Judges, 11

1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he [was] the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

1. Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior. His mother was a prostitute, and his father was Gilead.

2. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou [art] the son of a strange woman.

2. But Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out saying, "You shall not share or inherit anything in the household of our father, for you are the son of another woman."

3. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

3. Jephthah fled from his brothers and went to the region of Tob. There he joined a band of mercenaries who made their raids with him.

4. And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

4. The time came when the Ammonites declared war on Israel.

5. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

5. So the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah in the land of Tob

6. And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

6. and said to him, "Come and lead our men in fighting the Ammonites."

7. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

7. Jephthah answered the elders of Gilead, "Didn't you drive me out of my father's house because you hated me? Why do you come to me now in your distress?"

8. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

8. The elders answered him, "We come asking you to join us in fighting the Ammonites; we want you to be head of the whole of Gilead."

9. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

9. Jephthah answered them, "If you ask me to return to fight the Ammonites and Yahweh grants me victory, I will be your head."

10. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

10. And they said to him, "May Yahweh listen to us! Woe to us if we do not carry out what we have just said!"

11. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

11. So Jephthah returned with the elders of Gilead and the people made him their head and general, and Jephthah repeated all his conditions before Yahweh in Mizpah.

12. And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

12. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to say to him, "What happened between us that you come and attack me in my own country?"

13. And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands] again peaceably.

13. The king answered the messengers, "When Israel went up out of Egypt, they seized my country from the Arnon to the Yabbok and to the Jordan. So give it back willingly."

14. And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

14. Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites,

15. And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

15. saying "This is what Jephthah says: Israel has not seized the land of the Ammonites.

16. But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

16. When they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Sea of Reeds and came to Kadesh.

17. Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken [thereto]. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not [consent]: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

17. Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom and said to him, 'Let us pass through your country.' But the king of Edom did not listen. They also sent to the king of Moab, and he, too, refused. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18. Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon [was] the border of Moab.

18. Then journeying through the desert, they went around the country of Edom and Moab, and came to the east of the land of Moab. They encamped on the other side of the Arnon, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

19. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

19. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, 'Let us pass through your country and go to our place.'

20. But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

20. But Sihon did not trust Israel enough to let them pass through; he gathered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and attacked Israel.

21. And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

21. Yahweh the God of Israel gave Sihon and all his people into the hands of Israel. Israel defeated them and conquered all the land of the Amorites who lived there.

22. And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

22. So they conquered the whole territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Yabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.

23. So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

23. Since Yahweh the God of Israel has taken this land from the Amorites for his people Israel, can you now take it away from us?

24. Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

24. Do you not hold all that your god Chemosh has given you? In the same way, we hold all that Yahweh, our God, has given us.

25. And now [art] thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

25. Will you do better than Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Was he able to attack Israel?

26. While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that [be] along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover [them] within that time?

26. For three hundred years, Israel has lived in Heshbon and the cities that depend on it. They have also lived in Aroer and in its villages and in all the cities on both sides of the Jordan. Why didn't you recover these within that time?

27. Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

27. I have not offended you, but you are treating me badly by attacking me. Let Yahweh, the Judge, decide today between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon."

28. Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

28. But the king of the Ammonites did not pay attention to Jephthah's message.

29. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over [unto] the children of Ammon.

29. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and then entered the territory of the Ammonites.

30. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

30. Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh: "If you make me victorious,

31. Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

31. I shall sacrifice to you whoever first comes out of my house to meet me when I return from battle. He shall be for Yahweh and I shall offer him up through the fire."

32. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

32. Jephthah crossed the territory of the Ammonites to fight against them, and Yahweh gave him victory.

33. And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, [even] twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

33. He pursued them from the city of Aroer to the entrance of Minnith and Abel Keramim, seizing twenty towns. So he defeated the Ammonites.

34. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she [was his] only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

34. When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him. She was so happy to see her father that she danced to the sound of her tambourine. She was an only child; besides her he had no other daughter or son.

35. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

35. When Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and cried out, "My daughter, you have shattered me; you have brought me misfortune. For I have made a foolish vow to Yahweh, and now I cannot take it back."

36. And she said unto him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon.

36. She answered him, "Father, even if you have made such a foolish vow, you have to do to me just as you promised, for Yahweh has avenged you and crushed your enemies.

37. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

37. I only beg of you to give me two months to live with my companions in the mountains. There I shall lament because I will never marry."

38. And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

38. Jephthah said to her, "Go then." And he sent her away for two months. She and her companions went to the mountains and wept because she would never marry.

39. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

39. At the end of two months, she returned to her father and he fulfilled the vow he had made. The young girl had never known a man. From this comes the Israelite custom

40. [That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

40. that the daughters of Israel go out for four days annually to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.