And Gilead’swifebare him sons; and his wife’ssonsgrew up, and theythrust out Jephthah, and saidunto him, Thoushalt not inherit in our father’shouse; for thou art the son of a strangewoman.
And Jephthahsaidunto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’shouse? and why are ye comeunto me now when ye are in distress?
And the elders of GileadsaiduntoJephthah, Therefore we turnagain to thee now, thatthoumayest go with us, and fightagainst the children of Ammon, and be our headover all the inhabitants of Gilead.
And Jephthahsaidunto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me homeagain to fightagainst the children of Ammon, and the LORDdeliverthembefore me, shall I be yourhead?
ThenJephthahwentwith the elders of Gilead, and the peoplemade him head and captainoverthem: and Jephthahuttered all his wordsbefore the LORD in Mizpeh.
And the king of the children of Ammonansweredunto the messengers of Jephthah, BecauseIsraeltookaway my land, whentheycame up out of Egypt, fromArnonevenuntoJabbok, and untoJordan: now thereforerestorethoselandsagainpeaceably.
ThenIsraelsentmessengersunto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I praythee, passthrough thy land: but the king of Edomwould not hearkenthereto. And in likemannertheysentunto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israelabode in Kadesh.
Thentheywentalongthrough the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the eastside of the land of Moab, and pitched on the otherside of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
And IsraelsentmessengersuntoSihonking of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israelsaidunto him, Let us pass, we praythee, through thy landinto my place.
And the LORD God of IsraeldeliveredSihon and all his peopleinto the hand of Israel, and theysmotethem: so Israelpossessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of thatcountry.
WhileIsraeldwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the citiesthat be along by the coasts of Arnon, threehundredyears? why therefore did ye not recoverthemwithinthattime?
Wherefore I have not sinnedagainstthee, but thoudoest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judgethis day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
Then the spirit of the LORDcameuponJephthah, and he passedoverGilead, and Manasseh, and passedoverMizpeh of Gilead, and fromMizpeh of Gilead he passedoverunto the children of Ammon.
Then it shall be, thatwhatsoevercomethforth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peacefrom the children of Ammon, shallsurely be the LORD’S, and I willoffer it up for a burntoffering.
And he smotethemfromAroer, eventillthoucome to Minnith, eventwentycities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a verygreatslaughter. Thus the children of Ammonweresubduedbefore the children of Israel.
And Jephthahcame to Mizpehunto his house, and, behold, his daughtercame out to meet him withtimbrels and withdances: and she was his onlychild; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thouhastbrought me very low, and thou art one of themthattrouble me: for I haveopened my mouthunto the LORD, and I cannot go back.
And she saidunto him, My father, if thouhastopened thy mouthunto the LORD, do to me according to thatwhichhathproceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORDhathtakenvengeance for thee of thineenemies, even of the children of Ammon.
And she saidunto her father, Let thisthing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and downupon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returnedunto 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,