07_JUD_11_01 now Jephthah the Gileadite was A mighty man of valour , And he [ was ] the son of an harlot : And Gilead begat Jephthah .
07_JUD_11_02 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 .
07_JUD_11_03 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 .
07_JUD_11_04 And it came to pass in process of time , that the children of Ammon made war against Israel .
07_JUD_11_05 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 :
07_JUD_11_06 And they said unto Jephthah , come , And be our captain , that we may fight with the children of Ammon .
07_JUD_11_07 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 ?
07_JUD_11_08 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 .
07_JUD_11_09 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 ?
07_JUD_11_10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah , the LORD be witness between us , if we do not So according to thy words .
07_JUD_11_11 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 .
07_JUD_11_12 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 ?
07_JUD_11_13 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 .
07_JUD_11_14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon :
07_JUD_11_15 And said unto him , thus saith Jephthah , Israel took not away the land of Moab , nor the land of the children of Ammon :
07_JUD_11_16 but when Israel came up from Egypt , And walked through the wilderness unto the red sea , And came to Kadesh ;
07_JUD_11_17 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 .
07_JUD_11_18 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 .
07_JUD_11_19 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 .
07_JUD_11_20 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 .
07_JUD_11_21 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 .
07_JUD_11_22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites , from Arnon even unto Jabbok , And from the wilderness even unto Jordan .
07_JUD_11_23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel , And shouldest thou possess it ?
07_JUD_11_24 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 .
07_JUD_11_25 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 ,
07_JUD_11_26 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 ?
07_JUD_11_27 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 .
07_JUD_11_28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him .
07_JUD_11_29 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 .
07_JUD_11_30 And Jephthah vowed A vow unto the LORD , And said , if thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands ,
07_JUD_11_31 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 .
07_JUD_11_32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them ; And the LORD delivered them into his hands .
07_JUD_11_33 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 .
07_JUD_11_34 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 .
07_JUD_11_35 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 .
07_JUD_11_36 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 .
07_JUD_11_37 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 .
07_JUD_11_38 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 .
07_JUD_11_39 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 ,
07_JUD_11_40 [ that ] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in A year .