11:1 And Jephthae the Galaadite [was] a
mighty man; and he [was] the son of a harlot, who bore Jephthae to Galaad.
11:2 And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up,
and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in the
house of our father, for thou art the son of a concubine.
11:3 And Jehthae fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land
of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.
11:4 And it came to pass when the children of Ammon prepared to fight with
Israel,
11:5 that the elders of Galaad went to fetch Jephthae from the land of Tob.
11:6 And they said to Jephthae, Come, and be our head, and we will fight
with the sons of Ammon.
11:7 And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, Did ye not hate me, and cast
me out of my father's house, and banish me from you? and wherefore are ye
come to me now when ye want me?
11:8 And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, Therefore have we now turned
to thee, that thou shouldest go with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon,
and be our head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
11:9 And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, If ye turn me back to fight
with the children of Ammon, and Yehovah should deliver them before me, then
will I be your head.
11:10 And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, Yehovah be witness between
us, if we shall not do according to thy word.
11:11 And Jephthae went with the elders of Galaad, and the people made him
head and ruler over them: and Jephthae spoke all his words before Yehovah
in Massepha.
11:12 And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon,
saying, What have I to do with thee, that thou hast come against me to fight
in my land?
11:13 And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of
Jephthae, Because Israel took my land when he went up out of Egypt, from
Arnon to Jaboc, and to Jordan: now then return them peaceably and I will
depart.
11:14 And Jephthae again sent messengers to the king of the children of
Ammon,
11:15 and said to him, Thus says Jephthae, Israel took not the land of Moab,
nor the land of the children of Ammon;
11:16 for in their going up out of Egypt Israel went in the wilderness as
far as the sea of Sigh, and came to Cades.
11:17 And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass,
if it please thee, by thy land: and te king of Edom complied not: and
[Israel] also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel
sojourned in Cades.
11:18 And [they] journeyed in the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom
and the land of Moab: and they came by the east of the land of Moab, an
encamped in the country beyond Arnon, and came not within the borders of
Moab, for Arnon [is] the border of Moab.
11:19 And Israel sent messengers to Seon king of the Amorite, king of Esbon,
and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray thee, by thy land to our place.
11:20 And Seon did not trust Israel to pass by his coast; and Seon gathered
all his people, and they encamped at Jasa; and he set the battle in array
against Israel.
11:21 And Yehovah Elohim of Israel delivered Seon and all his people into the
hand of Israel, and they smote him; and Israel inherited all the land of the
Amorite who dwelt in that land,
11:22 from Arnon and to Jaboc, and from the wilderness to Jordan.
11:23 And now Yehovah Elohim of Israel has removed the Amorite from before his
people Israel, and shalt thou inherit his [land]?
11:24 Wilt thou not inherit those possessions which Chamos thy god shall
cause thee to inherit; and shall not we inherit the [land of] all those whom
Yehovah our Elohim has removed from before you?
11:25 And now art thou any better than Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab?
did he indeed fight with Israel, or indeed make war with him,
11:26 when [Israel] dwelt in Esebon and in its coasts, and in the land of
Aroer and in its coasts, and in all the cities by Jordan, three hundred
years? and wherefore didst thou not recover them in that time?
11:27 And now I have not sinned against thee, but thou wrongest me in
preparing war against me: may Yehovah the Judge judge this day between the
children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
11:28 But the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not to the words of
Jephthae, which he sent to him.
11:29 And the spirit of Yehovah came upon Jephthae, and he passed over
Galaad, and Manasse, and passed by the watch-tower of Galaad to the other
side of the children of Ammon.
11:30 And Jephthae vowed a vow to Yehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed
deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
11:31 then it shall come to pass that whosoever shall first come out of the
door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of
Ammon, he shall be Yehovah's: I will offer him up for a
whole-burnt-offering.
11:32 And Jephthae advanced to meet the sons of Ammon to fight against them;
and Yehovah delivered them into his hand.
11:33 And he smote them from Aroer till [one] comes to Arnon, in number
twenty cities, and as far as Ebelcharmim, with a very great destruction: and
the children of Ammon were straitened before the children of Israel.
11:34 And Jephthae came to Massepha to his house; and behold, his daughter
came forth to meet him with timbrels and dances; and she was his only child,
he had not another son or daughter.
11:35 And it came to pass when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and
said, Ah, ah, my daughter, thou hast indeed troubled me, and thou wast the
cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against thee to Yehovah,
and I shall not be able to return from it.
11:36 And she said to him, Father, hast thou opened thy mouth to Yehovah?
Do to me accordingly as [the word] went out of thy mouth, in that Yehovah
has wrought vengeance for thee on thine enemies of the children of Ammon.
11:37 And she said to her father, Let my father now do this thing: let me
alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains, and I will
bewail my virginity, I and my companions.
11:38 And he said, Go: and he sent her away for two months; and she went,
and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.
11:39 And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to
her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew
no man:
11:40 and it was an ordinance in Israel, [That] the daughters of Israel went
from year to year to bewail the daughter of Jephtha the Galaadite for four
days in a year. |
11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty
man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
11:2 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.
11:3 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.
11:4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made
war against Israel.
11:5 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:
11:6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may
fight with the children of Ammon.
11:7 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?
11:8 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.
11:9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again
to fight against the children of Ammon, and Yehovah deliver them before me,
shall I be your head?
11:10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Yehovah be witness
between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
11:11 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
Yehovah in Mizpeh.
11:12 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?
11:13 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.
11:14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of
Ammon:
11:15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land
of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
11:16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness
unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
11:17 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.
11:18 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.
11:19 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.
11:20 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.
11:21 And Yehovah Elohim 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.
11:22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even
unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
11:23 So now Yehovah Elohim of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from
before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
11:24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to
possess? So whomsoever Yehovah our Elohim shall drive out from before us, them
will we possess.
11:25 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,
11:26 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?
11:27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to
war against me: Yehovah the Judge be judge this day between the children of
Israel and the children of Ammon.
11:28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words
of Jephthah which he sent him.
11:29 Then the Spirit of Yehovah 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.
11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yehovah, and said, If thou shalt
without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
11:31 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 Yehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
11:32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against
them; and Yehovah delivered them into his hands.
11:33 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.
11:34 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.
11:35 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 Yehovah, and I cannot
go back.
11:36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto
Yehovah, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth;
forasmuch as Yehovah hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even
of the children of Ammon.
11:37 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.
11:38 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.
11:39 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,
11:40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of
Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. |