Judges 11
1 Now, Jephthah the Gileadite, was a mighty man of valour, but, he, was the son of an unchaste woman, —yet Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
And Jephthae the Galaadite [was] a mighty man; and he [was] the son of a harlot, who bore Jephthae to Galaad.
2 And the wife of Gilead bare him sons, —and, when the wife’s sons grew up, they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him—Thou shalt not inherit with the house of our father, for, son of an alien woman, art thou.
And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up, and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, You shall not inherit in the house of our father, for you are the son of a concubine.
3 So Jephthah fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob, —and there gathered about Jephthah unemployed men, who went forth with him.
And Jephthae fled from the face of his brethren, and lived in the land of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.
4 And so it came to pass, after a time, —that the sons of Ammon made war with Israel.
And it came to pass when the children of Ammon prepared to fight with Israel,
5 When, therefore, it came to pass that the sons of Ammon made war with Israel, then went the elders of Gilead, to summon Jephthah out of the land of Tob.
that the elders of Galaad went to fetch Jephthae from the land of Tob.
6 And they said to Jephthah, Oh! come and be our commander, —that we may do battle with the sons of Ammon.
And they said to Jephthae, Come, and be our head, and we will fight with the sons of Ammon.
7 But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Have not, ye, hated me, and thrust me out from the house of my father? Wherefore then, are ye come unto me, now, when ye are in distress?
And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, Did you not hate me, and cast me out of my father's house, and banish me from you? and therefore are you come to me now when you lack me?
8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah—Therefore, have we, now, returned unto thee, that, if thou go with us, and do battle with the sons of Ammon, then shalt thou become our head, for all the inhabitants of Gilead.
And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, Therefore have we now turned to you, that you should go with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead—If ye do bring me back to do battle with the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh deliver them up before me, shall, I myself, become your head?
And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, If you turn me back to fight with the children of Ammon, and the Lord should deliver them before me, then will I be your head.
10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah—Yahweh himself, will be hearkening between us, if, according to thy word, so, we do not.
And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, The Lord be witness between us, if we shall not do according to your word.
11 Then went Jephthah with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him over them, as head and commander, —and Jephthah spake all his words before Yahweh, in Mizpah.
And Jephthae went with the elders of Galaad, and the people made him head and ruler over them: and Jephthae spoke all his words before the Lord in Massepha.
12 So then Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, —What occasion is there between us, that thou shouldst have come unto me, to fight against my land?
And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have I to do with you, that you have come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the sons of Ammon said unto the messengers of Jephthah—Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan, —now, therefore, restore them in peace.
And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthae, Because Israel took my land when he went up out of Egypt, from Arnon to Jaboc, and to Jordan: now then return them peaceably and I will depart.
14 And Jephthah yet once more sent messengers unto the king of the sons of Ammon;
And Jephthae again sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon,
15 and said unto him, Thus, saith Jephthah, —Israel took not away the land of Moab, or the land of the sons of Ammon;
and said to him, Thus says Jephthae, Israel took not the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;
16 for, when they came up out of Egypt, and Israel journeyed through the desert as far as the Red Sea, and came in unto Kadesh,
for in their going up out of Egypt Israel went in the wilderness as far as the sea of Siph, and came to Cades.
17 then did Israel send messengers unto the king of Edom, saying—Let me pass, I pray thee, through thy land, but the king of Edom hearkened not, unto the king of Moab also, sent they, but he would not consent, —so Israel abode in Kadesh.
And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass, if it please you, by your land: and the king of Edom complied not: and [Israel] also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel sojourned in Cades.
18 Then journeyed they through the desert, and went round the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and so came, from the rising of the sun, to the land of Moab, but encamped beyond Arnon, —and entered not within the boundary of Moab, for, Arnon, is the boundary of Moab.
And [they] journeyed in the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab: and they came by the east of the land of Moab, an encamped in the country beyond Arnon, and came not within the borders of Moab, for Arnon [is] the border of Moab.
19 Then did Israel send messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, —and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land as far as my own place.
And Israel sent messengers to Seon king of the Amorite, king of Esbon, and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, by your land to our place.
20 But Sihon trusted not Israel, to pass through his boundary, so Sihon gathered together all his people, and encamped in Jahaz, —and fought against Israel.
And Seon did not trust Israel to pass by his coast; and Seon gathered all his people, and they encamped at Jasa; and he set the battle in array against Israel.
21 Then did Yahweh, God of Israel, deliver up Sihon, and all his people, into the hand of Israel, and they smote them, —so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that land.
