Judges 11

1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

1Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave and powerful warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute; his father was a man named Gilead.

2And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of another woman.

2Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when they grew up, they chased Jephthah away, telling him, 'You won't get any inheritance from our father because you are the son of another woman.'

3Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

3So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, where a group of rebels gathered around him and followed him.

4And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

4Some time later, the people of Ammon began a war against Israel.

5And 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;

5When the Ammonites attacked, the leaders of Gilead went to the land of Tob to bring Jephthah back.

6and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

6They said to him, 'Come and be our commander so we can fight against the Ammonites.'

7And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

7Jephthah replied to the leaders of Gilead, 'Didn't you hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?'

8And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore are we turned again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

8The leaders of Gilead said to him, 'That is exactly why we are turning to you now; if you come with us and fight the Ammonites, you will be the head over everyone living in Gilead.'

9And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

9Jephthah asked the leaders, 'If you bring me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?'

10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Jehovah shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do.

10The leaders of Gilead answered, 'The LORD is our witness; we will definitely do exactly what you said.'

11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spake all his words before Jehovah in Mizpah.

11So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander; Jephthah repeated all his terms before the LORD at Mizpah.

12And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my land?

12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to ask, 'What is your problem with me? Why have you come to attack my land?'

13And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

13The king of the Ammonites told the messengers, 'Because Israel took away my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon River to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Now, give it back peacefully.'

14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon;

14Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of the Ammonites again.

15and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;

15He said, 'This is Jephthah’s answer: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

16but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;

16When Israel came out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and arrived at Kadesh.

17then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, asking to pass through his land, but he would not let them; they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused as well. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

18Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

18They traveled through the wilderness, going around the lands of Edom and Moab, and came to the eastern side of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River but never crossed into Moab's territory, because the Arnon was the border of Moab.

19And 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 unto my place.

19Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, and asked him, 'Please let us pass through your land to get to our own place.'

20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

20But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; he gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

21And Jehovah, the 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.

21The LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hands of Israel, and Israel defeated them. So Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country.

22And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.

22They took all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them?

23Now that the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites for his people Israel, do you think you can take it for yourself?

24Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.

24Don't you take whatever your god Chemosh gives you? In the same way, we will keep whatever the LORD our God has given us.

25And now art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

25Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he ever argue with Israel or actually fight against them?

26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time?

26Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and all the nearby towns along the Arnon for three hundred years. Why didn't you try to take them back during all that time?

27I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

27I have not done anything wrong to you, but you are doing me wrong by attacking me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today who is right—the Israelites or the Ammonites.'

28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

28However, the king of the Ammonites ignored the message that Jephthah sent him.

29Then the Spirit of Jehovah 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.

29Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced toward the Ammonites.

30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

30Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, saying, 'If you truly give the Ammonites into my power,

31then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.

31then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it as a burnt offering.'

32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand.

32So Jephthah crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands.

33And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

33He defeated them with a massive slaughter from Aroer all the way to Minnith—twenty cities—and as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were brought under Israel's control.

34And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

34When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only child; he had no other sons or daughters.

35And 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 Jehovah, and I cannot go back.

35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried out, 'Oh no, my daughter! You have broken my heart and brought me great misery, because I have made a promise to the LORD and I cannot take it back.'

36And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon.

36She said to him, 'My father, you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me whatever you promised, since the LORD has taken revenge on your enemies, the Ammonites.'

37And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

37Then she said to her father, 'Please do this one thing for me: Give me two months to wander the mountains with my friends and mourn that I will never marry or have children.'

38And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

38'Go,' he said. He sent her away for two months, and she and her friends went to the mountains to mourn because she would never marry.

39And 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 not man. And it was a custom in Israel,

39After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her what he had vowed. She never had a husband. This became a tradition in Israel,

40that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

40that every year the young women of Israel go out for four days to honor the memory of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.