Jephthah Delivers Israel 1 ULT Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a warrior of valor, but he{ was} the son of a whoring woman. Now Gilead had begotten 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 ULT And the wife of Gilead bore sons to him, and the sons of the wife grew up, and they drove out Jephthah and said to him,“You will not inherit in the house of our father, for you are the son of another 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 ULT So Jephthah fled from the face of his brothers, and he dwelled in the land of Tob. And worthless men collected themselves to Jephthah, and they 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 ULT Now it happened after some days that the sons of Ammon fought with Israel. BSB BSB: Some time later, when the Ammonites fought against Israel
5 ULT And it happened, when the sons of Ammon fought with Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from 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 ULT And they said to Jephthah,“Come, and you shall be a commander for us so we may fight with the sons of Ammon.” BSB BSB: “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
7 ULT But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“Do you not hate me, since you drove me from the house of my father? So why have you come to me now, when trouble{ is} to you?” 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 ULT Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“Therefore we have now returned to you. So you shall come with us and fight with the sons of Ammon, and you shall be for us the head of all of the dwellers 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 ULT Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“If you have brought me back to fight with the sons of Ammon and Yahweh gives them over to my face, I will be the head for you.” 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 ULT And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“May Yahweh be hearing{ the things} between us if not, according to your word, thus we do!” BSB BSB: And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
11 ULT So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him over them as head and as commander. And Jephthah spoke all of his words to the face of Yahweh at Mizpah. 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 ULT Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying,“What to me and to you, that you have 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 ULT And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah,“Because Israel took my land in his coming up from Egypt, from the Arnon and to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. So now return them in peace.” 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 ULT Then Jephthah resumed and sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon, BSB BSB: Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
15 ULT and said to him,“Thus says Jephthah:‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the sons 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 ULT But in their coming up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds, and he 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 ULT Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying,“Please may I pass through your land.” But the king of Edom did not listen. And he also sent to the king of Moab, but he did not consent. So Israel dwelled 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 ULT Then he went through the wilderness and circled the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and he went from the rising of the sun to the land of Moab. And they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not enter within the border of Moab, for the 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 ULT Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorite, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him,“Please, may we pass through your land to 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 ULT But Sihon did not trust Israel passing through his border. So Sihon assembled all of his people, and they encamped at Jahaz, and he fought with 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 ULT Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all of his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all of the land of the Amorite inhabiting that land. 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 ULT And they possessed all of the border of the Amorite, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. BSB BSB: seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 ULT And now, Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorite from the face of his people Israel. So will 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 ULT What Chemosh your god causes you to possess, will you not possess it? And all of what Yahweh our God has dispossessed from our face, we will possess it. 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 ULT And now, being better, are you being better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Contending, did he contend with Israel, or fighting, did he fight with 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 ULT In the dwelling of Israel in Heshbon and in its daughters and in Aroer and in its daughters and in all of the cities that{ are} upon the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why then did you not deliver during 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 ULT So I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by fighting with me. Yahweh, the judge, will judge today between the sons of Israel and between the sons 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 ULT But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him. BSB BSB: But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Jephthah’s Tragic Vow 31 ULT then it shall be, the one coming out, whoever comes out of the doors of my house to greet me in my returning in peace from the sons of Ammon, that he will be to Yahweh, and I will offer him{ as} 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 ULT Then Jephthah passed through to the sons of Ammon to fight with them, and Yahweh gave them into his hand. BSB BSB: So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand.
33 ULT And he struck them from Aroer and to your coming{ to} Minnith, twenty cities, and to Abel Keramim, a very great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued from the face of the sons 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 ULT Then Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and behold, his daughter was coming out to greet him with timbrels and with dances. And except her alone,{ there was} not to him a son or daughter apart from her. 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 ULT And it happened, as he saw her, that he tore his garments and said,“Alas, my daughter! Causing to bow, you have caused me to bow, and you are among the ones troubling me! For I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I am not able to turn 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 ULT But she said to him,“My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh. Do to me according to what came forth from your mouth, after what Yahweh has done for you: vengeances against your enemies, against the sons 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 ULT And he said,“Go.” Then he sent her away{ for} two months. And she went, she and her companions, and she wept upon her virginity on the hills. 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 ULT From days to days the daughters of Israel go to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in the 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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