And the Lord God of Israel delivered Seon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck him; and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorite who lived in that land,
22 Yea they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, —from Arnon, even as far as the Jabbok, and from the desert, even as far as the Jordan.
from Arnon and to Jaboc, and from the wilderness to Jordan.
23 Now, therefore, it was, Yahweh God of Israel, that dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, —and shalt, thou, possess it?
And now the Lord God of Israel has removed the Amorite from before his people Israel, and shall you inherit his [land]?
24 What Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess, that, wilt thou not possess? and, whatsoever Yahweh our God hath set before us to possess, that, shall we not possess?
Will you not inherit those possessions which Chamos your god shall cause you to inherit; and shall not we inherit the [land of] all those whom the Lord our God has removed from before you?
25 Now, therefore, art thou, really better, than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Hath there been any, striving at all, with Israel, or any, fighting at all, with them,
And now are you any better than Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab? did he indeed fight with Israel, or indeed make war with him,
26 all the time that Israel hath been dwelling in Heshbon and in her towns, and in Aroer and in her towns, and in all the cities that are on the banks of Arnon, —for three hundred years? Wherefore, then, have ye not made a rescue within that time?
when [Israel] lived in Esebon and in its coasts, and in the land of Aroer and in its coasts, and in all the cities by Jordan, three hundred years? and therefore did you not recover them in that time?
27 I, therefore, have not sinned against thee; but, thou, art doing me a wrong, in fighting against me, —Let Yahweh, the Judge, give judgment today, between the sons of Israel, and the sons of Ammon!
And now I have not sinned against you, but you wrong me in preparing war against me: may the Lord the Judge judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 But the king of the sons of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah, which he sent unto him.
But the king of the children of Ammon listened not to the words of Jephthae, which he sent to him.
29 Then came upon Jephthah the spirit of Yahweh, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, —and passed through Mizpeh of Gilead, and, from Mizpeh of Gilead, he passed through [unto] the sons of Ammon.
And the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthae, and he passed over Galaad, and Manasse, and passed by the watch-tower of Galaad to the other side of the children of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, —If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,
And Jephthae vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
31 then shall it be, that, whosoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house, to meet me, when I return successful, from the sons of Ammon, shall belong unto Yahweh, and I will offer him up, as an ascending-sacrifice.
then it shall come to pass that whoever shall first come out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, he shall be the Lord's: I will offer him up for a whole burnt offering.
32 So then Jephthah passed over unto the sons of Ammon, to fight against them, —and Yahweh delivered them into his hand;
And Jephthae advanced to meet the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.
33 and he smote them, from Aroer even till thou enterest in to Minnith, even twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with an exceeding great smiting, —and thus were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel.
And he struck them from Aroer till [one] comes to Arnon, in number twenty cities, and as far as Ebelcharmim, with a very great destruction: and the children of Ammon were straitened before the children of Israel.
34 Then came Jephthah towards Mizpah, unto his own house, and lo! his daughter, coming forth to meet him, with timbrels, and with dances, —and, she, was none other than his only child, he had not, besides her, either son or daughter.
And Jephthae came to Massepha to his house; and behold, his daughter came forth to meet him with timbrels and dances; and she was his only child, he had not another son or daughter.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said—Alas! my daughter, Thou hast, brought me low, Even, thou, hast come to be among them who trouble me, —Yet, I, opened wide my mouth unto Yahweh, and cannot go back.
And it came to pass when he saw her, that he tore his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, you have indeed troubled me, and you were the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against you to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.
36 And she said unto him—My father! Thou hast opened wide thy mouth unto Yahweh, Do with me, according to that which hath gone forth out of thy mouth, —after that Yahweh hath exacted for thee an avenging from thine enemies, from the sons of Ammon.
And she said to him, Father, have you opened your mouth to the Lord? Do to me accordingly as [the word] went out of your mouth, in that the Lord has wrought vengeance for you on your enemies of the children of Ammon.
37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing, be done for me, —Let me alone two months, that I may depart, and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.
And she said to her father, Let my father now do this thing: let me alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains, and I will bewail my virginity, I and my companions.
38 And he said—Depart. So he let her go, for two months, —and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity, upon the mountains.
And he said, Go: and he sent her away for two months; and she went, and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.
39 And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed, —she not having known man. And it became a statute, in Israel: —
And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man:
40 From year to year, departed the daughters of Israel, to lament aloud for the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, four days in the year.
and it was an ordinance in Israel, [That] the daughters of Israel went from year to year to bewail the daughter of Jephthae the Galaadite for four days in a year.
