1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Judges 11

1 The covenant between Jephthah and the Gileadites, that he should be their head. 12 The treaty of peace between him and the Ammonites is in vain. 29 Jephthah's vow. 32 His conquest of the Ammonites. 34 He performeth his vow on his daughter.

 11:1 Now Jephthah 3316 the Gileadite 1569 was a valiant 2428 warrior 1368, but he was the son 1121 of a harlot 802 2181. And Gilead 1568 was the father 3205 of Jephthah 3316.

 11:2 Gilead’s 1568 wife 802 bore 3205 him sons 1121; and when his wife’s 802 sons 1121 grew 1431 up, they drove 1644 Jephthah 3316 out and said 559 to him, “You shall not have 5157 an inheritance 5157 in our father’s 1 house 1004, for you are the son 1121 of another 312 woman 802.”

 11:3 So Jephthah 3316 fled 1272 from his brothers 251 and lived 3427 in the land 776 of Tob 2897; and worthless 7386 fellows 376 gathered 3950 themselves about 413 Jephthah 3316, and they went 3318 out with him.

 11:4 ¶ It came 1961 about after 4480 a while 3117 that the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 fought 3898a against 5973 Israel 3478.

 11:5 When 3512c the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 fought 3898a against 5973 Israel 3478, the elders 2205 of Gilead 1568 went 1980 to get 3947 Jephthah 3316 from the land 776 of Tob 2897;

 11:6 and they said 559 to Jephthah 3316, “Come 1980 and be our chief 7101 that we may fight 3898a against the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983.”

 11:7 Then Jephthah 3316 said 559 to the elders 2205 of Gilead 1568, “Did you not hate 8130 me and drive 1644 me from my father’s 1 house 1004? So why 4069 have you come 935 to me now 6258 when 3512c you are in trouble 6887a?”

 11:8 The elders 2205 of Gilead 1568 said 559 to Jephthah 3316, “For this 3651 reason 3651 we have now 6258 returned 7725 to you, that you may go 1980 with us and fight 3898a with the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 and become 1961 head 7218 over all 3605 the inhabitants 3427 of Gilead 1568.”

 11:9 So Jephthah 3316 said 559 to the elders 2205 of Gilead 1568, “If 518 you take 7725 me back 7725 to fight 3898a against the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 and the LORD 3068 gives 5414 them up to me, will I become 1961 your head 7218?”

 11:10 The elders 2205 of Gilead 1568 said 559 to Jephthah 3316, “The LORD 3068 is witness 8085 between 996 us; surely 518 3808 we will do 6213a as you have said 1697.”

 11:11 Then Jephthah 3316 went 1980 with the elders 2205 of Gilead 1568, and the people 5971a made 7760 him head 7218 and chief 7101 over 5921 them; and Jephthah 3316 spoke 1696 all 3605 his words 1697 before 6440 the LORD 3068 at Mizpah 4709.

 11:12 ¶ Now Jephthah 3316 sent 7971 messengers 4397 to the king 4428 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983, saying 559, “What 4100 is between you and me, that you have come 935 to me to fight 3898a against my land 776?”

 11:13 The king 4428 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 said 559 to the messengers 4397 of Jephthah 3316, “Because 3588 Israel 3478 took 3947 away my land 776 when they came 5927 up from Egypt 4714, from the Arnon 769 as far 5704 as the Jabbok 2999 and the Jordan 3383; therefore, return 7725 them peaceably 7965 now 6258.”

 11:14 But Jephthah 3316 sent 7971 messengers 4397 again 5750 3254 to the king 4428 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983,

 11:15 and they said 559 to him, “Thus 3541 says 559 Jephthah 3316, ‘Israel 3478 did not take 3947 away the land 776 of Moab 4124 nor 3808 the land 776 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983.

 11:16 ‘For when they came 5927 up from Egypt 4714, and Israel 3478 went 1980 through the wilderness 4057b to the Red 5488 3220 Sea 3220 and came 935 to Kadesh 6946,

 11:17 then Israel 3478 sent 7971 messengers 4397 to the king 4428 of Edom 112b, saying 559, “Please 4994 let us pass 5674a through your land 776,” but the king 4428 of Edom 112b would not listen 8085. And they also 1571 sent 7971 to the king 4428 of Moab 4124, but he would not consent 14. So Israel 3478 remained 3427 at Kadesh 6946.

 11:18 ‘Then they went 1980 through the wilderness 4057b and around 5437 the land 776 of Edom 112b and the land 776 of Moab 4124, and came 935 to the east 4217 8121 side 4217 8121 of the land 776 of Moab 4124, and they camped 2583 beyond 5676 the Arnon 769; but they did not enter 935 the territory 1366 of Moab 4124, for the Arnon 769 [was] the border 1366 of Moab 4124.

 11:19 ‘And Israel 3478 sent 7971 messengers 4397 to Sihon 5511 king 4428 of the Amorites 567, the king 4428 of Heshbon 2809, and Israel 3478 said 559 to him, “Please 4994 let us pass 5674a through your land 776 to our place 4725.”

 11:20 ‘But Sihon 5511 did not trust 539 Israel 3478 to pass 5674a through his territory 1366; so Sihon 5511 gathered 622 all 3605 his people 5971a and camped 2583 in Jahaz 3096 and fought 3898a with Israel 3478.

