Judges 11
1 Now Yiphthach the Gil'adite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gil'ad had begotten Yiphthach.
And Jephthae the Galaadite [was] a mighty man; and he [was] the son of a harlot, who bore Jephthae to Galaad.
2 And the wife of Gil'ad also bore him sons; and when the sons of the wife were grown up, they drove away Yiphthach, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in the house of our father: for the son of another woman art thou.
And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up, and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, You shall not inherit in the house of our father, for you are the son of a concubine.
3 And Yiphthach fled away from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and there gathered themselves to Yiphthach idle men, and they went out with him.
And Jephthae fled from the face of his brethren, and lived in the land of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.
4 And it came to pass after some time, that the children of 'Ammon made war against Israel.
And it came to pass when the children of Ammon prepared to fight with Israel,
5 And it was so, when the children of 'Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gil'ad went to fetch Yiphthach out of the land of Tob.
that the elders of Galaad went to fetch Jephthae from the land of Tob.
6 And they said unto Yiphthach, Come, and become a leader unto us, that we may fight with the children of 'Ammon.
And they said to Jephthae, Come, and be our head, and we will fight with the sons of Ammon.
7 And Yiphthach said unto the elders of Gil'ad, Did ye not hate me, and drive me away out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now, when ye are in distress?
And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, Did you not hate me, and cast me out of my father's house, and banish me from you? and therefore are you come to me now when you lack me?
8 And the elders of Gil'ad said unto Yiphthach, Therefore are we now come back to thee, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of 'Ammon; and thou shalt become unto us a head, unto all the inhabitants of Gil'ad.
And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, Therefore have we now turned to you, that you should go with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
9 And Yiphthach said unto the elders of Gil'ad, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of 'Ammon, and the Lord give them up before me, shall I remain your head?
And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, If you turn me back to fight with the children of Ammon, and the Lord should deliver them before me, then will I be your head.
10 And the elders of Gil'ad said unto Yiphthach, The Lord shall be a hearer between us, if we do not so according to thy word.
And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, The Lord be witness between us, if we shall not do according to your word.
11 Then went Yiphthach with the elders of Gil'ad, and the people appointed him over them as head and as leader; and Yiphthach spoke all his words before the Lord in Mitzpah.
And Jephthae went with the elders of Galaad, and the people made him head and ruler over them: and Jephthae spoke all his words before the Lord in Massepha.
12 And Yiphthach sent messengers unto the king of the children of 'Ammon, saying, What have I to do with thee, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land?
And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have I to do with you, that you have come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the children of 'Ammon said unto the messengers of Yiphthach, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Yabbok, and unto the Jordan: and now restore these [lands] again in peace.
And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthae, Because Israel took my land when he went up out of Egypt, from Arnon to Jaboc, and to Jordan: now then return them peaceably and I will depart.
14 And Yiphthach again sent messengers unto the king of the children of 'Ammon;
And Jephthae again sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon,
15 And he said unto him, Thus hath said Yiphthach, Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of 'Ammon;
and said to him, Thus says Jephthae, Israel took not the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;
16 For when they came up out of Egypt, Israel walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;
for in their going up out of Egypt Israel went in the wilderness as far as the sea of Siph, and came to Cades.
17 And Israel then sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me pass, I pray thee, through thy land; but the king of Edom would not hearken; and also to the king of Moab they sent; but he would not consent: and Israel remained in Kadesh.
And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass, if it please you, by your land: and the king of Edom complied not: and [Israel] also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel sojourned in Cades.
18 Then they wandered through the wilderness, and traveled round the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came from the rising of the sun to the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon: but they came not within the border of Moab; for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab.
And [they] journeyed in the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab: and they came by the east of the land of Moab, an encamped in the country beyond Arnon, and came not within the borders of Moab, for Arnon [is] the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sichon the king of the Emorites, the king of Cheshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place.
And Israel sent messengers to Seon king of the Amorite, king of Esbon, and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, by your land to our place.
20 But Sichon trusted not Israel to [let them] pass through his territory; and Sichon assembled all his people, and encamped in Yahaz, and fought against Israel.
And Seon did not trust Israel to pass by his coast; and Seon gathered all his people, and they encamped at Jasa; and he set the battle in array against Israel.
