Judges 11

Modern

Literal

Jephthah Delivers Israel

¹Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.

¹And Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. And he was son of a woman, a prostitute. And Gilead begat Jephthah.

²And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”

²And the wife of Gilead bore to him sons, and the sons of his wife grew up, and they drove out Jephthah and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in the house of our father; for you are the son of another woman.”

³So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.

³And Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob. And worthless men gathered themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.

⁴Some time later, when the Ammonites fought against Israel

⁴And it came to pass after some days, that the sons of Ammon made war against Israel.

⁵and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

⁵And it came to pass, when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

⁶“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”

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

⁷Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”

⁷And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did not you hate me and expel me from the house of my father? Why have you come to me now when there is distress to you?”

⁸They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”

⁸And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Therefore now we have turned again to you, that you may go with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our leader over all those dwelling in Gilead.”

⁹But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”

⁹And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon, and YHWH delivers them to me, will I be to you leader?”

¹⁰And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”

¹⁰And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “YHWH will be a witness between us if according to your words we do not so.”

¹¹So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

¹¹And Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head over them and commander. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the face of YHWH in Mizpah.

¹²Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”

¹²And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “And what do you have against me that you have come against me to fight in my land?”

¹³The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”

¹³And the king of the sons of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon and as far as the Jabbok and as far as the Jordan. And now, return them in peace.”

¹⁴Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites

¹⁴And Jephthah added again and sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon

¹⁵to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.

¹⁵and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the sons of Ammon.

¹⁶But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea^a and came to Kadesh.

¹⁶For in their coming up out of Egypt, Israel walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;

¹⁷Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

¹⁷and Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Let me pass, please, through your land,’ and the king of Edom did not listen. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, and he was not willing. And Israel remained in Kadesh.

¹⁸Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.

¹⁸And he went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and he came to the east side of the land of Moab and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter into the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

¹⁹And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’

¹⁹And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorite, king of Heshbon. And Israel said to him, ‘Let us pass, please, through your land into our place.’

²⁰But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

²⁰And Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. And Sihon gathered together all his people and encamped in Jahaz, and he fought against Israel.

²¹Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,

²¹And YHWH, God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. And Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorite inhabiting that land.

²²seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

²²And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorite, from the Arnon and to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness and to the Jordan.

²³Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?

²³And YHWH, God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorite from before His people Israel; and should you possess it?

²⁴Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.

²⁴Whatever Chemosh your god would give you to possess, is it not that you will possess it? And all that YHWH our God takes possession of before us, we will possess.

²⁵Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?

²⁵And now are you so good, better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he at all fight against them?

²⁶For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them back during that time?

²⁶In the dwelling of Israel in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are along the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years—why did you not snatch them up within that time?

²⁷I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

²⁷And I have not sinned against you, and you are doing to me evil by fighting against me. May YHWH, the Judge, render judgment this day between the sons of Israel and between the sons of Ammon.”

²⁸But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.

²⁸And the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah, that he sent to him.

Jephthah’s Tragic Vow

²⁹Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.

²⁹And the Spirit of YHWH came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through to the sons of Ammon.

³⁰Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,

³⁰And Jephthah made a vow to YHWH, and said, “If You fully deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands,

³¹then whatever comes out the door of my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

³¹Then it shall come to pass that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it will be unto YHWH, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

³²So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand.

³²And Jephthah passed over toward the sons of Ammon to fight against them, and YHWH delivered them into his hand.

³³With a great blow he devastated twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.

³³And he defeated them from Aroer and as far as the entrance to Minnith, twenty cities, and to Abel-keramim. And with a very great slaughter the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

³⁴And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.

³⁴And Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, and there was his daughter coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing. And she was his only child; none were unto him besides her, son or daughter.

³⁵As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”

³⁵And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have caused me greatly to bow, and you are among those who trouble me. For I have given my word to YHWH, and I cannot turn back.”

³⁶“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.”

³⁶And she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to YHWH, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, after that YHWH has done for you vengeance on your enemies, the sons of Ammon.”

³⁷She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander for two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”

³⁷And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me. Leave me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and mourn for my virginity, I and my friends.”

³⁸“Go,” he said. And he sent her away for two months.

So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity upon the mountains.

³⁸And he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months. And she went, and her friends, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.

³⁹After two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she had never had relations with a man.

So it has become a custom in Israel

³⁹And it was at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out with her his vow that he had vowed. And she knew not a man. And it became a custom in Israel

⁴⁰that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

⁴⁰that from time to time the daughters of Israel went to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in the year.