Judges 11
11
1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of another woman. 3Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5And 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; 6and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 8And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore are we turned again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Jehovah shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do. 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spake all his words before Jehovah in Mizpah.
12And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land? 13And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon; 15and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon; 16but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh; 17then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19And 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 unto my place. 20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21And Jehovah, the 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. 22And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan. 23So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them? 24Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. 25And now art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29Then the Spirit of Jehovah 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. 30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. 32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 33And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And 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 Jehovah, and I cannot go back. 36And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon. 37And 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. 38And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39And 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 not man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
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Judges 11: ASV
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Judges 11
11
Jephthah
1Now #Heb. 11:32Jephthah the Gileadite was #Judg. 6:12; 2 Kin. 5:1a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 2Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have #Gen. 21:10; Deut. 23:2no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of #2 Sam. 10:6, 8Tob; and #1 Sam. 22:2worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
4It came to pass after a time that the #Judg. 10:9, 17people of Ammon made war against Israel. 5And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”
7So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, #Gen. 26:27“Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
8#Judg. 10:18And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have #(Luke 17:4)turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be #Judg. 10:18our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”
10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, #Gen. 31:49, 50; Jer. 29:23; 42:5“The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him #Judg. 11:8head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words #Judg. 10:17; 20:1; 1 Sam. 10:17before the Lord in Mizpah.
12Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, #2 Sam. 16:10“What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”
13And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, #Num. 21:24–26“Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from #Josh. 13:9the Arnon as far as #Gen. 32:22the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.”
14So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 15and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: #Deut. 2:9, 19‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; 16for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and #Num. 13:26; 20:1came to Kadesh. 17Then #Num. 20:14Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” #Num. 20:14–21But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the #Josh. 24:9king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel #Num. 20:1remained in Kadesh. 18And they #Deut. 2:9, 18, 19went along through the wilderness and #Num. 21:4bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19Then #Num. 21:21; Deut. 2:26–36Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please #Num. 21:22; Deut. 2:27let us pass through your land into our place.” 20#Num. 21:23; Deut. 2:27But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21And the Lord God of Israel #Josh. 24:8delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they #Num. 21:24, 25defeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22They took possession of #Deut. 2:36, 37all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23‘And now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? 24Will you not possess whatever #Num. 21:29; 1 Kin. 11:7; Jer. 48:7Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever #(Deut. 9:4, 5; Josh. 3:10)the Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. 25And now, are you any better than #Num. 22:2; Josh. 24:9; Mic. 6:5Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? 26While Israel dwelt in #Num. 21:25, 26Heshbon and its villages, in #Deut. 2:36Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? 27Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, #Gen. 18:25the Judge, #Gen. 16:5; 31:53; (1 Sam. 24:12, 15)render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ” 28However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.
Jephthah’s Vow and Victory
29Then #Judg. 3:10the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30And Jephthah #Gen. 28:20; Num. 30:2; 1 Sam. 1:11made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, #Lev. 27:2, 3, 28; 1 Sam. 1:11shall surely be the Lord’s, #Ps. 66:13and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33And he defeated them from Aroer as far as #Ezek. 27:17Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
Jephthah’s Daughter
34When Jephthah came to his house at #Judg. 10:17; 11:11Mizpah, there was #Ex. 15:20; 1 Sam. 18:6; Ps. 68:25; Jer. 31:4his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he #Gen. 37:29, 34tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I #Eccl. 5:2, 4, 5have given my word to the Lord, and #Num. 30:2I cannot go back on it.”
36So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, #Num. 30:2do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because #2 Sam. 18:19, 31the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”
38So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he #Judg. 11:31carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.
And it became a custom in Israel 40that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.