Judges 11

11 ¹Jephthah, di man from Gilead, na strong warrior, but na pikin of one ashawo. Gilead na im papa. ²Gilead im wife sef born am pikin dem. Wen dem grow, dem drive Jephthah comot, dem talk say, “You no go get any inheritance for our papa house—you na anoda woman im pikin.” ³So Jephthah run comot from im brodas and go live for di land of Tob, and some useless men gada come meet am, and dem dey follow am comot.

⁴Afta some time, di Ammon people come make war against Israel. ⁵Wen Ammon dey fight Israel, di elders of Gilead go bring Jephthah from di land of Tob. ⁶Dem talk to Jephthah say, “Come, be our commander, so dat we fit fight against di Ammon people.”

⁷Jephthah tell di elders of Gilead say, “No be una hate me and drive me comot from my papa house? Why una come meet me now wey una don enta trouble?”

⁸Di elders of Gilead answer am say, “Na because of dat reason we don come back to you now: come fight di Ammon people with us, and you go be our head over everybody wey dey live for Gilead.”

⁹Jephthah tell di elders of Gilead say, “If una carry me go back to fight di Ammon people, and our Papa give dem to me, na me go be una head.”

¹⁰Di elders of Gilead tell Jephthah say, “Our Papa na witness between us if we no do exactly as you talk.”

¹¹So Jephthah go with di elders of Gilead, and di people make am dem head and commander. And Jephthah tok all im words before our Papa for Mizpah.

¹²Den Jephthah send messengers go meet di king of Ammon say, “Wetin dey between me and you, wey you come fight against my land?”

¹³Di king of Ammon answer Jephthah im messengers say, “Na because Israel take my land from Arnon reach Jabbok and reach Jordan wen dem comot from Egypt. So now, return am with peace.”

¹⁴Jephthah send messengers again go meet di king of di Ammon people, ¹⁵and tell am say, “Jephthah talk say: Israel no take any land from Moab or from Ammon. ¹⁶Wen Israel comot from Egypt, dem waka pass di wilderness reach di Red Sea, and dem reach Kadesh. ¹⁷Israel send messengers go meet di king of Edom say, ‘Abeg, make we pass through your land,’ but e no gree hear. Dem sef send to di king of Moab, but e refuse. So Israel stay for Kadesh. ¹⁸Dem waka pass di wilderness, go round Edom and Moab, and dem reach di east side of Moab. Dem camp for di oda side of Arnon, but dem no enta Moab territory, because na Arnon be im border. ¹⁹Den Israel send messengers go meet Sihon, king of di Amorite people, king of Heshbon, and dem talk say, “Make we pass through your land go reach our place.” ²⁰But Sihon no trust Israel to pass through im territory; e gada all im people, camp for Jahaz, and fight against Israel. ²¹Den our Papa, di God of Israel, give Sihon and all im people into Israel hand; dem defeat dem and take all di land of di Amorite people wey dey dat place. ²²Dem take all di Amorite land, from Arnon reach Jabbok, and from di wilderness reach Jordan. ²³Now our Papa, di God of Israel, don drive di Amorite people comot before im people Israel—you wan possess am? ²⁴No be wetin Chemosh your god give you, na im you go possess? So we go possess everything wey our Papa don drive comot before us. ²⁵You better pass Balak, di pikin of Zippor, king of Moab? Did e ever quarrel with Israel or fight dem? ²⁶For 300 years Israel bin dey live for Heshbon and im villages, for Aroer and im villages, and for all di towns along Arnon. Why una no take dem back for dat time? ²⁷I no do you any wrong, but na you dey do me wrong wen you dey make war against me. Make our Papa, di Judge, judge today between di sons of Israel and di sons of Ammon.”

²⁸But di king of di Ammon people no gree listen to di message wey Jephthah send am.

Di Spirit of our Papa and One Vow Wey Bring Sorrow

²⁹Den di Spirit of our Papa come on Jephthah. E pass through Gilead and Manasseh, e pass through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead e move go against di Ammon people.

³⁰And Jephthah make one vow to our Papa say, “If you give di Ammon people into my hand, ³¹wetin ever comot from di doors of my house come meet me wen I return safe from di Ammon people, e go be our Papa own, and I go offer am as burnt offering.”

³²So Jephthah cross go meet di Ammon people to fight dem, and our Papa give dem into im hand. ³³E defeat dem from Aroer reach near Minnith—twenty cities—and reach Abel-keramim, a very great defeat. So Ammon bow down before Israel.

³⁴Jephthah come back home to Mizpah; and see, im dota come out to meet am with tambourine and dance—na im only pikin, e no get any oda son or dota. ³⁵Wen e see am, e tear im cloth and talk say, “Ah, my dota, you don bring me down—you don become my trouble. I don open my mouth to our Papa; I no fit take am back.”

³⁶She talk say, “My papa, you don make vow to our Papa—do to me as you promise, since our Papa don pay back your enemies, di Ammon people, for your sake.” ³⁷She talk to her papa say, “Make dem do dis one thing for me: give me two months make I go down to di hills, make I cry for my virginity, me and my companions.”

³⁸“Go,” e talk, and e send her away for two months. She and her friends go and cry over her virginity for di hills. ³⁹Afta two months she return to her papa, and e do to her according to di vow wey e make. She never know man; and one custom start for Israel, ⁴⁰dat every year di dotas of Israel dey go out to remember di dota of Jephthah, di man from Gilead, four days every year.