Now Jephthah the Gileadite
was a mighty man
of valour
, and he was the son
of an harlot
: and Gilead
begat
Jephthah
.
And Gilead's wife
bare
him sons
; and his wife's
sons
grew up
, and they thrust out
Jephthah
, and said
unto him, Thou shalt not inherit
in our father's
house
; for thou art the son
of a strange
woman
.
Then Jephthah fled
from
his brethren
, and dwelt
in the land
of Tob
: and there were gathered
vain
men
to Jephthah
, and went out
with him.
And it came to pass in process of time, that the children
of Ammon
made war
against Israel
.
And it was so, that when the children of Ammon
made war
against Israel
, the elders
of Gilead
went
to fetch
Jephthah
out of the land
of Tob
:
And they said unto Jephthah
, Come
, and be our captain
, that we may fight
with the children
of Ammon
.
And Jephthah said
unto the elders
of Gilead
, Did not ye hate
me, and expel
me out of my father's
house
? and why are ye come
unto me now when ye are in distress
?
And the elders of Gilead
said
unto Jephthah
, Therefore we turn again
to thee now, that thou mayest go
with us, and fight
against the children
of Ammon
, and be our head
over all the inhabitants
of Gilead
.
And Jephthah said
unto the elders
of Gilead
, If ye bring me home again
to fight
against the children
of Ammon
, and the LORD
deliver
them before
me, shall I be your head
?
And the elders of Gilead
said
unto Jephthah
, The LORD
be witness
between us, if we do
not so according to thy words
.
Then Jephthah went
with the elders
of Gilead
, and the people
made
him head
and captain
over them: and Jephthah
uttered
all his words
before
the LORD
in Mizpeh
.
And Jephthah sent
messengers
unto the king
of the children
of Ammon
, saying
, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come
against me to fight
in my land
?
And the king of the children
of Ammon
answered
unto the messengers
of Jephthah
, Because Israel
took away
my land
, when they came up
out of Egypt
, from Arnon
even unto Jabbok
, and unto Jordan
: now therefore restore those lands again
peaceably
.
And Jephthah sent
messengers
again
unto the king
of the children
of Ammon
:
And said unto him, Thus saith
Jephthah
, Israel
took not away
the land
of Moab
, nor the land
of the children
of Ammon
:
But when Israel came up
from Egypt
, and walked
through the wilderness
unto the Red
sea
, and came
to Kadesh
;
Then Israel sent
messengers
unto the king
of Edom
, saying
, Let me, I pray thee, pass through
thy land
: but the king
of Edom
would not hearken
thereto . And in like manner they sent
unto the king
of Moab
: but he would
not consent : and Israel
abode
in Kadesh
.
Then they went along through the wilderness
, and compassed
the land
of Edom
, and the land
of Moab
, and came
by the east side
of the land
of Moab
, and pitched
on the other side
of Arnon
, but came
not within the border
of Moab
: for Arnon
was the border
of Moab
.
And Israel sent
messengers
unto Sihon
king
of the Amorites
, the king
of Heshbon
; and Israel
said
unto him, Let us pass
, we pray thee, through thy land
into
my place
.
But Sihon trusted
not Israel
to pass
through his coast
: but Sihon
gathered
all his people
together
, and pitched
in Jahaz
, and fought
against Israel
.
And the LORD God
of Israel
delivered
Sihon
and all his people
into the hand
of Israel
, and they smote
them: so Israel
possessed
all the land
of the Amorites
, the inhabitants
of that country
.
And they possessed all the coasts
of the Amorites
, from Arnon
even unto Jabbok
, and from the wilderness
even unto Jordan
.
So now the LORD God
of Israel
hath dispossessed
the Amorites
from before
his people
Israel
, and shouldest thou possess
it?
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh
thy god
giveth thee to possess
? So whomsoever the LORD
our God
shall drive out
from before
us, them will we possess
.
And now art thou any thing better than Balak
the son
of Zippor
, king
of Moab
? did he ever
strive
against Israel
, or did he ever
fight
against them,
While Israel dwelt
in Heshbon
and her towns
, and in Aroer
and her towns
, and in all the cities
that be along by the coasts
of Arnon
, three
hundred
years
? why therefore did ye not recover
them within that time
?
Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest
me wrong
to war
against me: the LORD
the Judge
be judge
this day
between the children
of Israel
and the children
of Ammon
.
Howbeit the king of the children
of Ammon
hearkened
not unto the words
of Jephthah
which he sent
him.
Then the Spirit of the LORD
came upon Jephthah
, and he passed over
Gilead
, and Manasseh
, and passed over
Mizpeh
of Gilead
, and from Mizpeh
of Gilead
he passed over
unto the children
of Ammon
.
And Jephthah vowed
a vow
unto the LORD
, and said
, If thou shalt without fail
deliver
the children
of Ammon
into mine hands
,
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth
of the doors
of my house
to meet
me, when I return
in peace
from the children
of Ammon
, shall surely be the LORD'S
, and I will offer it up
for a burnt offering
.
So Jephthah passed over
unto the children
of Ammon
to fight
against them; and the LORD
delivered
them into his hands
.
And he smote them from Aroer
, even till thou come
to Minnith
, even twenty
cities
, and unto the plain
of the vineyards
, with a very
great
slaughter
. Thus the children
of Ammon
were subdued
before
the children
of Israel
.
And Jephthah came
to Mizpeh
unto his house
, and, behold, his daughter
came out
to meet
him with timbrels
and with dances
: and she was his only child
; beside her he had neither son
nor
daughter
.
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent
his clothes
, and said
, Alas
, my daughter
! thou hast brought
me very
low
, and thou art one of them that trouble
me: for I have opened
my mouth
unto the LORD
, and I cannot
go back
.
And she said unto him, My father
, if thou hast opened
thy mouth
unto the LORD
, do
to me according to that which
hath proceeded
out of thy mouth
; forasmuch
as the LORD
hath taken
vengeance
for thee of thine enemies
, even of the children
of Ammon
.
And she said unto her father
, Let this thing
be done
for me: let me alone
two
months
, that I may go up
and down
upon the mountains
, and bewail
my virginity
, I and my fellows
.
And he said, Go
. And he sent her away
for two
months
: and she went
with her companions
, and bewailed
her virginity
upon the mountains
.
And it came to pass at the end of two
months
, that she returned
unto her father
, who did
with her according to his vow
which he had vowed
: and she knew
no man
. And it was a custom
in Israel
,
That the daughters of Israel
went
yearly
to lament
the daughter
of Jephthah
the Gileadite
four
days
in a year
.