ASV_Strong : Judges 11
1. Now Jephthah[H3316] the Gileadite[H1569] was a mighty man[H1368] of valor[H2428], and he was the son[H1121] of a harlot[H802]: and Gilead[H1568] begat[H3205] Jephthah[H3316].
2. And Gilead[H1568]'s wife[H802] bare[H3205] him sons[H1121]; and when his wife[H802]'s sons[H1121] grew up[H1431], they drove out[H1644] Jephthah[H3316], and said[H559] unto him[H5157], Thou shalt not inherit in our father[H1]'s house[H1004]; for thou art the son[H1121] of another[H312] woman[H802].
3. Then Jephthah[H3316] fled[H1272] from[H6440] his brethren[H251], and dwelt[H3427] in the land[H776] of Tob[H2897]: and there were gathered[H3950] vain[H7386] fellows[H582] to Jephthah[H3316], and they went out with him[H3318].
4. And it came to pass after a while[H3117], that the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] made war[H3898] against Israel[H3478].
5. And it was so[H1121], that, when the children of Ammon[H5983] made war[H3898] against Israel[H3478], the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568] went[H3212] to fetch[H3947] Jephthah[H3316] out of the land[H776] of Tob[H2897];
6. and they said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], Come[H3212] and be our chief[H7101], that we may fight[H3898] with the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
7. And Jephthah[H3316] said[H559] unto the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], Did not ye hate[H8130] me[H1644], and drive me out of my father[H1]'s house[H1004]? and why are ye come[H935] unto me now when ye are in distress[H6887]?
8. And the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568] said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], Therefore are we turned again[H7725] to thee now[H1980], that thou mayest go with us[H3898], and fight with the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983]; and thou shalt be our head[H7218] over all the inhabitants[H3427] of Gilead[H1568].
9. And Jephthah[H3316] said[H559] unto the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], If ye bring me home again[H7725] to fight[H3898] with the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], and Jehovah[H3068] deliver[H5414] them before[H6440] me[H7218], shall I be your head?
10. And the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568] said[H559] unto Jephthah[H3316], Jehovah[H3068] shall be witness[H8085] between us[H1697]; surely according to thy word so will we do[H6213].
11. Then Jephthah[H3316] went[H3212] with the elders[H2205] of Gilead[H1568], and the people[H5971] made[H7760] him head[H7218] and chief[H7101] over them[H3316]: and Jephthah spake[H1696] all his words[H1697] before[H6440] Jehovah[H3068] in Mizpah[H4709].
12. And Jephthah[H3316] sent[H7971] messengers[H4397] unto the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], saying[H559], What hast thou to do with me[H935], that thou art come unto me to fight[H3898] against my land[H776]?
13. And the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] answered[H559] unto the messengers[H4397] of Jephthah[H3316], Because Israel[H3478] took away[H3947] my land[H776], when he came up[H5927] out of Egypt[H4714], from the Arnon[H769] even unto the Jabbok[H2999], and unto the Jordan[H3383]: now therefore restore those lands again[H7725] peaceably[H7965].
14. And Jephthah[H3316] sent[H7971] messengers[H4397] again[H3254] unto the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983];
15. and he said[H559] unto him[H559], Thus saith Jephthah[H3316]: Israel[H3478] took not away[H3947] the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], nor the land[H776] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983],
16. but when they came up[H5927] from Egypt[H4714], and Israel[H3478] went[H3212] through the wilderness[H4057] unto the Red[H5488] Sea[H3220], and came[H935] to Kadesh[H6946];
17. then Israel[H3478] sent[H7971] messengers[H4397] unto the king[H4428] of Edom[H123], saying[H559], Let me[H5674], I pray thee, pass through thy land[H776]; but the king[H4428] of Edom[H123] hearkened[H8085] not[H7971]. And in like manner he sent unto the king[H4428] of Moab[H4124]; but he would[H14] not[H3478]: and Israel abode[H3427] in Kadesh[H6946].
18. Then they went through[H3212] the wilderness[H4057], and went around[H5437] the land[H776] of Edom[H123], and the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], and came[H935] by the east side[H4217] of the land[H776] of Moab[H4124], and they encamped[H2583] on the other side[H5676] of the Arnon[H769]; but they came[H935] not within the border[H1366] of Moab[H4124], for the Arnon[H769] was the border[H1366] of Moab[H4124].
19. And Israel[H3478] sent[H7971] messengers[H4397] unto Sihon[H5511] king[H4428] of the Amorites[H567], the king[H4428] of Heshbon[H2809]; and Israel[H3478] said[H559] unto him[H5674], Let us pass, we pray thee[H776], through thy land unto[H5704] my place[H4725].
20. But Sihon[H5511] trusted[H539] not Israel[H3478] to pass[H5674] through his border[H1366]; but Sihon[H5511] gathered[H622] all his people[H5971] together[H622], and encamped[H2583] in Jahaz[H3096], and fought[H3898] against Israel[H3478].
21. And Jehovah[H3068], the God[H430] of Israel[H3478], delivered[H5414] Sihon[H5511] and all his people[H5971] into the hand[H3027] of Israel[H3478], and they smote[H5221] them[H3478]: so Israel possessed[H3423] all the land[H776] of the Amorites[H567], the inhabitants[H3427] of that country[H776].
