Judges 11 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Jephthah Delivers Israel

Now Jephthah^H3316 the Gileadite^H1569 was a mighty^H1368 man^H1368 of valor^H2428, but he was the son^H1121 of a harlot^H802^H2181. And Gilead^H1568 [fn]became the father^H3205 of Jephthah^H3316.

Jdg 11:2

Jdg 11:2And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”

Jdg 11:3

Jdg 11:3So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves [fn]about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

Jdg 11:4

Now it happened^H1961 after^H4480 a while^H3117 that the sons^H1121 of Ammon^H5983 fought^H3898 against^H5973 Israel^H3478.

Jdg 11:5

Jdg 11:5So it happened that as the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

Jdg 11:6

Jdg 11:6and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”

Jdg 11:7

Jdg 11:7Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”

Jdg 11:8

Jdg 11:8And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jdg 11:9

Jdg 11:9So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and Yahweh gives them up [fn]to me, will I become your head?”

Jdg 11:10

Jdg 11:10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh is [fn]witness between us; surely we will do [fn]as you have said.”

Jdg 11:11

Jdg 11:11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at Mizpah.

Jdg 11:12

And Jephthah^H3316 sent^H7971 messengers^H4397 to the king^H4428 of the sons^H1121 of Ammon^H5983, saying^H559, “What^H4100 is between you and me, that you have come^H935 to me to fight^H3898 against my land^H776?”

Jdg 11:13

Jdg 11:13Then the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan; so now, return them peaceably.”

Jdg 11:14

Jdg 11:14But Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon,

Jdg 11:15

Jdg 11:15and they said to him, “Thus says Jephthah, ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon.

Jdg 11:16

Jdg 11:16‘For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the [fn]Red Sea and came to Kadesh,

Jdg 11:17

Jdg 11:17then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land,” but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

Jdg 11:18

Jdg 11:18‘Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came to the east toward the sunrise of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

Jdg 11:19

Jdg 11:19‘And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.”

Jdg 11:20

Jdg 11:20‘But Sihon did not believe Israel to allow them to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz and fought with Israel.

Jdg 11:21

Jdg 11:21‘Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them down; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

Jdg 11:22

Jdg 11:22‘So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.

Jdg 11:23

Jdg 11:23‘So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel. Are you then to possess it?

Jdg 11:24

Jdg 11:24‘Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever Yahweh our God has taken possession of before us, we will possess it.

Jdg 11:25

Jdg 11:25‘So now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

Jdg 11:26

Jdg 11:26‘While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns and in Aroer and its towns and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them for yourself within that time?

Jdg 11:27

Jdg 11:27‘I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me evil by making war against me; may Yahweh, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’”

Jdg 11:28

Jdg 11:28But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words which Jephthah sent him.

Jephthah Vows a Burnt Offering

Jdg 11:29

Now the Spirit^H7307 of Yahweh^H3068 came^H1961 upon Jephthah^H3316, so that he passed^H5674 through^H5674 Gilead^H1568 and Manasseh^H4519; then he passed^H5674 through^H5674 Mizpah^H4708 of Gilead^H1568, and from Mizpah^H4708 of Gilead^H1568 he went^H5674 on^H5674 to the sons^H1121 of Ammon^H5983.

Jdg 11:30

Jdg 11:30Then Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

Jdg 11:31

Jdg 11:31then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

Jdg 11:32

Jdg 11:32So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh gave them into his hand.

Jdg 11:33

Jdg 11:33And he struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer [fn]to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

Jdg 11:34

Then Jephthah^H3316 came^H935 to his house^H1004 at Mizpah^H4709. And behold^H2009, his daughter^H1323 was coming^H3318 out^H3318 to meet^H7122 him with tambourines^H8596 and with dancing^H4246. Now she was his one^H7534 and only^H3173 child^H3173; besides^H4480 her he had^H369 no^H369 son^H1121 or^H176 daughter^H1323.

Jdg 11:35

Jdg 11:35So it happened that when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me. But I have opened my mouth to vow to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back.”

Jdg 11:36

Jdg 11:36So she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to vow to Yahweh; do to me according to what has gone out from your mouth, since Yahweh has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.”

Jdg 11:37

Jdg 11:37Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may [fn]go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions.”

Jdg 11:38

Jdg 11:38Then he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months; and she went with her companions and wept on the mountains because of her virginity.

Jdg 11:39

Jdg 11:39And it happened at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she did not know a man. Thus it became a [fn]custom in Israel,

Jdg 11:40