 11:21 ‘The LORD 3068, the God 430 of Israel 3478, gave 5414 Sihon 5511 and all 3605 his people 5971a into the hand 3027 of Israel 3478, and they defeated 5221 them; so Israel 3478 possessed 3423 all 3605 the land 776 of the Amorites 567, the inhabitants 3427 of that country 776.

 11:22 ‘So they possessed 3423 all 3605 the territory 1366 of the Amorites 567, from the Arnon 769 as far 5704 as the Jabbok 2999, and from the wilderness 4057b as far 5704 as the Jordan 3383.

 11:23 ‘Since now 6258 the LORD 3068, the God 430 of Israel 3478, drove 3423 out the Amorites 567 from before 6440 His people 5971a Israel 3478, are you then to possess 3423 it?

 11:24 ‘Do you not possess 3423 what 834 Chemosh 3645 your god 430 gives 3423 you to possess 3423? So whatever 3605 834 the LORD 3068 our God 430 has driven 3423 out before 4480 6440 us, we will possess 3423 it.

 11:25 ‘Now 6258 are you any 2895 better 2896a than 4480 Balak 1111 the son 1121 of Zippor 6834, king 4428 of Moab 4124? Did he ever 7378 strive 7378 with Israel 3478, or 518 did he ever 3898a fight 3898a against them?

 11:26 ‘While Israel 3478 lived 3427 in Heshbon 2809 and its villages 1323, and in Aroer 6177 and its villages 1323, and in all 3605 the cities 5892b that are on the banks 3027 of the Arnon 769, three 7969 hundred 3967 years 8141, why 4069 did you not recover 5337 them within that time 6256?

 11:27 ‘I therefore have not sinned 2398 against you, but you are doing 6213a me wrong 7463a by making 3898a war 3898a against me; may the LORD 3068, the Judge 8199, judge 8199 today 3117 between 996 the sons 1121 of Israel 3478 and the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983.’”

 11:28 But the king 4428 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 disregarded 3808 8085 the message 1697 which 834 Jephthah 3316 sent 7971 him.

 11:29 ¶ Now the Spirit 7307 of the LORD 3068 came 1961 upon Jephthah 3316, so that he passed 5674a through 5674a Gilead 1568 and Manasseh 4519; then he passed 5674a through 5674a Mizpah 4708 of Gilead 1568, and from Mizpah 4708 of Gilead 1568 he went 5674a on to the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983.

 11:30 Jephthah 3316 made 5087 a vow 5088 to the LORD 3068 and said 559, “If 518 You will indeed 5414 give 5414 the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 into my hand 3027,

 11:31 then it shall be that whatever 834 comes 3318 out of the doors 1817 of my house 1004 to meet 7122 me when I return 7725 in peace 7965 from the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983, it shall be the LORD’S 3068, and I will offer 5927 it up as a burnt 5930a offering 5930a.”

 11:32 So Jephthah 3316 crossed 5674a over 5674a to the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 to fight 3898a against them; and the LORD 3068 gave 5414 them into his hand 3027.

 11:33 He struck 5221 them with a very 3966 great 1419 slaughter 4347 from Aroer 6177 to the entrance 935 of Minnith 4511, twenty 6242 cities 5892b, and as far 5704 as Abel-keramim 64. So the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983 were subdued 3665 before 4480 6440 the sons 1121 of Israel 3478.

 11:34 ¶ When Jephthah 3316 came 935 to his house 1004 at Mizpah 4709, behold 2009, his daughter 1323 was coming 3318 out to meet 7122 him with tambourines 8596 and with dancing 4246. Now she was his one 3173 [and] only 7534 child 3173; besides 4480 her he had 369 no 369 son 1121 or 176 daughter 1323.

 11:35 When he saw 7200 her, he tore 7167 his clothes 899b and said 559, “Alas 162, my daughter 1323! You have brought 3766 me very 3766 low 3766, and you are among those who trouble 5916 me; for I have given 6475 my word 6310 to the LORD 3068, and I cannot 3201 3808 take 7725 [it] back 7725.”

 11:36 So she said 559 to him, “My father 1, you have given 6475 your word 6310 to the LORD 3068; do 6213a to me as you have said 3318 4480 6310, since 310 834 the LORD 3068 has avenged 5360 you of your enemies 340, the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983.”

 11:37 She said 559 to her father 1, “Let this 2088 thing 1697 be done 6213a for me; let 7503 me alone 4480 7503 two 8147 months 2320, that I may go 1980 3381 to the mountains 2022 and weep 1058 because 5921 of my virginity 1331, I and my companions 7464.”

 11:38 Then he said 559, “Go 1980.” So he sent 7971 her away 7971 for two 8147 months 2320; and she left 1980 with her companions 7464, and wept 1058 on the mountains 2022 because 5921 of her virginity 1331.

 11:39 At the end 7093 of two 8147 months 2320 she returned 7725 to her father 1, who did 6213a to her according to the vow 5088 which 834 he had made 5087; and she had 3045 no 3808 relations 3045 with a man 376. Thus it became 1961 a custom 2706 in Israel 3478,

 11:40 that the daughters 1323 of Israel 3478 went 1980 yearly 3117 to commemorate 8567 the daughter 1323 of Jephthah 3316 the Gileadite 1569 four 702 days 3117 in the year 8141.