Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor ;
he was the son of a prostitute,
and Gilead was
his
father
.
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor ,
and
he was the son of a harlot:
and Gilead begat
Jephthah
.
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. ”
And 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.
So
Jephthah fled from his brothers
and settled
in the land of Tob ,
where
worthless
men
gathered around
him
and traveled
with him.
Then
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.
Some
time
later
, when
the Ammonites
fought
against Israel
And
it
came
to
pass
after
a
while
, that
the children
of
Ammon
made
war
against Israel .
and made war with
them
, the elders of Gilead went to get
Jephthah from
the land of Tob .
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 ;
“Come,”
they said, “
be our commander
, so
that we can
fight against
the Ammonites
. ”
and
they said unto
Jephthah
, Come
and
be our chief
, that we may
fight with
the children
of
Ammon
.
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? ”
And
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?
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. ”
And
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.
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
? ”
And
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
?
And the elders of Gilead said to
Jephthah, “The
LORD
is
our
witness if
we do not
do
as
you
say
. ”
And the elders of Gilead said unto
Jephthah, Jehovah
shall
be
witness between
us;
surely
according
to
thy
word
so
will
we do.
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.
Then
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.
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? ”
And
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?
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. ”
And
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.
Jephthah again
sent messengers to
the king of the Ammonites
And
Jephthah sent messengers again
unto
the king of the children
of
Ammon;
to
tell
him, “This
is
what
Jephthah says
: Israel did
not take
away the land of Moab or
of the Ammonites.
and
he
said
unto
him, Thus
saith
Jephthah: Israel took
not away the land of Moab ,
nor
the
land
of the children
of
Ammon,
But when Israel
came up out
of
Egypt, they
traveled
through the wilderness to
the Red Sea and came to Kadesh .
but when they
came up from
Egypt, and
Israel
went
through the wilderness unto
the Red Sea ,
and came to Kadesh ;
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.
then 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.
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.
Then 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
.
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. ’
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 unto
my
place.
But Sihon would
not trust
Israel to pass through his territory.
So
he
gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with
Israel.
But Sihon trusted
not Israel to pass through his border;
but
Sihon
gathered all his people together
, and
encamped in Jahaz, and fought against
Israel.
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 ,
And
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 .
seizing
all the land
from the Arnon to
the Jabbok and from the wilderness to
the Jordan.
And
they
possessed
all the border
of
the
Amorites,
from the Arnon even
unto
the Jabbok ,
and from the wilderness even
unto
the Jordan.
Now since
the
LORD
, the God of Israel, has
driven
out
the Amorites from before His people Israel, should
you
now
possess it
?
So
now Jehovah
, the God of Israel, hath
dispossessed
the Amorites from before his people Israel, and
shouldest
thou
possess them
?
Do
you
not possess whatever
your
god
Chemosh grants
you
? So also,
we
possess
whatever
the
LORD
our God has
granted
us.
Wilt
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
.
Are
you
now so
much
better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend
with
Israel or fight against them?
And
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?
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?
While
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?
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
. ”
I 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
.
But
the king of the Ammonites
paid
no
heed
to
the message
Jephthah sent him.
Howbeit
the king of the children
of
Ammon
hearkened
not
unto
the words
of
Jephthah which
he
sent him.
Then the Spirit of the
LORD
came upon Jephthah, and he passed through
Gilead and Manasseh, then
through
Mizpah
of Gilead .
And from there
he advanced
against
the Ammonites
.
Then 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
.
Jephthah made
this
vow to
the
LORD:
“
If indeed You
will
deliver the Ammonites
into my hand,
And
Jephthah vowed
a
vow unto
Jehovah,
and
said,
If thou
wilt
indeed deliver the children
of
Ammon
into my hand,
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. ”
then 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.
So Jephthah crossed
over to
the Ammonites
to fight against them ,
and the
LORD
delivered them into his hand.
So Jephthah passed
over unto
the children
of
Ammon
to fight against them ;
and Jehovah
delivered them into his hand.
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
.
And
he smote
them
from Aroer until
thou
come
to Minnith, even
twenty
cities,
and
unto
Abelcheramim,
with
a
very
great
slaughter
. So the children
of
Ammon
were subdued before the children
of
Israel
.
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
.
And 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.
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. ”
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
Jehovah,
and I
cannot go
back.
“
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
. ”
And
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
.
She also
said to
her father, “
Let me
do
this one
thing: Let me wander
for
two months through
the mountains with
my
friends
and mourn
my virginity. ”
And
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
.
“Go,”
he said. And he sent her away for two months .
So
she left
with
her friends
and mourned
her virginity upon the mountains.
And
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.
After
two months, she returned to
her father, and
he
did to
her as
he had vowed .
And she had
never
had
relations
with
a
man. So
it has
become
a custom in Israel
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
not
man. And
it was
a custom in Israel ,
that each
year
the young
women
of Israel go
out
for
four
days
to lament
the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
that the daughters
of Israel went
yearly
to celebrate
the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four
days
in
a
year
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..