1 GLT Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a warrior of strength, but he was the son of a woman committing fornication. 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 GLT The wife of Gilead also gave birth to his sons. When the sons of the wife grew up, they drove out Jephthah and they said to him,“You will not inherit from the house of our father since a son of another woman are you.” 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 GLT So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers and he settled in the land of Tob. Unprincipled men associated around Jephthah and they went about 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 GLT 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 GLT It was when the sons of Ammon fought with Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to summon 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 GLT Then they said to Jephthah,“Come and you will be for us as commander so we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” BSB BSB: “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
7 GLT But Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead,“Do you yourselves not hate me since you drove me out of the house of my father? Why have you come to me now when you have trouble?” 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 GLT Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“Rightly, now we have turned back to you; so come with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and you will become commander for us over all residing in 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 GLT Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“If you bring me back to fight against the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh gives them over before me, I will actually be your leader?” 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 GLT Then the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“Yahweh will be a witness between us, surely according to your word, thus we will 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 GLT So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him as commander and leader over themselves. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in the 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 GLT Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying,“What has happened with respect to me and to you, that you have come against me to fight over 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 GLT The king of the sons of Ammon responded to the messengers of Jephthah,“Because Israel seized my land at his going up out of Egypt, from Arnon up to the Jabbok, and over to the Jordan. 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 GLT Then Jephthah continued again and sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, BSB BSB: Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
15 GLT and he said to him,“Thus Jephthah said: 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 GLT However in their coming up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness as far as 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 GLT When Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying,‘Please may I pass through your land,’ the king of Edom would not listen. He likewise sent to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel stayed at 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 GLT Then he went through the wilderness and turned away from the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and he went to the place of the rising of the sun for the land of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not go 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 GLT Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorite, the king of Heshbon. Israel said to him,‘Please, let us pass through your land as far as 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 GLT But Sihon did not trust Israel passing through within his border. So Sihon assembled all of his people together and they camped 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 GLT Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all of his people over into the hand of Israel and they defeated them. Thus Israel possessed all of the land of the Amorite inhabiting that region. 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 GLT They possessed everything within the territory of the Amorite, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan. BSB BSB: seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 GLT Since therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, has expelled the Amorite out of the presence of his people Israel, will you indeed 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 GLT Will you not take possession if Chemosh, your god, allows you to possess it? So all that Yahweh our God has dispossessed before us, 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 GLT Now are you really better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he dare contend with Israel or did he ever wage war 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 GLT While Israel resided three hundred years in Heshbon and in its villages, and in Aroer and in its villages, and in all the cities that are along the banks of the Arnon— why then did you not repossess 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 GLT I have not sinned against you, but you are doing wrong in dealing with me by fighting against me. Yahweh, the judge, will decide 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 GLT But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he had sent to him. BSB BSB: But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
31 GLT then it shall be the one who comes out, whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, that he will belong to Yahweh, and I will offer him up as a whole 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 GLT So Jephthah passed through to the sons of Ammon to fight against 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 GLT Then he attacked them from Aroer and as far as your coming in to Minnith, twenty cities, and up to Abel Keramim, an exceedingly great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued by the presence 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 GLT Jephthah came into the Mizpah area, to his house, and look, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. However, she was an only child; he did not have 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 GLT Now it happened when he saw her that he tore his garments and he said,“Alas, my daughter! Indeed, you have made me bow in grief, and you are among those who cause me pain! 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 GLT Then 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: complete vengeance 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 GLT He replied,“Go.” Then he sent her away for two months. She went, she and her companions, and she wept on account of 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 GLT From time to time the daughters of Israel went to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days during 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.