Judges 11
1 And so in that tyme Jepte, a man of Galaad, was a ful strong man, and fiytere, the sone of a womman hoore, which Jepte was borun of Galaad.
At that time, there was a Gileadite, Jephthah, a very strong man and a fighter, the son of a kept woman, and he was born of Gilead.
2 Forsothe Galaad hadde a wijf, of which he hadde sones, whiche aftir that thei encressiden, castiden out Jepte, and seiden, Thou maist not be eir in the hows of oure fadir, for thou art born of a modir auoutresse.
Now Gilead had a wife, from whom he received sons. And they, after growing up, cast out Jephthah, saying, “You cannot inherit in the house of our father, because you were born of another mother.”
3 `Whiche britheren he fledde, and eschewide, and dwellide in the lond of Tob; and pore men and `doynge thefte weren gaderid to hym, and sueden as a prince.
And so, fleeing and avoiding them, he lived in the land of Tob. And men who were indigent and robbers joined with him, and they followed him as their leader.
4 In tho daies the sones of Amon fouyten ayens Israel;
In those days, the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.
5 and whanne thei contynueden scharpli, the grettere men in birthe of Galaad, yeden to take in to `the help of hem silf Jepte fro the lond of Tob;
And being steadfastly attacked, the elders of Gilead traveled so that they might obtain for their assistance Jephthah, from the land of Tob.
6 and thei seiden to hym, Come thou, and be oure prince, and fiyte ayens the sones of Amon.
And they said to him, “Come and be our leader, and fight against the sons of Ammon.”
7 To whiche he answeride, Whethir not ye it ben, that haten me, and castiden me out of the hows of mi fadir, and now ye camen to me, and weren compellid bi nede?
But he answered them: “Are you not the ones who hated me, and who cast me out of my father’s house? And yet now you come to me, compelled by necessity?”
8 And the princes of Galaad seiden to Jepte, Therfor for this cause we camen now to thee, that thou go with vs, and fiyt ayens the sones of Amon; and that thou be the duyk of alle men that dwellen in Galaad.
And the leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “But it is due to this necessity that we have approached you now, so that you may set out with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be commander over all who live in Gilead.”
9 And Jepte seide to hem, Whether ye camen verili to me, that Y fiyte for you ayens the sones of Amon, and if the Lord schal bitake hem in to myn hondis, schal Y be youre prince?
Jephthah also said to them: “If you have come to me so that I may fight for you against the sons of Ammon, and if the Lord will deliver them into my hands, will I truly be your leader?”
10 Whiche answeriden to hym, The Lord hym silf, that herith these thingis, is mediatour and witnesse, that we schulen do oure biheestis.
They answered him, “The Lord who hears these things is himself the Mediator and the Witness that we shall do what we have promised.”
11 And so Jepte wente with the princes of Galaad, and al the puple made hym her prince; and Jepte spak alle hise wordis bifor the Lord in Maspha.
And so Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and all the people made him their leader. And Jephthah spoke all his words, in the sight of the Lord, at Mizpah.
12 And he sente messangeris to the kyng of the sones of Amon, whiche messangeris schulden seie `of his persoone, What is to me and to thee, for thou hast come `ayens me to waaste my lond?
And he sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, who said on his behalf, “What is there between you and me, that you would approach against me, so that you might lay waste to my land?”
13 To whiche the kyng answeride, For Israel whanne he stiede fro Egipt took awei my lond, fro the coostis of Arnon `til to Jaboch and to Jordan, now therfor yeelde it to me with pees.
And he responded to them, “It is because Israel took my land, when he ascended from Egypt, from the parts of Arnon, as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now therefore, restore these to me with peace.”
14 Bi whiche massangeris Jepte sente eft, and comaundide to hem, that thei schulden seie to the kyng of Amon,
And Jephthah again commissioned them, and he ordered them to say to the king of Ammon:
15 Jepte seith these thingis, Israel took not the lond of Moab, nether the lond of the sones of Amon;
“Jephthah says this: Israel did not take the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon.
16 but whanne thei stieden fro Egipt, `he yede bi the wildirnesse `til to the Reed See, and cam in to Cades;
But when they ascended together from Egypt, he walked through the desert as far as the Red Sea, and he went into Kadesh.
17 and he sente messangeris to the kyng of Edom, and seide, Suffre thou me, that Y go thoruy thi lond; which kyng nolde assente to his preyeres. Also Israel sente to the kyng of Moab, and he dispiside to yyue passage;
And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Permit me to pass through your land.’ But he was not willing to agree to his petition. Likewise, he sent to the king of Moab, who also refused to offer him passage. And so he delayed in Kadesh,
18 and so Israel dwellyde in Cades, and cumpasside bi the side the lond of Edom, and the lond of Moab; and he cam to the eest coost of the lond of Moab, and settide tentis biyende Arnon, nether he wolde entre in to the termes of Moab; for Arnon is the ende of the lond of Moab.
and he circled around the side of the land of Edom and the land of Moab. And he arrived opposite the eastern region of the land of Moab. And he made camp across the Arnon. But he was not willing to enter the borders of Moab. (Of course, Arnon is the border of the land of Moab.)
19 And so Israel sente messangeris to Seon, kyng of Ammorreis, that dwellide in Esebon; and thei seiden to hym, Suffre thou, that Y passe thorouy thi lond `til to the ryuer.
And so Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who was living at Heshbon. And they said to him, “Permit me to cross through your land as far as the river.”
20 And he dispiside the wordis of Israel, and suffride not hym passe bi hise termes, but with a multitude with out noumbre gaderid to gidere he yede out ayens Israel, and ayenstood strongli.
But he, too, despising the words of Israel, would not permit him to cross through his borders. Instead, gathering an innumerable multitude, he went out against him at Jahaz, and he resisted strongly.
