1
Now Jephthah[H3316] the Gileadite[H1569] was a mighty man[H1368] of valour[H2428], and he was the son[H1121] of an harlot[H802]: and Gilead[H1568]begat[H3205]Jephthah[H3316].
2
And Gilead's wife[H802]bare[H3205] him sons[H1121]; and his wife[H802]'s sons[H1121] grew up[H1431], and they thrust out[H1644]Jephthah[H3316], and said[H559] unto him, Thou shalt not inherit[H5157] in our father's house[H1004]; for thou art the son[H1121] of a strange[H312]woman[H802].
3
Then Jephthah[H3316]fled[H1272]from[H6440] his brethren[H251], and dwelt[H3427] in the land[H776] of Tob[H2897]: and there were gathered[H3950]vain[H7386]men[H582] to Jephthah[H3316], and went out[H3318] with him.
4
And it came to pass in process of time[H3117], that the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] made war[H3898] against Israel[H3478].
5
And it was so, that when the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] made war[H3898] against Israel[H3478], the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568]went[H3212] to fetch[H3947]Jephthah[H3316] out of the land[H776] of Tob[H2897]:
6
And they said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], Come[H3212], and be our captain[H7101], that we may fight[H3898] with the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
7
And Jephthah[H3316]said[H559] unto the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], Did not ye hate[H8130] me, and expel[H1644] me out of my father's house?[H1004] and why are ye come[H935] unto me now when ye are in distress?[H6887]
8
And the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568]said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], Therefore we turn again[H7725] to thee now, that thou mayest go[H1980] with us, and fight[H3898] against the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], and be our head[H7218] over all the inhabitants[H3427] of Gilead[H1568].
9
And Jephthah[H3316]said[H559] unto the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], If ye bring me home again[H7725] to fight[H3898] against the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], and the LORD[H3068]deliver[H5414] them before[H6440] me, shall I be your head?[H7218]
10
And the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568]said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], The LORD[H3068] be witness[H8085] between us, if we do[H6213] not so according to thy words[H1697].
11
Then Jephthah[H3316]went[H3212] with the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], and the people[H5971]made[H7760] him head[H7218] and captain[H7101] over them: and Jephthah[H3316]uttered[H1696] all his words[H1697]before[H6440] the LORD[H3068] in Mizpeh[H4709].
12
And Jephthah[H3316]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397] unto the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], saying[H559], What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come[H935] against me to fight[H3898] in my land?[H776]
13
And the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983]answered[H559] unto the messengers[H4397] of Jephthah[H3316], Because Israel[H3478] took away[H3947] my land[H776], when they came up[H5927] out of Egypt[H4714], from Arnon[H769] even unto Jabbok[H2999], and unto Jordan[H3383]: now therefore restore those lands again[H7725]peaceably[H7965].
14
And Jephthah[H3316]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397]again[H3254] unto the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983]:
15
And said[H559] unto him, Thus saith[H559]Jephthah[H3316], Israel[H3478] took not away[H3947] the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], nor the land[H776] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983]:
16
But when Israel[H3478]came[H935]up[H5927] from Egypt[H4714], and walked[H3212] through the wilderness[H4057] unto the Red[H5488]sea[H3220], and came[H935] to Kadesh[H6946];
17
Then Israel[H3478]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397] unto the king[H4428] of Edom[H123], saying[H559], Let me, I pray thee, pass through[H5674] thy land[H776]: but the king[H4428] of Edom[H123]would[H14] not hearken[H8085] thereto. And in like manner they sent[H7971] unto the king[H4428] of Moab[H4124]: but he would[H14] not consent: and Israel[H3478]abode[H3427] in Kadesh[H6946].
18
Then they went along[H3212] through the wilderness[H4057], and compassed[H5437] the land[H776] of Edom[H123], and the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], and came[H935] by the east side[H4217] of the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], and pitched[H2583] on the other side[H8121] of Arnon[H769], but came[H935] not within the border[H1366] of Moab[H4124]: for Arnon[H769] was the border[H1366] of Moab[H4124].
19
And Israel[H3478]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397] unto Sihon[H5511]king[H4428] of the Amorites[H567], the king[H4428] of Heshbon[H2809]; and Israel[H3478]said[H559] unto him, Let us pass[H5674], we pray thee, through thy land[H776]into[H5704] my place[H4725].
20
But Sihon[H5511]trusted[H539] not Israel[H3478] to pass[H5674] through his coast[H1366]: but Sihon[H5511]gathered[H622] all his people[H5971]together[H622], and pitched[H2583] in Jahaz[H3096], and fought[H3898] against Israel[H3478].
21
And the LORD[H3068]God[H430] of Israel[H3478]delivered[H5414]Sihon[H5511] and all his people[H5971] into the hand[H3027] of Israel[H3478], and they smote[H5221] them: so Israel[H3478]possessed[H3423] all the land[H776] of the Amorites[H567], the inhabitants[H3427] of that country[H776].
