‏ Judges 11

CHAPTER 11

Jephthah Judges Israel

1And Jephthah the Gileadite was mighty in strength. And he was  the son [²woman ¹of a harlot]. And she bore [²to  ³Gilead   ¹Jephthah]. 2And [³bore ¹the ²wife] to Gilead himself sons. And [⁵matured ¹the ²sons ³of the ⁴woman], and they cast out   Jephthah, and said to him, You shall not inherit among the house   of our father, for [³a son ⁵woman ⁴of a mistress ¹you ²are]. 3And Jephthah ran away from the face   of his brothers, and he dwelt in the land of Tob. And [³collected together ⁴with   ⁵Jephthah ²men ¹cheap], and went forth together with him. 4And it came to pass after some days, that [⁴waged war ¹the ²sons ³of Ammon] against Israel. And it came to pass when [⁴waged war ¹the ²sons ³of Ammon] with Israel, 5that [⁴went forth ¹the ²elders ³of Gilead] to take   Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6And they said to Jephthah, Come, and you will be to us as a leader, for we shall make war with the sons of Ammon. 7And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did you not detest me, and cast me from out of the house   of my father, and sent me from you? And why is it that you came to me now when you are afflicted? 8And [⁴said ¹the ²elders ³of Gilead] to Jephthah, Not so, now we gathered together to you, and you shall go with us, and we shall wage war against the sons of Ammon, and you will be to us as head to all the ones dwelling in Gilead. 9And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you return me to yourselves to make war against the sons of Ammon, and [²should deliver ¹the lord] them before me, I will be to you for head ruler. 10And [⁴said ¹the ²elders ³of Gilead] to Jephthah, Let the lord  be the one hearing between us! if we do not do according to   your word thus we will do. 11And Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and [³established ¹the ²people] him over them as head, and for leader. And Jephthah spoke all   his words before the lord  in Mizpeh. 12And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What is it to me and to you, that you come to me   to wage war in   my land? 13And [⁴said ¹the king ²of the sons ³of Ammon] to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took   my land in   their ascending from out of Egypt, from Arnon unto Jabok, and unto the Jordan. And now return them with peace! 14And [²added ¹Jephthah again], and he sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon. 15And they said to him, Thus says Jephthah, [²did not ³take ¹Israel] the land of Moab, and the land of the sons of Ammon. 16In   their ascending from out of Egypt, it is that  Israel went in the wilderness unto [²sea ¹the red], and came to Kadesh. 17And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I shall go through   your land. And [³did not ⁴hearken ¹the king ²of Edom], and indeed to the king of Moab Israel sent, and he would not, and Israel settled in Kadesh. 18And Israel went through in the wilderness, and encircled the land of Edom and the land of Moab. And it arrived according to the rising of the sun of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of Arnon, and did not enter into the border of Moab. 19And [²sent ³messengers ¹Israel] to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. And [²said ³to him ¹Israel], I shall go by through   your land unto   my place. 20And [²did not ³want ¹Sihon]   Israel to go through   his borders. And Sihon gathered all   his people, and they camped at Jahaz, and he waged war with Israel. 21And [⁴delivered up ¹the lord    ²God ³of Israel]   Sihon and all   his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorites   dwelling in   that land. 22And Israel inherited all the border of the Amorites, from Arnon and unto the Jabok, and from the wilderness unto the Jordan. 23And now the lord    God of Israel lifted away the Amorite from the face of his people Israel, and you, shall you inherit it? 24Is it not that as much as [³allots ⁴to you ¹Chemosh   ²your god], them you will inherit? And all as much as [³inherits ¹the lord    ²our God] from your person we shall inherit them. 25And now [³any better ¹are ²you] than Balak son of Sephor king of Moab? Did he with battle do combat with Israel, or by war wage war with them? 26In the living of Israel in Heshbon, and in   her daughter cities, and in Aroer, and in   her daughter cities, and in all the cities   by the Jordan for three hundred years -- Why is it that you did not rescue them in   that time? 27And I sinned not against you, but you do [²with ³me ¹wickedness]   to wage war against me. May the lord judge, the one judging today, between the sons of Israel and between the sons of Ammon. 28And [⁴would not ⁵hearken to ¹the king ²of the sons ³of Ammon] the words of Jephthah which he sent to him. 29And [³became ⁴upon ⁵Jephthah ¹spirit ²of the lord], and he passed over   Gilead, and   Manasseh, and he passed over the height of Gilead, and from the height of Gilead to the other side of the sons of Ammon.

Jephthah's Vow

30And Jephthah vowed a vow to the lord, and he said, If by delivering up you should deliver up the sons of Ammon in my hand, 31then it will be concerning the one going forth, who ever might come from the doors   of my house for meeting me in   my returning in peace from the sons of Ammon, that it will be to the lord, and I will offer him a whole burnt-offering. 32And Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon   to wage war against them. And [²delivered ³them ¹the lord] into his hand. 33And he struck them from Aroer even unto the coming to Minnith -- twenty cities, and unto the Abel vineyards, [³beating ²great ¹an exceedingly]. And [⁴showed respect ¹the ²sons ³of Ammon] in front of the sons of Israel. 34And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to   his house. And behold,   his daughter went forth for meeting him with tambourines and dancers, and she was  an only child. And there was not to him [⁴besides ⁵her ¹a son ²or ³daughter]. 35And it happened when he beheld her, that he tore   his garments, and said, Alas my daughter you impede me, for [²an impediment ¹you became] in my eyes, and I opened   my mouth concerning you to the lord, and I shall not be able   to turn back. 36And she said to him, If about me you opened   your mouth to the lord, let him do to me in which manner it came forth from out of   your mouth, because [²did ⁴for you ¹the lord  ³vengeance] on   your enemies, of the sons of Ammon. 37And she said to   her father, And do to me   this thing! Allow me two months and I shall go and shall come down upon the mountains, and I shall weep over the tokens of my virginity, I and   my female companions. 38And he said, Go! And he sent her out for two months. And she went, she and   her female companions. And they wept over the tokens of her virginity upon the mountains. 39And it came to pass after the end of the two months, that she returned to   her father, and Jephthah completed   his vow which he vowed. And she did not know a man. And it became an order in Israel, 40from days unto days [⁴go with one another  ¹the ²daughters ³of Israel] to wail over the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite   four days in the year.