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.
At that time, there was a Gileadite, Jephthah, a very strong man and a fighter, the son of a kept woman, and he was born of Gilead.
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.
Now Gilead had a wife, from whom he received sons. And they, after growing up, cast out Jephthah, saying, “You cannot inherit in the house of our father, because you were born of another mother.”
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 so, fleeing and avoiding them, he lived in the land of Tob. And men who were indigent and robbers joined with him, and they followed him as their leader.
4 And so it came to pass, after a time, —that the sons of Ammon made war with Israel.
In those days, the sons of Ammon fought against 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.
And being steadfastly attacked, the elders of Gilead traveled so that they might obtain for their assistance Jephthah, 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 him, “Come and be our leader, and fight against 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?
But he answered them: “Are you not the ones who hated me, and who cast me out of my father’s house? And yet now you come to me, compelled by necessity?”
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 leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “But it is due to this necessity that we have approached you now, so that you may set out with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be commander over all who live in Gilead.”
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?
Jephthah also said to them: “If you have come to me so that I may fight for you against the sons of Ammon, and if the Lord will deliver them into my hands, will I truly be your leader?”
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.
They answered him, “The Lord who hears these things is himself the Mediator and the Witness that we shall do what we have promised.”
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 so Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and all the people made him their leader. And Jephthah spoke all his words, in the sight of the Lord, at Mizpah.
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 he sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, who said on his behalf, “What is there between you and me, that you would approach against me, so that you might lay waste to 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 he responded to them, “It is because Israel took my land, when he ascended from Egypt, from the parts of Arnon, as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now therefore, restore these to me with peace.”
14 And Jephthah yet once more sent messengers unto the king of the sons of Ammon;
And Jephthah again commissioned them, and he ordered them to say to the king 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;
“Jephthah says this: Israel did not take the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons 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,
But when they ascended together from Egypt, he walked through the desert as far as the Red Sea, and he went into Kadesh.
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 he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Permit me to pass through your land.’ But he was not willing to agree to his petition. Likewise, he sent to the king of Moab, who also refused to offer him passage. And so he delayed in Kadesh,
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 he circled around the side of the land of Edom and the land of Moab. And he arrived opposite the eastern region of the land of Moab. And he made camp across the Arnon. But he was not willing to enter the borders of Moab. (Of course, Arnon is the border of the land 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 so Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who was living at Heshbon. And they said to him, “Permit me to cross through your land as far as the river.”
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.
But he, too, despising the words of Israel, would not permit him to cross through his borders. Instead, gathering an innumerable multitude, he went out against him at Jahaz, and he resisted strongly.
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.
But the Lord delivered him, with his entire army, into the hands of Israel. And he struck him down, and he possessed all the land of the Amorite, the inhabitant of that region,
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.
with all its parts, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
23 Now, therefore, it was, Yahweh God of Israel, that dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, —and shalt, thou, possess it?
Therefore, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who overthrew the Amorites, by means of his people Israel fighting against them. And now you wish to possess 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?
Are not the things that your god Chemosh possesses owed to you by right? And so, what the Lord our God has obtained by victory falls to us as a possession.
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,
Or are you, perhaps, better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Or are you able to explain what his argument was against Israel, and why he fought against 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?
And though he has lived in Heshbon, and its villages, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan for three hundred years, why have you, for such long a time, put forward nothing about this claim?
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!
Therefore, I am not sinning against you, but you are doing evil against me, by declaring an unjust war against me. May the Lord be the Judge and the Arbiter this day, between Israel and the sons 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 sons of Ammon was not willing to agree to the words of Jephthah that he commissioned by the messengers.
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.
Therefore, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jephthah, and circling around Gilead, and Manasseh, and also Mizpah of Gilead, and crossing from there to the sons of Ammon,
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, —If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,
he made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you will deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands,
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.
whoever will be the first to depart from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, the same will I offer as a holocaust to the Lord.”
32 So then Jephthah passed over unto the sons of Ammon, to fight against them, —and Yahweh delivered them into his hand;
And Jephthah crossed to the sons of Ammon, so that he might fight against them. And the Lord delivered them into his hands.
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 down from Aroer, as far as the entrance to Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is covered with vineyards, in an exceedingly great slaughter. And the sons of Ammon were humbled by the sons 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.
But when Jephthah returned to Mizpah, to his own house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and dances. For he had no other children.
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 upon seeing her, he tore his garments, and he said: “Alas, my daughter! You have cheated me, and you yourself have been cheated. For I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do nothing else.”
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 answered him, “My father, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me whatever you have promised, since victory has been granted to you, as well as vengeance against your enemies.”
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: “Grant to me this one thing, which I request. Permit me, that I may wander the hillsides for two months, and that I may mourn my virginity with 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 answered her, “Go.” And he released her for two months. And when she had departed with her friends and companions, she wept over her virginity in the hillsides.
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 when the two months expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her just as he had vowed, though she knew no man. From this, the custom grew up in Israel, and the practice has been preserved,
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.
such that, after each year passes, the daughters of Israel convene as one, and they lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, for four days.