22
And they possessed[H3423] all the coasts[H1366] of the Amorites[H567], from Arnon[H769] even unto Jabbok[H2999], and from the wilderness[H4057] even unto Jordan[H3383].
23
So now the LORD[H3068]God[H430] of Israel[H3478] hath dispossessed[H3423] the Amorites[H567] from before[H6440] his people[H5971]Israel[H3478], and shouldest thou possess[H3423] it?
24
Wilt not thou possess[H3423] that which Chemosh[H3645] thy god[H430] giveth thee to possess?[H3423] So whomsoever the LORD[H3068] our God[H430] shall drive out[H3423] from before[H6440] us, them will we possess[H3423].
25
And now art thou any thing better[H2896] than Balak[H1111] the son[H1121] of Zippor[H6834], king[H4428] of Moab?[H4124] did he ever[H7378]strive[H7378] against Israel[H3478], or did he ever[H3898]fight[H3898] against them,
26
While Israel[H3478]dwelt[H3427] in Heshbon[H2809] and her towns[H1323], and in Aroer[H6177] and her towns[H1323], and in all the cities[H5892] that be along by the coasts[H3027] of Arnon[H769], three[H7969]hundred[H3967]years?[H8141] why therefore did ye not recover[H5337] them within that time?[H6256]
27
Wherefore I have not sinned[H2398] against thee, but thou doest[H6213] me wrong[H7451] to war[H3898] against me: the LORD[H3068] the Judge[H8199] be judge[H8199] this day[H3117] between the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] and the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
28
Howbeit the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983]hearkened[H8085] not unto the words[H1697] of Jephthah[H3316] which he sent[H7971] him.
29
Then the Spirit[H7307] of the LORD[H3068] came upon Jephthah[H3316], and he passed over[H5674]Gilead[H1568], and Manasseh[H4519], and passed over[H5674]Mizpeh[H4708] of Gilead[H1568], and from Mizpeh[H4708] of Gilead[H1568] he passed over[H5674] unto the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
30
And Jephthah[H3316]vowed[H5087] a vow[H5088] unto the LORD[H3068], and said[H559], If thou shalt without fail[H5414]deliver[H5414] the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] into mine hands[H3027],
31
Then it shall be, that whatsoever[H3318] cometh forth[H3318] of the doors[H1817] of my house[H1004] to meet[H7125] me, when I return[H7725] in peace[H7965] from the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up[H5927] for a burnt offering[H5930].
32
So Jephthah[H3316] passed over[H5674] unto the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] to fight[H3898] against them; and the LORD[H3068]delivered[H5414] them into his hands[H3027].
33
And he smote[H5221] them from Aroer[H6177], even till thou come[H935] to Minnith[H4511], even twenty[H6242]cities[H5892], and unto the plain[H58] of the vineyards[H3754], with a very[H3966]great[H1419]slaughter[H4347]. Thus the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] were subdued[H3665]before[H6440] the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478].
34
And Jephthah[H3316]came[H935] to Mizpeh[H4709] unto his house[H1004], and, behold, his daughter[H1323]came[H935]out[H3318] to meet[H7125] him with timbrels[H8596] and with dances[H4246]: and she was his only child[H3173]; beside her he had neither son[H1121]nor[H176]daughter[H1323].
35
And it came to pass, when he saw[H7200] her, that he rent[H7167] his clothes[H899], and said[H559], Alas[H162], my daughter[H1323]! thou hast brought[H3766] me very[H3766]low[H3766], and thou art one of them that trouble[H5916] me: for I have opened[H6475] my mouth[H6310] unto the LORD[H3068], and I cannot[H3201] go back[H7725].
36
And she said[H559] unto him, My father[H1], if thou hast opened[H6475] thy mouth[H6310] unto the LORD[H3068], do[H6213] to me according to that which[H834] hath proceeded[H3318] out of thy mouth[H6310]; forasmuch[H310] as the LORD[H3068] hath taken[H6213]vengeance[H5360] for thee of thine enemies[H341], even of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
37
And she said[H559] unto her father[H1], Let this thing[H1697] be done[H6213] for me: let me alone[H7503]two[H8147]months[H2320], that I may go up[H3212] and down[H3381] upon the mountains[H2022], and bewail[H1058] my virginity[H1331], I and my fellows[H7464].
38
And he said[H559], Go[H3212]. And he sent her away[H7971] for two[H8147]months[H2320]: and she went[H3212] with her companions[H7464], and bewailed[H1058] her virginity[H1331] upon the mountains[H2022].
39
And it came to pass at the end[H7093] of two[H8147]months[H2320], that she returned[H7725] unto her father[H1], who did[H6213] with her according to his vow[H5088] which he had vowed[H5087]: and she knew[H3045] no man[H376]. And it was a custom[H2706] in Israel[H3478],
40
That the daughters[H1323] of Israel[H3478]went[H3212]yearly[H3117] to lament[H8567] the daughter[H1323] of Jephthah[H3316] the Gileadite[H1569]four[H702]days[H3117] in a year[H8141].