Jephthah Delivers Israel 1 AKJV Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. BSB BSB: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.
2 AKJV And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said to him, You shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of a strange woman. BSB BSB: And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”
3 AKJV Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelled in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. BSB BSB: So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.
4 AKJV And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. BSB BSB: Some time later, when the Ammonites fought against Israel
5 AKJV 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: BSB BSB: and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 AKJV And they said to Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. BSB BSB: “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
7 AKJV And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did not you hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are you come to me now when you are in distress? BSB BSB: Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”
8 AKJV And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. BSB BSB: They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”
9 AKJV And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? BSB BSB: But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”
10 AKJV And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to your words. BSB BSB: And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
11 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
12 AKJV And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come against me to fight in my land? BSB BSB: Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
13 AKJV And the king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. BSB BSB: The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
14 AKJV And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon: BSB BSB: Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
15 AKJV And said to him, Thus says Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: BSB BSB: to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.
16 AKJV But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness to the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; BSB BSB: But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
17 AKJV Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray you, pass through your land: but the king of Edom would not listen thereto. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel stayed in Kadesh. BSB BSB: Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.
18 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.
19 AKJV And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land into my place. BSB BSB: And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’
20 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,
22 AKJV And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to Jordan. BSB BSB: seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 AKJV So now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess it? BSB BSB: Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?
24 AKJV Will not you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. BSB BSB: Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
25 AKJV And now are you 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, BSB BSB: Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?
26 AKJV While Israel dwelled 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 you not recover them within that time? BSB BSB: For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them back during that time?
27 AKJV Why I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. BSB BSB: I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28 AKJV However, the king of the children of Ammon listened not to the words of Jephthah which he sent him. BSB BSB: But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Jephthah’s Tragic Vow 31 AKJV Then it shall be, that whatever comes 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. BSB BSB: then whatever comes out the door of my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32 AKJV So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. BSB BSB: So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand.
33 AKJV And he smote them from Aroer, even till you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. BSB BSB: With a great blow he devastated twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.
34 AKJV And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. BSB BSB: And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
35 AKJV And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot go back. BSB BSB: As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
36 AKJV And she said to him, My father, if you have opened your mouth to the LORD, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth; for as much as the LORD has taken vengeance for you of your enemies, even of the children of Ammon. BSB BSB: “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.”
38 AKJV And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. BSB BSB: “Go,” he said. And he sent her away for two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity upon the mountains.
40 AKJV That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. BSB BSB: that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
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