Judges 11

11 ¹Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. ²Gilead'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." ³Jephthah fled his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, where scoundrels gathered to him and went out with him.

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

⁷Jephthah 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?"

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

⁹Jephthah 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."

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

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

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

¹³The 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."

¹⁴Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, ¹⁵and told him, "Jephthah says: Israel took no land from Moab or Ammon. ¹⁶When Israel came up from Egypt, they crossed the wilderness to the Red Sea and reached Kadesh. ¹⁷Israel 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. ¹⁸They 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. ¹⁹Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon: "Let us cross your land to reach our place." ²⁰But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory; he gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ²¹Then 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. ²²They took all Amorite land, from Arnon to Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan. ²³Now our Father, Israel's God, drove out the Amorites before his people Israel—should you possess it? ²⁴Won't you possess what Chemosh your god gives you? So we'll possess all our Father has driven out before us. ²⁵Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, Moab's king? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight them? ²⁶For 300 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? ²⁷I 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."

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

The Father's Spirit and a Tragic Vow

²⁹Then the Spirit of our Father came on Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced against the Ammonites.

³⁰And Jephthah made a vow to our Father: "If you give the Ammonites into my hand, ³¹whatever 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."

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

³⁴Jephthah 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. ³⁵When 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."

³⁶She said, "My father, you vowed to our Father—do to me as you promised, since our Father avenged you on your enemies, the Ammonites." ³⁷She said to her father, "Let this one thing be done for me: grant me two months to go down to 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. ³⁹After two months she returned to her father, who fulfilled his vow on her. She had not known a man; a custom began in Israel, ⁴⁰that each year Israel's daughters went out to commemorate Jephthah the Gileadite's daughter, four days a year.