21 And the Lord bitook hym with al his oost in to the hondis of Israel; and Israel smoot hym, and hadde in possessioun al the lond of Ammorrey,
But the Lord delivered him, with his entire army, into the hands of Israel. And he struck him down, and he possessed all the land of the Amorite, the inhabitant of that region,
22 dwellere of that cuntrey, and al the coostis therof fro Arnon `til to Jaboch, and fro the wildirnesse `til to Jordan.
with all its parts, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
23 Therfor the Lord God of Israel distriede Ammorrey, fiytynge ayens hym for his puple Israel. And wolt thou now haue in possessioun `his lond? Whether not tho thingis whiche Chamos, thi god, hadde in possessioun, ben due to thee bi riyt?
Therefore, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who overthrew the Amorites, by means of his people Israel fighting against them. And now you wish to possess his land?
24 Forsothe tho thingis whiche `oure Lord God ouercomere gat, schulen falle in to oure possessioun;
Are not the things that your god Chemosh possesses owed to you by right? And so, what the Lord our God has obtained by victory falls to us as a possession.
25 no but in hap thou art betere than Balach, the sone of Sephor, kyng of Moab, ether thou maist preue, that he stryuede ayens Israel, and fauyt ayens hym,
Or are you, perhaps, better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Or are you able to explain what his argument was against Israel, and why he fought against him?
26 whanne he dwellide in Esebon, and in townes therof, and in Aroer, and in townes therof, and in alle citees biyende Jordan, bi thre hundrid yeer. Whi in so myche time assaieden ye no thing on this axyng ayen?
And though he has lived in Heshbon, and its villages, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan for three hundred years, why have you, for such long a time, put forward nothing about this claim?
27 Therfor not Y do synne ayens thee, but thou doist yuel ayens me, and bryngist in batels not iust to me; the Lord, iuge of this dai, deme bitwixe the sones of Israel and bitwixe the sones of Amon.
Therefore, I am not sinning against you, but you are doing evil against me, by declaring an unjust war against me. May the Lord be the Judge and the Arbiter this day, between Israel and the sons of Ammon.”
28 And the kyng of the sones of Amon nolde assente to the wordis of Jepte, whiche he sente bi messangeris.
But the king of the sons of Ammon was not willing to agree to the words of Jephthah that he commissioned by the messengers.
29 Therfor the spirit of the Lord was maad on Jepte, and he cumpasside Galaad and Manasses, Maspha and Galaad; and he passide fro thennus to the sones of Amon,
Therefore, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jephthah, and circling around Gilead, and Manasseh, and also Mizpah of Gilead, and crossing from there to the sons of Ammon,
30 and made a vow to the Lord, and seide, If thou schalt bitake the sones of Amon in to myn hondis,
he made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you will deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands,
31 who euer goith out first of the dores of myn hows, and cometh ayens me turnynge ayen with pees fro the sones of Amon, Y schal offre hym brent sacrifice to the Lord.
whoever will be the first to depart from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, the same will I offer as a holocaust to the Lord.”
32 And Jepte yede to the sones of Amon, to fiyte ayens hem, whiche the Lord bitook in to hise hondis;
And Jephthah crossed to the sons of Ammon, so that he might fight against them. And the Lord delivered them into his hands.
33 and he smoot fro Aroer `til to thou comest in to Mennyth, twenti citees, and `til to Abel, which is set aboute with vyneris, with ful greet veniaunce; and the sones of Amon weren maad low of the sones of Israel.
And he struck them down from Aroer, as far as the entrance to Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is covered with vineyards, in an exceedingly great slaughter. And the sons of Ammon were humbled by the sons of Israel.
34 Forsothe whanne Jepte turnede ayen in to Maspha, his hows, his oon gendrid douyter cam to hym with tympanys and croudis; for he hadde not othere fre children.
But when Jephthah returned to Mizpah, to his own house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and dances. For he had no other children.
35 And whanne `sche was seyn, he to-rente his clothis, and seide, Allas! my douytir, thou hast disseyued me, and thou art disseyued; for Y openyde my mouth to the Lord, and Y may do noon other thing.
And upon seeing her, he tore his garments, and he said: “Alas, my daughter! You have cheated me, and you yourself have been cheated. For I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do nothing else.”
36 To whom sche answeride, My fadir, if thou openydist thi mouth to the Lord, do to me what euer thing thou bihiytist, while veniaunce and victorie of thin enemyes is grauntid to thee.
And she answered him, “My father, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me whatever you have promised, since victory has been granted to you, as well as vengeance against your enemies.”
37 And sche seide to the fadir, Yyue thou to me oneli this thing, which Y biseche; suffre thou me that in two monethis Y cumpasse hillis, and biweile my maidynhed with my felowis.
And she said to her father: “Grant to me this one thing, which I request. Permit me, that I may wander the hillsides for two months, and that I may mourn my virginity with my companions.”
38 To whom he answeride, Go thou. And he sufferide hir in two monethis. And whanne sche hadde go with hir felowis and pleiferis, sche biwepte hir maydynhed in the hillis.
And he answered her, “Go.” And he released her for two months. And when she had departed with her friends and companions, she wept over her virginity in the hillsides.
39 And whanne twey monethis weren fillid, sche turnede ayen to hir fadir, and he dide to hir as he avowide; and sche knew not fleischli a man. Fro thennus a custom cam in Israel,
And when the two months expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her just as he had vowed, though she knew no man. From this, the custom grew up in Israel, and the practice has been preserved,
40 and the custom is kept, that aftir the `ende of the yeer the douytris of Israel come togidere, and biweile `the douytir of Jepte of Galaad `foure daies.
such that, after each year passes, the daughters of Israel convene as one, and they lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, for four days.
