Judges 11
1 Jephthah of Gilead was a strong fighter. He was the son of a prostitute, and his father was Gilead.
基列人耶弗他是個大能的勇士，是妓女的兒子。耶弗他是基列所生的。
2 Gilead's wife gave him sons, who when they grew up, drove Jephthah away, telling him, “You won't inherit anything from our father because you are another woman's son.”
基列的妻也生了幾個兒子：他妻所生的兒子長大了，就趕逐耶弗他，說：「你不可在我們父家承受產業，因為你是妓女的兒子。」
3 Jephthah ran away from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. A gang of trouble-makers joined him and he led them out on raids.
耶弗他就逃避他的弟兄，去住在陀伯地，有些匪徒到他那裏聚集，與他一同出入。
4 Later on, the Ammonites were at war with Israel.
過了些日子，亞捫人攻打以色列。
5 As the Ammonites were attacking Israel, the elders of Gilead came to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
亞捫人攻打以色列的時候，基列的長老到陀伯地去，要叫耶弗他回來；
6 “Come and be our army commander,” they asked Jepthah, “so we can fight the Ammonites.”
對耶弗他說：「請你來作我們的元帥，我們好與亞捫人爭戰。」
7 “Weren't you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father's house?” Jephthah asked them, “Why are you coming to me now you're in trouble?”
耶弗他回答基列的長老說：「從前你們不是恨我、趕逐我出離父家嗎？現在你們遭遇急難為何到我這裏來呢？」
8 “Yes, that's why we've turned to you now,” the elders of Gilead replied. “Come with us and fight the Ammonites, and you will be the leader of all the people of Gilead.”
基列的長老回答耶弗他說：「現在我們到你這裏來，是要你同我們去，與亞捫人爭戰；你可以作基列一切居民的領袖。」
9 “So if I go back with you and fight the Ammonites, and the Lord makes me victorious, then I'll be your leader?” Jephthah asked the elders of Gilead.
耶弗他對基列的長老說：「你們叫我回去，與亞捫人爭戰，耶和華把他交給我，我可以作你們的領袖嗎？」
10 “The Lord will be a witness between us,” they replied. “We'll do whatever you say.”
基列的長老回答耶弗他說：「有耶和華在你我中間作見證，我們必定照你的話行。」
11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and army commander. And Jephthah repeated all his conditions before the Lord at Mizpah.
於是耶弗他同基列的長老回去，百姓就立耶弗他作領袖、作元帥。耶弗他在米斯巴將自己的一切話陳明在耶和華面前。
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to ask him, “What have you got against me that you want to attack my land?”
耶弗他打發使者去見亞捫人的王，說：「你與我有甚麼相干，竟來到我國中攻打我呢？」
13 The king of the Ammonites replied to Jephthah's messengers, “Israel seized my land when they came from Egypt. It extended from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and across to the Jordan River. So give it back and there'll be no fighting.”
亞捫人的王回答耶弗他的使者說：「因為以色列人從埃及上來的時候佔據我的地，從亞嫩河到雅博河，直到約旦河。現在你要好好地將這地歸還吧！」
14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of the Ammonites
耶弗他又打發使者去見亞捫人的王，
15 to tell him, “This is Jephthah's reply: The Israelites did not take any land from Moab or from the Ammonites.
對他說：「耶弗他如此說，以色列人並沒有佔據摩押地和亞捫人的地。
16 When they left Egypt, the Israelites went through the desert to the Red Sea and arrived at Kadesh.
以色列人從埃及上來乃是經過曠野到紅海，來到加低斯，
17 They sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your country,’ but the king of Edom refused to listen. They also sent the same request to the king of Moab, and he refused too. So they remained at Kadesh.
就打發使者去見以東王，說：『求你容我從你的地經過。』以東王卻不應允。又照樣打發使者去見摩押王，他也不允准。以色列人就住在加低斯。
18 Eventually the Israelites traveled through the desert, avoiding the lands of Edom and Moab. They arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River. But they did not enter Moab territory, for the Arnon River was its border.
他們又經過曠野，繞着以東和摩押地，從摩押地的東邊過來，在亞嫩河邊安營，並沒有入摩押的境內，因為亞嫩河是摩押的邊界。
19 Then the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon, and asked him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our own country.’
以色列人打發使者去見亞摩利王西宏，就是希實本的王，對他說：『求你容我們從你的地經過，往我們自己的地方去。』
20 But Sihon didn't trust the Israelites to pass through his territory. So he assembled his army, set up camp at Jahaz, and attacked the Israelites.
西宏卻不信服以色列人，不容他們經過他的境界，乃招聚他的眾民在雅雜安營，與以色列人爭戰。
21 However, the Lord, the God of Israel, handed over Sihon and all his people to the Israelites, who defeated them. So the Israelites took over all the land inhabited by the Amorites.
