Liber Iudicum, 11

1. fuit illo tempore Jepthæ Galaadites vir fortissimus atque pugnator filius meretricis mulieris qui natus est de Galaad

1. There was at that time Jephte the Galaadite, a most valiant man and a warrior, the son of a woman that was a harlot, and his father was Galaad.

2. habuit autem Galaad uxorem de qua suscepit filios qui postquam creverant ejecerunt Jepthæ dicentes heres in domo patris nostri esse non poteris quia de altera matre generatus es

2. Now Galaad had a wife of whom he had sons: who after they were grown up, thrust out Jephte, saying: Thou canst not inherit in the house of our father, because thou art born of another mother.

3. quos ille fugiens atque devitans habitavit in terra Tob congregatique sunt ad eum viri inopes et latrocinantes et quasi principem sequebantur

3. Then he fled and avoided them and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men, and robbers, and they followed him as their prince.

4. in illis diebus pugnabant filii Ammon contra Israël

4. In those days the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

5. quibus acriter instantibus perrexerunt majores natu de Galaad ut tollerent in auxilium sui Jepthæ de terra Tob

5. And as they pressed hard upon them, the ancients of Galaad went to fetch Jephte out of the land of Tob to help them:

6. dixeruntque ad eum veni et esto princeps noster et pugna contra filios Ammon

6. And they said to him: Come thou and be our prince, and fight against the children of Ammon.

7. quibus ille respondit nonne vos estis qui odistis me et ejecistis de domo patris mei et nunc venistis ad me necessitate conpulsi

7. And he answered them: Are not you the men that hated me, and cast me out of my father's house, and now you are come to me constrained by necessity?

8. dixeruntque principes Galaad ad Jepthæ ob hanc igitur causam nunc ad te venimus ut proficiscaris nobiscum et pugnes contra filios Ammon sisque dux omnium qui habitant in Galaad

8. And the princes of Galaad said to Jephte: For this cause we are now come to thee, that thou mayst go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.

9. Jepthæ 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

9. Jephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerely, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and the Lord shall deliver them into my band, shall I be your prince?

10. qui responderunt ei Dominus qui hæc audit ipse mediator ac testis est quod nostra promissa faciamus

10. They answered him: The Lord who heareth these things, he himself is mediator and witness that we will do as we have promised.

11. abiit itaque Jepthæ cum principibus Galaad fecitque eum omnis populus principem sui locutusque est Jepthæ omnes sermones suos coram Domino in Maspha

11. Jephte therefore went with the princes of Galaad, and all the people made him their prince. And Jephte spoke all his words before the Lord in Maspha.

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

12. And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, to say in his name, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me, to waste my land?

13. quibus ille respondit quia tulit Israël terram meam quando ascendit de Ægypto a finibus Arnon usque Jaboc atque Jordanem nunc igitur cum pace redde mihi eam

13. And he answered them: I Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the confines of the Arnon unto the Jaboc and the Jordan: now therefore restore the same peaceably to me.

14. per quos rursum mandavit Jepthæ et imperavit eis ut dicerent regi Ammon

14. And Jephte again sent word by them, and commanded them to say to the king of Ammon:

15. hæc dicit Jepthæ non tulit Israël terram Moab nec terram filiorum Ammon

15. Thus saith Jephte: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

16. sed quando de Ægypto conscenderunt ambulavit per solitudinem usque ad mare Rubrum et venit in Cades

16. But when they came up out of Egypt, he walked through the desert to the Red Sea and came into Cades.

17. misitque nuntios ad regem Edom dicens dimitte ut transeam per terram tuam qui noluit adquiescere precibus ejus misit quoque et ad regem Moab qui et ipse transitum præbere contempsit mansit itaque in Cades

17. And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me to pass through thy land. But he would not condescend to his request. He sent also to the king of Moab, who likewise refused to give him passage. He abode therefore in Cades,

18. et circuivit ex latere terram Edom et terram Moab venitque contra orientalem plagam terræ Moab et castrametatus est trans Arnon nec voluit intrare terminos Moab Arnon quippe confinium est terræ Moab

18. And went round the land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: and came over against the east coast of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon: and he would not enter the bounds of Moab.

19. misit itaque Israël nuntios ad Seon regem Amorreorum qui habitabat in Esebon et dixerunt ei dimitte ut transeam per terram tuam usque ad fluvium

19. So Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and they said to him: Suffer me to pass through thy land to the river.

20. qui et ipse Israël verba despiciens non dimisit eum transire per terminos suos sed infinita multitudine congregata egressus est contra eum in Jassa et fortiter resistebat

20. But he also despising the words of Israel, suffered him not to pass through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude, went out against him to Jasa, and made strong opposition.

