel went yearly to mourn the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

that the daughters of Israel went to have sorrow for the daughter of Jephthah for four days each year.