Judges 11

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

Jephthah of Gilead was a brave and powerful man, born to a woman of the night. Yet, it was Gilead who fathered him.

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

Gilead's wife gave him sons who, as they matured, turned against their half-brother Jephthah. They rejected him, saying, "You have no right to our father's inheritance because you are the son of another woman."

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

Overwhelmed by his brothers' hostility, Jephthah escaped to Tob. There, a band of worthless men gathered around him and went out with him.

And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

Over time, the Ammonites grew hostile, igniting a war against Israel.

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:

When the Ammonites threatened Israel with war, the wise elders of Gilead sought Jephthah's help from the land of Tob, filled with fear and hope.

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

They pleaded with Jephthah, "Lead us, be our guide in the battle against the Ammonites."

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

Jephthah, with a heavy heart, asked the elders of Gilead, "Didn't you despise me, forcing me to leave my father's home? Why do you seek my help now, in your time of trouble?"

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

The leaders of Gilead pleaded with Jephthah, "We need you now more than ever. Join us, lead us in battle against the Ammonites, and become our chief protector."

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

Jephthah asked the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me back to battle the Ammonites and God grants me victory, will you accept me as your leader?"

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

The leaders of Gilead earnestly promised Jephthah, "May God be our judge, if we don't follow your guidance."

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.

Jephthah journeyed with Gilead's elders, and the people chose him as their leader. In Mizpeh, he passionately expressed his thoughts to the LORD.

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

Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, 'What do you have against me, that you have come to fight in my land?'

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

The Ammonite king replied to Jephthah's messengers, "Israel seized my territory when they left Egypt, from Arnon to Jabbok, even to Jordan. So, please return it peacefully."

And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

Once again, Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites.

And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

Jephthah declared, "Israel did not seize the lands of Moab or Ammon's children."

But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

When Israel bravely left Egypt, journeying through the harsh wilderness to reach the Red Sea, finally arriving at Kadesh, their hearts were filled with hope and determination.

Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

Israel pleaded with the king of Edom, "Please, let us pass through your land." But the king of Edom turned a deaf ear. They made the same plea to the king of Moab, but he too refused. So, Israel stayed put in Kadesh, feeling frustrated and stuck.

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.

They journeyed through the barren wilderness, circling the territories of Edom and Moab. They set up camp near Moab's eastern edge, across from the Arnon River, careful not to cross into Moab's boundaries, as Arnon marked its border.

And 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 into my place.

Israel reached out to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, pleading, "Please, let us journey through your land to reach our destination."

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.

Sihon, filled with suspicion, didn't allow Israel to cross his land. Gathering his people in Jahaz, he prepared for battle against Israel.

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.

With a heart full of compassion, the LORD God of Israel handed over Sihon and his people to Israel. They were defeated, and thus, Israel claimed the Amorite's land, the home of its people.

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

They claimed every inch of the Amorite lands, stretching from Arnon to Jabbok, and from the barren wilderness to the banks of Jordan, with a sense of triumph and accomplishment.

So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

So now, the LORD, the God of Israel, has removed the Amorites from the path of His people, Israel. Do you think you should claim it?

Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

Won't you cherish what your god, Chemosh, has given you? Similarly, any land that our God clears for us, we will gratefully claim as our own.

And now art thou 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,

Are you any better than Balak, Zippor's son and king of Moab? Did he ever oppose or battle Israel?

While Israel dwelt 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 ye not recover them within that time?

For 300 years, Israel lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why, then, didn't you reclaim them during all that time?

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

I've done no wrong to you, yet you choose to fight me unjustly. May God, the ultimate Judge, decide today who is right - us, the people of Israel, or you, the children of Ammon.

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

Despite Jephthah's plea, the king of the Ammonites stubbornly ignored his words.

Then the Spirit of the LORD 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.

The Lord's Spirit filled Jephthah, guiding him through Gilead and Manasseh, and leading him from Mizpeh of Gilead to the people of Ammon.

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

Jephthah made a heartfelt promise to God, pleading, "If you ensure that I defeat the Ammonites, Lord..."

Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh 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.

When I return home in peace from battling the Ammonites, the first thing that greets me from my house will be dedicated to the Lord, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.

So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

Jephthah bravely faced the Ammonites in battle, and with God's help, he emerged victorious.

And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

He fiercely defeated them, from Aroer to Minnith, conquering twenty cities and the vineyard plains, leaving a trail of immense destruction. In this way, the Ammonites were humbled under the might of the Israelites.

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

Jephthah returned home to Mizpeh, and there, his precious daughter, his only child, joyfully greeted him with music and dance. He had no other children but her.

And 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 the LORD, and I cannot go back.

Upon seeing her, his heart shattered, tearing at his clothes in despair. "Oh, my dear daughter," he cried out, "you've brought me to my knees, causing me such pain. I've made a promise to the Lord, and I can't take it back."

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

She pleaded with him, "Father, if you've made a promise to God, let it be fulfilled through me. Since God has avenged you from your enemies, the Ammonites, let His will be done."

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

She pleaded with her father, "Please, grant me this. Allow me two months to wander the mountains, to mourn my virginity, together with my friends."

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

With a heavy heart, he told her to go. She was sent away for two months, her friends by her side. In the mountains, she mourned her virginity.

And 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 no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

After two months, she returned to her father. He kept his promise, as he had vowed. She remained untouched by any man. This was a tradition in Israel.

That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

Every year, the women of Israel gathered for four days, their hearts heavy with sorrow, to mourn the loss of Jephthah the Gileadite's daughter.