21. tradiditque eum Dominus in manu Israël cum omni exercitu suo qui percussit eum et possedit omnem terram Amorrei habitatoris regionis illius

21. And the Lord delivered him with all his army into the hands of Israel, and he slew him, and possessed all the land of the Amorrhite the inhabitant of that country,

22. et universos fines ejus de Arnon usque Jaboc et de solitudine usque ad Jordanem

22. And all the coasts thereof from the Arnon to the Jaboc, and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23. Dominus ergo Deus Israël subvertit Amorreum pugnante contra illum populo suo Israël et tu nunc vis possidere terram ejus

23. So the Lord the God of Israel destroyed the Amorrhite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possess this land?

24. nonne ea quæ possedit Chamos deus tuus tibi jure debentur quæ autem Dominus Deus noster victor obtinuit in nostram cedent possessionem

24. Are not those things which thy god Chamos possesseth, due to thee by right? But what the Lord our God hath obtained by conquest, shall be our possession:

25. nisi forte melior es Balac filio Sepphor rege Moab aut docere potes quod jurgatus sit contra Israël et pugnaverit contra eum

25. Unless perhaps thou art better than Balac the son of Sephor king of Moab: or canst shew that he strove against Israel and fought against him,

26. quando habitavit in Esebon et viculis ejus et in Arœr et villis illius vel in cunctis civitatibus juxta Jordanem per trecentos annos quare tanto tempore nihil super hac repetitione temptastis

26. Whereas he hath dwelt in Hesebon, and the villages thereof, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan, for three hundred years. Why have you for so long a time attempted nothing about this claim?

27. igitur non ego pecco in te sed tu contra me male agis indicens mihi bella non justa judicet Dominus arbiter hujus diei inter Israël et inter filios Ammon

27. Therefore I do not trespass against thee, but thou wrongest me by declaring an unjust war against me. The Lord be judge and decide this day between Israel and the children of Ammon.

28. noluitque adquiescere rex filiorum Ammon verbis Jepthæ quæ per nuntios mandaverat

28. And the king of the children of Ammon would not hearken to the words of Jephte, which he sent him by the messengers.

29. factus est ergo super Jepthæ spiritus Domini et circumiens Galaad et Manasse Maspha quoque Galaad et inde transiens ad filios Ammon

29. Therefore the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephte, and going round Galaad, and Manasses, and Maspha of Galaad, and passing over from thence to the children of Ammon,

30. votum vovit Domino dicens si tradideris filios Ammon in manus meas

30. He made a vow to the Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

31. quicumque primus fuerit egressus de foribus domus meæ mihique occurrerit revertenti cum pace a filiis Ammon eum holocaustum offeram Domino

31. Whosoever shall first come forth out of the doors of my house, and shall meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, the same will I offer a holocaust to the Lord.

32. transivitque Jepthæ ad filios Ammon ut pugnaret contra eos quos tradidit Dominus in manus ejus

32. And Jephte passed over to the children of Ammon, to fight against them: and the Lord delivered them into his hands.

33. percussitque ab Arœr usque dum venias in Mennith viginti civitates et usque ad Abel quæ est vineis consita plaga magna nimis humiliatique sunt filii Ammon a filiis Israël

33. And he smote them from Aroer till you come to Mennith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is set with vineyards, with a very great slaughter: and the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.

34. revertenti autem Jepthæ in Maspha domum suam occurrit unigenita filia cum tympanis et choris non enim habebat alios liberos

34. And when Jephte returned into Maspha to his house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and with dances: for he had no other children.

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

35. And when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing.

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

36. And she answered him: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, do unto me whatsoever thou hast promised, since the victory hath been granted to thee, and revenge of thy enemies.

37. dixitque ad patrem hoc solum mihi præsta quod deprecor dimitte me ut duobus mensibus circumeam montes et plangam virginitatem meam cum sodalibus meis

37. And she said to her father: Grant me only this which I desire: Let me go, that I may go about the mountains for two months, and may bewail my virginity with my companions.

38. cui ille respondit vade et dimisit eam duobus mensibus cumque abisset cum sociis ac sodalibus suis flebat virginitatem suam in montibus

38. And he answered her: Go. And he sent her away for two months. And when she was gone with her comrades and companions, she mourned her virginity in the mountains.

39. expletisque duobus mensibus reversa est ad patrem suum et fecit ei sicut voverat quæ ignorabat virum exinde mos increbuit in Israël et consuetudo servata est

39. And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:

40. ut post anni circulum conveniant in unum filiæ Israël et plangant filiam Jepthæ Galaaditæ diebus quattuor

40. That from year to year the daughters of Israel assemble together, and lament the daughter of Jephte the Galaadite for four days.