Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James 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 an
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
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.
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
men
to
Jephthah,
and went
out
with him.
Some
time later
, when
the Ammonites
fought
against Israel
And
it
came
to
pass
in
process
of
time, 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 captain
, 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 expel 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
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.
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 against
the children
of
Ammon,
and the LORD 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, The LORD be
witness between
us,
if we do not so
according
to
thy
words
.
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 captain
over
them:
and Jephthah uttered
all his words
before
the LORD in
Mizpeh
.
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 against
me
to fight in
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
they
came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even
unto
Jabbok ,
and unto
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
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 Israel came up from
Egypt, and
walked
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 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.
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
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
.
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 into 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 coast:
but
Sihon
gathered all his people together
, and
pitched
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
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 .
seizing
all the land
from
the Arnon to
the
Jabbok and from the wilderness to
the
Jordan.
And
they
possessed
all the coasts
of
the Amorites,
from
Arnon even
unto
Jabbok ,
and from the wilderness even
unto
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 the LORD God of Israel hath
dispossessed
the Amorites from before his people Israel, and
shouldest
thou
possess it?
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
the LORD our God shall
drive
out
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
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 ,
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
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?
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
. ”
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
.
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 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
.
Jephthah made
this
vow to
the LORD :
“
If indeed
You
will
deliver the Ammonites
into my
hand
,
And
Jephthah vowed
a
vow unto
the LORD ,
and
said,
If thou
shalt
without
fail
deliver the children
of
Ammon
into mine
hands
,
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
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.
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 the LORD delivered them into his hands
.
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 ,
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
.
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 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.
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
the LORD ,
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, 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 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
go
up
and
down
upon
the mountains ,
and bewail
my virginity ,
I
and
my
fellows
.
“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 went
with 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
no
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 lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four
days
in
a
year
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..