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The Book of Judges 11

11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a warrior of strength, but he was the son of a woman committing fornication. Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 The wife of Gilead also gave birth to his sons. When the sons of the wife grew up, they drove out Jephthah and they said to him, “You will not inherit from the house of our father since a son of another woman are you.” 3 So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers and he settled in the land of Tob. Unprincipled men associated around Jephthah and they went about with him.

4 Now it happened after some days that the sons of Ammon fought with Israel. 5 It was when the sons of Ammon fought with Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to summon Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and you will be for us as commander so we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” 7 But Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Do you yourselves not hate me since you drove me out of the house of my father? Why have you come to me now when you have trouble?” 8 Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Rightly, now we have turned back to you; so come with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and you will become commander for us over all residing in Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me back to fight against the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh gives them over before me, I will actually be your leader?” 10 Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh will be a witness between us, surely according to your word, thus we will do!” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him as commander and leader over themselves. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in the Mizpah.

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What has happened with respect to me and to you, that you have come against me to fight over my land?” 13 The king of the sons of Ammon responded to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel seized my land at his going up out of Egypt, from Arnon up to the Jabbok, and over to the Jordan. Now return them in peace.” 14 Then Jephthah continued again and sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, 15 and he said to him, “Thus Jephthah said: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the sons of Ammon. 16 However in their coming up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness as far as the Sea of Reeds and he came to Kadesh. 17 When Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please may I pass through your land,’ the king of Edom would not listen. He likewise sent to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 18 Then he went through the wilderness and turned away from the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and he went to the place of the rising of the sun for the land of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not go within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorite, the king of Heshbon. Israel said to him, ‘Please, let us pass through your land as far as my place.’ 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel passing through within his border. So Sihon assembled all of his people together and they camped at Jahaz, and he fought with Israel. 21 Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all of his people over into the hand of Israel and they defeated them. Thus Israel possessed all of the land of the Amorite inhabiting that region. 22 They possessed everything within the territory of the Amorite, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan. 23 Since therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, has expelled the Amorite out of the presence of his people Israel, will you indeed possess it? 24 Will you not take possession if Chemosh, your god, allows you to possess it? So all that Yahweh our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess it. 25 Now are you really better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he dare contend with Israel or did he ever wage war against them? 26 While Israel resided three hundred years in Heshbon and in its villages, and in Aroer and in its villages, and in all the cities that are along the banks of the Arnon—why then did you not repossess during that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you are doing wrong in dealing with me by fighting against me. Yahweh, the judge, will decide today between the sons of Israel and between the sons of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he had sent to him.

29 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah, and he passed through the Gilead and Manasseh, and he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through the sons of Ammon. 30 Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh and said, “If you truly give the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be the one who comes out, whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, that he will belong to Yahweh, and I will offer him up as a whole burnt offering.” 32 So Jephthah passed through to the sons of Ammon to fight against them, and Yahweh gave them into his hand. 33 Then he attacked them from Aroer and as far as your coming in to Minnith, twenty cities, and up to Abel Keramim, an exceedingly great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued by the presence of the sons of Israel.

34 Jephthah came into the Mizpah area, to his house, and look, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. However, she was an only child; he did not have a son or daughter apart from her. 35 Now it happened when he saw her that he tore his garments and he said, “Alas, my daughter! Indeed, you have made me bow in grief, and you are among those who cause me pain! For I have opened my mouth to Yahweh and I am not able to turn back.” 36 Then she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh. Do to me according to what came forth from your mouth, after what Yahweh has done for you: complete vengeance against your enemies, against the sons of Ammon.” 37 She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me. Release me for two months, so I may go away and I will fall prostrate on the hills and I will weep on account of my virginity, I and my companions.” 38 He replied, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months. She went, she and her companions, and she wept on account of her virginity on the hills. 39 Now it happened at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with respect to her that he had vowed. She did not know a man, and it became a custom in Israel. 40 From time to time the daughters of Israel went to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days during the year.

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