Judges 11

11 ¹ Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. ² Gilead's wife also bore him sons. When grown, they drove Jephthah out, saying, "You won't inherit in our father's house—you're another woman's son." ³ Jephthah fled his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, where scoundrels gathered to him and went out with him.

⁴ Some time later, the Ammonites made war against Israel. ⁵ When Ammon fought Israel, Gilead's elders went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ They said to Jephthah, "Come, be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites."

⁷ Jephthah told Gilead's elders, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why come to me now, when you're in trouble?"

⁸ Gilead's elders replied, "That's why we've returned to you now: come fight the Ammonites with us, and be head over all Gilead's people."

⁹ Jephthah told Gilead's elders, "If you bring me back to fight the Ammonites and our Father gives them to me, I'll be your head."

¹⁰ Gilead's elders told Jephthah, "Our Father is witness between us if we don't do just as you say."

¹¹ Jephthah went with Gilead's elders, and the people made him their head and commander. He spoke all his words before our Father at Mizpah.

¹² Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king: "What is between us, that you came to fight against my land?"

¹³ The Ammonite king told Jephthah's messengers, "Since Israel took my land from Arnon to Jabbok and the Jordan when they came from Egypt, now return it peacefully."

¹⁴ Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, ¹⁵ and told him, "Jephthah says: Israel took no land from Moab or Ammon. ¹⁶ When Israel came up from Egypt, they crossed the wilderness to the Red Sea and reached Kadesh. ¹⁷ Israel sent messengers to Edom's king: 'Please let us pass through your land,' but he wouldn't listen. They also sent to Moab's king, but he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. ¹⁸ They went through the wilderness, around Edom and Moab, arriving east of Moab. They camped across the Arnon without entering Moab's territory, since the Arnon marked its border. ¹⁹ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon: 'Let us cross your land to reach our place.' ²⁰ But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory; he gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ²¹ Then our Father, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into Israel's hand; they defeated them and took all the Amorite land there. ²² They took all Amorite land, from Arnon to Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan. ²³ Now our Father, Israel's God, drove out the Amorites before his people Israel—should you possess it? ²⁴ Won't you possess what Chemosh your god gives you? So we'll possess all our Father has driven out before us. ²⁵ Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, Moab's king? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight them? ²⁶ For three hundred years Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, Aroer and its villages, and all towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you recover them then? ²⁷ I haven't wronged you, but you wrong me by warring against me. May our Father, the Judge, judge today between Israel's sons and Ammon's sons.

²⁸ But the king of the Ammonites paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

The Father's Spirit and a Tragic Vow

²⁹ Then the Spirit of our Father came on Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, then passed to the Ammonites.

³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to our Father: "If you give the Ammonites into my hand, ³¹ Whatever comes out my house's doors to meet me returning safely from the Ammonites will be our Father's, and I'll offer it as a burnt offering.

³² Jephthah crossed to the Ammonites to fight them, and our Father gave them into his hand. ³³ He defeated them from Aroer to near Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel-keramim, a very great defeat. Ammon was subdued before Israel.

³⁴ Jephthah came home to Mizpah; his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing—his only child, he had no other son or daughter. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Oh, my daughter, you've brought me low—you have become my trouble. I opened my mouth to our Father; I can't take it back."

³⁶ She said, "My father, you vowed to our Father — do to me as you promised, since our Father avenged you on your enemies, the Ammonites." ³⁷ She said to her father, "Grant me two months to wander the hills, weeping for my virginity, I and my companions."

³⁸ "Go," he said, and sent her away two months. She and her friends went and wept over her virginity on the hills. ³⁹ After two months she returned to her father, who fulfilled his vow on her. She had not known a man; a custom began in Israel. ⁴⁰ that each year Israel's daughters went out to commemorate Jephthah the Gileadite's daughter, four days a year.