Iudicum 11
1 fuit illo tempore Iepthae Galaadites vir fortissimus atque pugnator filius meretricis mulieris qui natus est de Galaad
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. He was the son of a prostitute. Gilead became the father of Jephthah.
2 habuit autem Galaad uxorem de qua suscepit filios qui postquam creverant eiecerunt Iepthae dicentes heres in domo patris nostri esse non poteris quia de altera matre generatus es
Gilead’s wife bore him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will not inherit in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
3 quos ille fugiens atque devitans habitavit in terra Tob congregatique sunt ad eum viri inopes et latrocinantes et quasi principem sequebantur
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Outlaws joined up with Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4 in illis diebus pugnabant filii Ammon contra Israhel
After a while, the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 quibus acriter instantibus perrexerunt maiores natu de Galaad ut tollerent in auxilium sui Iepthae de terra Tob
When the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob.
6 dixeruntque ad eum veni et esto princeps noster et pugna contra filios Ammon
They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”
7 quibus ille respondit nonne vos estis qui odistis me et eiecistis de domo patris mei et nunc venistis ad me necessitate conpulsi
Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
8 dixeruntque principes Galaad ad Iepthae ob hanc igitur causam nunc ad te venimus ut proficiscaris nobiscum et pugnes contra filios Ammon sisque dux omnium qui habitant in Galaad
The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight with the children of Ammon. You will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9 Iepthae quoque dixit eis si vere venistis ad me ut pugnem pro vobis contra filios Ammon tradideritque eos Dominus in manus meas ego ero princeps vester
Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivers them before me, will I be your head?”
10 qui responderunt ei Dominus qui haec audit ipse mediator ac testis est quod nostra promissa faciamus
The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh will be witness between us. Surely we will do what you say.”
11 abiit itaque Iepthae cum principibus Galaad fecitque eum omnis populus principem sui locutusque est Iepthae omnes sermones suos coram Domino in Maspha
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.
12 et misit nuntios ad regem filiorum Ammon qui ex persona sua dicerent quid mihi et tibi est quia venisti contra me ut vastares terram meam
Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, “What do you have to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
13 quibus ille respondit quia tulit Israhel terram meam quando ascendit de Aegypto a finibus Arnon usque Iaboc atque Iordanem nunc igitur cum pace redde mihi eam
The king of the children of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore restore that territory again peaceably.”
14 per quos rursum mandavit Iepthae et imperavit eis ut dicerent regi Ammon
Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon;
15 haec dicit Iepthae non tulit Israhel terram Moab nec terram filiorum Ammon
and he said to him, “Jephthah says: Israel didn’t take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;
16 sed quando de Aegypto conscenderunt ambulavit per solitudinem usque ad mare Rubrum et venit in Cades
but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh,
17 misitque nuntios ad regem Edom dicens dimitte ut transeam per terram tuam qui noluit adquiescere precibus eius misit quoque et ad regem Moab qui et ipse transitum praebere contempsit mansit itaque in Cades
then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let me pass through your land;’ but the king of Edom didn’t listen. In the same way, he sent to the king of Moab, but he refused; so Israel stayed in Kadesh.
18 et circuivit ex latere terram Edom et terram Moab venitque contra orientalem plagam terrae Moab et castrametatus est trans Arnon nec voluit intrare terminos Moab Arnon quippe confinium est terrae Moab
Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they didn’t come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 misit itaque Israhel nuntios ad Seon regem Amorreorum qui habitabat in Esebon et dixerunt ei dimitte ut transeam per terram tuam usque ad fluvium
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 my place.’
20 qui et ipse Israhel verba despiciens non dimisit eum transire per terminos suos sed infinita multitudine congregata egressus est contra eum in Iassa et fortiter resistebat
But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 tradiditque eum Dominus in manu Israhel cum omni exercitu suo qui percussit eum et possedit omnem terram Amorrei habitatoris regionis illius
Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22 et universos fines eius de Arnon usque Iaboc et de solitudine usque ad Iordanem
They possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
23 Dominus ergo Deus Israhel subvertit Amorreum pugnante contra illum populo suo Israhel et tu nunc vis possidere terram eius
So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them?
24 nonne ea quae possedit Chamos deus tuus tibi iure debentur quae autem Dominus Deus noster victor obtinuit in nostram cedent possessionem
Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
25 nisi forte melior es Balac filio Sepphor rege Moab aut docere potes quod iurgatus sit contra Israhel et pugnaverit contra eum
Now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?
26 quando habitavit in Esebon et viculis eius et in Aroer et villis illius vel in cunctis civitatibus iuxta Iordanem per trecentos annos quare tanto tempore nihil super hac repetitione temptastis
Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along the side of the Arnon for three hundred years! Why didn’t you recover them within that time?
27 igitur non ego pecco in te sed tu contra me male agis indicens mihi bella non iusta iudicet Dominus arbiter huius diei inter Israhel et inter filios Ammon
Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. May Yahweh the Judge be judge today between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.”
28 noluitque adquiescere rex filiorum Ammon verbis Iepthae quae per nuntios mandaverat
However, the king of the children of Ammon didn’t listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 factus est ergo super Iepthae spiritus Domini et circumiens Galaad et Manasse Maspha quoque Galaad et inde transiens ad filios Ammon
Then Yahweh’s Spirit came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.
30 votum vovit Domino dicens si tradideris filios Ammon in manus meas
Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
31 quicumque primus fuerit egressus de foribus domus meae mihique occurrerit revertenti cum pace a filiis Ammon eum holocaustum offeram Domino
then it shall be, that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
32 transivitque Iepthae ad filios Ammon ut pugnaret contra eos quos tradidit Dominus in manus eius
So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh delivered them into his hand.
33 percussitque ab Aroer usque dum venias in Mennith viginti civitates et usque ad Abel quae est vineis consita plaga magna nimis humiliatique sunt filii Ammon a filiis Israhel
He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 revertenti autem Iepthae in Maspha domum suam occurrit unigenita filia cum tympanis et choris non enim habebat alios liberos
Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
35 qua visa scidit vestimenta sua et ait heu filia mi decepisti me et ipsa decepta es aperui enim os meum ad Dominum et aliud facere non potero
When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.”
36 cui illa respondit pater mi si aperuisti os tuum ad Dominum fac mihi quodcumque pollicitus es concessa tibi ultione atque victoria de hostibus tuis
She said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon.”
37 dixitque ad patrem hoc solum mihi praesta quod deprecor dimitte me ut duobus mensibus circumeam montes et plangam virginitatem meam cum sodalibus meis
Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me. Leave me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.”
38 cui ille respondit vade et dimisit eam duobus mensibus cumque abisset cum sociis ac sodalibus suis flebat virginitatem suam in montibus
He said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
39 expletisque duobus mensibus reversa est ad patrem suum et fecit ei sicut voverat quae ignorabat virum exinde mos increbuit in Israhel et consuetudo servata est
At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. She was a virgin. It became a custom in Israel
40 ut post anni circulum conveniant in unum filiae Israhel et plangant filiam Iepthae Galaaditae diebus quattuor
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
