11Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.H3316H1569H1368H2428H1121H802H2181H1568H3205H33162And Gilead's wife also bore him sons. And when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, "You shall not have an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman."H1568H802H3205H1121H802H1121H1431H1644H3316H559H5157H1H1004H1121H312H8023Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.H3316H1272H6440H251H3427H776H2897H3950H7386H582H3316H33184After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.H3117H1121H5983H3898H34785And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.H1121H5983H3898H3478H2205H1568H3212H3947H3316H776H28976And they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites."H559H3316H3212H7101H3898H1121H59837But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?"H3316H559H2205H1568H8130H1644H1H1004H935H68878And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."H2205H1568H559H3316H7725H1980H3898H1121H5983H7218H3427H15689Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them over to me, I will be your head."H3316H559H2205H1568H7725H3898H1121H5983H3068H5414H6440H721810And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The LORD will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say."H2205H1568H559H3316H3068H8085H6213H169711So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah.H3316H3212H2205H1568H5971H7760H7218H7101H3316H1696H1697H6440H3068H470912Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, "What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?"H3316H7971H4397H4428H1121H5983H559H935H3898H77613And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably."H4428H1121H5983H559H4397H3316H3478H3947H776H5927H4714H769H2999H3383H7725H796514Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the AmmonitesH3316H7971H4397H3254H4428H1121H598315and said to him, "Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites,H559H559H3316H3478H3947H776H4124H776H1121H598316but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.H3478H5927H4714H3212H4057H5488H3220H935H694617Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.H3478H7971H4397H4428H123H559H5674H776H4428H123H8085H7971H4428H4124H14H3478H3427H694618"Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on 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, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.H3212H4057H5437H776H123H776H4124H935H4217H8121H776H4124H2583H5676H769H935H1366H4124H769H1366H412419Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land to our country,'H3478H7971H4397H5511H4428H567H4428H2809H3478H559H5674H776H5704H472520but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.H5511H539H3478H5674H1366H5511H622H5971H622H2583H3096H3898H347821And the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.H3068H430H3478H5414H5511H5971H3027H3478H5221H3478H3423H776H567H3427H77622And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.H3423H1366H567H769H2999H4057H338323So then the LORD, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them?H3068H430H3478H3423H567H6440H5971H3478H342324Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess.H3423H3645H430H3423H3068H430H3423H6440H342325Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them?H2896H1111H1121H6834H4428H4124H7378H7378H3478H3898H389826While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time?H3478H3427H2809H1323H6177H1323H5892H3027H769H7969H3967H8141H5337H625627I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The LORD, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon."H2398H6213H853H7451H3898H3068H8199H8199H3117H1121H3478H1121H598328But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.H4428H1121H5983H8085H1697H3316H797129Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.H7307H3068H3316H5674H1568H4519H5674H4708H1568H4708H1568H5674H1121H598330And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,H3316H5087H5088H3068H559H5414H5414H1121H5983H302731then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."H3318H3318H1817H1004H7125H7725H7965H1121H5983H3068H5927H593032So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand.H3316H5674H1121H5983H3898H3068H5414H302733And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.H5221H6177H935H4511H6242H5892H58H3754H64H3966H1419H4347H1121H5983H3665H6440H1121H347834Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.H3316H935H4709H1004H1323H3318H7125H8596H4246H3173H1121H176H132335And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow."H7200H7167H899H559H162H1323H3766H3766H3766H5916H6475H6310H3068H3201H772536And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites."H559H1H6475H6310H3068H6213H834H3318H6310H310H3068H6213H5360H341H1121H598337So she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions."H559H1H1697H6213H7503H8147H2320H3212H3381H2022H1058H1331H7464H747438So he said, "Go." Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.H559H3212H7971H8147H2320H3212H7464H1058H1331H202239And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in IsraelH7093H8147H2320H7725H1H6213H5088H5087H3045H376H2706H347840that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.H1323H3478H3212H3117H3117H8567H1323H3316H1569H702H3117H8141