22. And they possessed[H3423] all the border[H1366] of the Amorites[H567], from the Arnon[H769] even unto the Jabbok[H2999], and from the wilderness[H4057] even unto the Jordan[H3383].
23. So now Jehovah[H3068], the God[H430] of Israel[H3478], hath dispossessed[H3423] the Amorites[H567] from before[H6440] his people[H5971] Israel[H3478], and shouldest thou possess them[H3423]?
24. Wilt not thou possess[H3423] that which Chemosh[H3645] thy god[H430] giveth thee to possess[H3423]? So whomsoever Jehovah[H3068] our God[H430] hath dispossessed[H3423] from before[H6440] us[H3423], them will we possess.
25. And now art thou anything better[H2896] than Balak[H1111] the son[H1121] of Zippor[H6834], king[H4428] of Moab[H4124]? did he ever[H7378] strive[H7378] against Israel[H3478], or did he ever[H7378] fight against them[H3898]?
26. While Israel[H3478] dwelt[H3427] in Heshbon[H2809] and its towns[H1323], and in Aroer[H6177] and its towns[H1323], and in all the cities[H5892] that are along by the side[H3027] of the Arnon[H769], three[H7969] hundred[H3967] years[H8141]; wherefore did ye not recover[H5337] them within that time[H6256]?
27. I therefore have not sinned[H2398] against thee[H6213], but thou doest me wrong[H7451] to war[H3898] against me[H3068]: Jehovah, the Judge[H8199], be judge[H8199] this day[H3117] between the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] and the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
28. Howbeit the king[H4428] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] hearkened[H8085] not unto the words[H1697] of Jephthah[H3316] which he sent him[H7971].
29. Then the Spirit[H7307] of Jehovah[H3068] came upon Jephthah[H3316], and he passed over[H5674] Gilead[H1568] and Manasseh[H4519], and passed over[H5674] Mizpeh[H4708] of Gilead[H1568], and from Mizpeh[H4708] of Gilead[H1568] he passed over[H5674] unto the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
30. And Jephthah[H3316] vowed[H5087] a vow[H5088] unto Jehovah[H3068], and said[H559], If thou wilt indeed[H5414] deliver[H5414] the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] into my hand[H3027],
31. then it shall be[H3318], that whatsoever cometh forth[H3318] from the doors[H1817] of my house[H1004] to meet[H7125] me[H7725], when I return in peace[H7965] from the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], it shall be Jehovah[H3068]'s, and I will offer it up[H5927] for a burnt-offering[H5930].
32. So Jephthah[H3316] passed over[H5674] unto the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] to fight[H3898] against them[H3068]; and Jehovah delivered[H5414] them into his hand[H3027].
33. And he smote[H5221] them from Aroer[H6177] until thou come[H935] to Minnith[H4511], even twenty[H6242] cities[H5892], and unto[H58] Abel-cheramim[H3754], with a very[H3966] great[H1419] slaughter[H4347]. So the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983] were subdued[H3665] before[H6440] the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478].
34. And Jephthah[H3316] came[H935] to Mizpah[H4709] unto his house[H1004]; and[H1323], behold, his daughter came out[H3318] to meet[H7125] him with timbrels[H8596] and with dances[H4246]: and she was his only child[H3173]; besides her he had neither son[H1121] nor[H176] daughter[H1323].
35. And it came to pass[H7200], when he saw her[H7167], that he rent his clothes[H899], and said[H559], Alas[H162], my daughter[H1323]! thou hast brought[H3766] me very[H3766] low[H3766], and thou art one of them that trouble[H5916] me[H6475]; for I have opened my mouth[H6310] unto Jehovah[H3068], and I cannot[H3201] go back[H7725].
36. And she said[H559] unto him[H1], My father, thou hast opened[H6475] thy mouth[H6310] unto Jehovah[H3068]; do[H6213] unto me according to that which[H834] hath proceeded[H3318] out of thy mouth[H6310], forasmuch[H310] as Jehovah[H3068] hath taken[H6213] vengeance[H5360] for thee on thine enemies[H341], even on the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983].
37. And she said[H559] unto her father[H1], Let this thing[H1697] be done[H6213] for me[H7503]: let me alone two[H8147] months[H2320], that I may depart[H3212] and go down[H3381] upon the mountains[H2022], and bewail[H1058] my virginity[H1331], I and my companions[H7464].
38. And he said[H559], Go[H3212]. And he sent her away[H7971] for two[H8147] months[H2320]: and she departed[H3212], she and her companions[H7464], and bewailed[H1058] her virginity[H1331] upon the mountains[H2022].
39. And it came to pass at the end[H7093] of two[H8147] months[H2320], that she returned[H7725] unto her father[H1], who did[H6213] with her according to his vow[H5088] which he had vowed[H5087]: and she knew[H3045] not man[H376]. And it was a custom[H2706] in Israel[H3478],
40. that the daughters[H1323] of Israel[H3478] went[H3212] yearly[H3117] to celebrate[H8567] the daughter[H1323] of Jephthah[H3316] the Gileadite[H1569] four[H702] days[H3117] in a year[H8141].
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