耶和華－以色列的上帝將西宏和他的眾民都交在以色列人手中，以色列人就擊殺他們，得了亞摩利人的全地：
22 They occupied all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and from the desert to the Jordan River.
從亞嫩河到雅博河，從曠野直到約旦河。
23 It was the Lord, the God of Israel, who drove out the Amorites before his people Israel, so why should you take it over?
耶和華－以色列的上帝在他百姓以色列面前趕出亞摩利人，你竟要得他們的地嗎？
24 Why don't you keep whatever your god Chemosh gave you, and we'll keep whatever the Lord our God has given us?
你的神基抹所賜你的地你不是得為業嗎？耶和華－我們的上帝在我們面前所趕出的人，我們就得他的地。
25 Do you think you're so much better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or attack them?
難道你比摩押王西撥的兒子巴勒還強嗎？他曾與以色列人爭競，或是與他們爭戰嗎？
26 Israelites have been living in Heshbon, Aroer, their villages, and in all the towns along the banks of the Arnon River for three hundred years. Why didn't you take them back during that time?
以色列人住希實本和屬希實本的鄉村，亞羅珥和屬亞羅珥的鄉村，並沿亞嫩河的一切城邑，已經有三百年了；在這三百年之內，你們為甚麼沒有取回這些地方呢？
27 I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by going to war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
原來我沒有得罪你，你卻攻打我，惡待我。願審判人的耶和華今日在以色列人和亞捫人中間判斷是非。」
28 But the king of Ammon didn't pay any attention to what Jephthah had to say.
但亞捫人的王不肯聽耶弗他打發人說的話。
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then on through Mizpah of Gilead. From there he advanced to attack the Ammonites.
耶和華的靈降在耶弗他身上，他就經過基列和瑪拿西，來到基列的米斯巴，又從米斯巴來到亞捫人那裏。
30 Jephthah made a solemn promise to the Lord, saying, “If you make me victorious over the Ammonites,
耶弗他就向耶和華許願，說：「你若將亞捫人交在我手中，
31 I will dedicate to the Lord whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the battle. I will present it as a burnt offering.”
我從亞捫人那裏平平安安回來的時候，無論甚麼人，先從我家門出來迎接我，就必歸你，我也必將他獻上為燔祭。」
32 Jephthah advanced to attack the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him the victory over them.
於是耶弗他往亞捫人那裏去，與他們爭戰；耶和華將他們交在他手中，
33 He soundly defeated them, capturing twenty cities from Aroer to the area around Minnith, up as far as Abel-keramim. This is how the Ammonites were conquered by the Israelites.
他就大大殺敗他們，從亞羅珥到米匿，直到亞備勒‧基拉明，攻取了二十座城。這樣亞捫人就被以色列人制伏了。
34 When Jephthah arrived home in Mizpah, there came his daughter out to meet him, with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child—he had no son or daughter apart from her.
耶弗他回米斯巴到了自己的家，不料，他女兒拿着鼓跳舞出來迎接他，是他獨生的，此外無兒無女。
35 The moment he saw her, he ripped his clothes in agony and cried out, “Oh no, my daughter! You have crushed me completely! You have destroyed me, for I made a solemn promise to the Lord and I can't go back on it.”
耶弗他看見她，就撕裂衣服，說：「哀哉！我的女兒啊，你使我甚是愁苦，叫我作難了；因為我已經向耶和華開口許願，不能挽回。」
36 She replied, “Father, you have made a solemn promise to the Lord. Do to me what you promised, for the Lord brought vengeance your enemies, the Ammonites.”
他女兒回答說：「父啊，你既向耶和華開口，就當照你口中所說的向我行，因耶和華已經在仇敵亞捫人身上為你報仇」；
37 Then she went on to say to him, “Just let me do this: let me walk through the hills for two months with my friends and grieve the fact that I'll never marry.”
又對父親說：「有一件事求你允准：容我去兩個月，與同伴在山上，好哀哭我終為處女。」
38 “You can go,” he told her. He sent her away for two months, and she and her friends went into the hills and cried because she would never marry.
耶弗他說：「你去吧！」就容她去兩個月。她便和同伴去了，在山上為她終為處女哀哭。
39 When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had promised, and she was a virgin. This is the origin of the custom in Israel
兩月已滿，她回到父親那裏，父親就照所許的願向她行了。女兒終身沒有親近男子。
40 that every year the young women of Israel leave for four days to weep in commemoration of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
此後以色列中有個規矩，每年以色列的女子去為基列人耶弗他的女兒哀哭四天。