21 and the Lord the God of Israel delivered Sichon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them; and Israel took possession of all the land of the Emorites, the inhabitants of that country.
And the Lord God of Israel delivered Seon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck him; and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorite who lived in that land,
22 And they took possession of all the territory of the Emorites, from the Arnon even unto the Yabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.
from Arnon and to Jaboc, and from the wilderness to Jordan.
23 So now the Lord the God of Israel hath dispossessed the Emorites from before his people Israel, and shouldst thou possess it?
And now the Lord God of Israel has removed the Amorite from before his people Israel, and shall you inherit his [land]?
24 Truly! that which Kemosh thy god may give thee to possess, even that canst thou possess; but whatsoever the Lord our God hath driven out from before us, even that will we possess.
Will you not inherit those possessions which Chamos your god shall cause you to inherit; and shall not we inherit the [land of] all those whom the Lord our God has removed from before you?
25 And now art thou then any better than Balak the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?
And now are you any better than Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab? did he indeed fight with Israel, or indeed make war with him,
26 [And] while Israel hath dwelt in Cheshbon and in its towns, and in 'Ar'or and in its towns, and in all the cities that are along the margins of the Arnon, three hundred years: why did ye not recover them within that time?
when [Israel] lived in Esebon and in its coasts, and in the land of Aroer and in its coasts, and in all the cities by Jordan, three hundred years? and therefore did you not recover them in that time?
27 Whereas I myself have not sinned against thee, and thou doest me wrong to war against me: may the Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the children of Israel and the children of 'Ammon.
And now I have not sinned against you, but you wrong me in preparing war against me: may the Lord the Judge judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Nevertheless the king of the children of 'Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Yiphthach which he had sent to him.
But the king of the children of Ammon listened not to the words of Jephthae, which he sent to him.
29 Then came upon Yiphthach the spirit of the Lord, and he passed through Gil'ad and Menasseh, and passed through Mitzpeh of Gil'ad, and from Mitzpeh of Gil'ad he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
And the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthae, and he passed over Galaad, and Manasse, and passed by the watch-tower of Galaad to the other side of the children of Ammon.
30 And Yiphthach made a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of 'Ammon into my hand,
And Jephthae vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
31 Then shall it be, that whatsoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of 'Ammon, shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.
then it shall come to pass that whoever shall first come out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, he shall be the Lord's: I will offer him up for a whole burnt offering.
32 So Yiphthach passed over unto the children of 'Ammon to fight against them: and the Lord delivered them into his hand.
And Jephthae advanced to meet the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.
33 And he smote them from 'Aro'er, even till thou comest to Minnith, twenty cities, and unto Abel-keramin, with a very great defeat; and the children of 'Ammon were humbled before the children of Israel.
And he struck them from Aroer till [one] comes to Arnon, in number twenty cities, and as far as Ebelcharmim, with a very great destruction: and the children of Ammon were straitened before the children of Israel.
34 And Yiphthach came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his sole child; he had beside her neither son nor daughter.
And Jephthae came to Massepha to his house; and behold, his daughter came forth to meet him with timbrels and dances; and she was his only child, he had not another son or daughter.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast bent me down very low, and thou art one of those that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.
And it came to pass when he saw her, that he tore his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, you have indeed troubled me, and you were the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against you to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.
36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me in accordance with what hath proceeded out of thy mouth; since the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee on thy enemies, on the children of 'Ammon.
And she said to him, Father, have you opened your mouth to the Lord? Do to me accordingly as [the word] went out of your mouth, in that the Lord has wrought vengeance for you on your enemies of the children of Ammon.
37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let me alone two months, that I may descend to the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I with my companions.
And she said to her father, Let my father now do this thing: let me alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains, and I will bewail my virginity, I and my companions.
38 And he aid, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.
And he said, Go: and he sent her away for two months; and she went, and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.
39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed; and she knew no man; and it became a custom in Israel,
And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man:
40 That the daughters of Israel went from year to year to lament for the daughter of Yiphthach the Gil'adite four days in the year.
and it was an ordinance in Israel, [That] the daughters of Israel went from year to year to bewail the daughter of Jephthae the Galaadite for four days in a year.
