Judges 11

¹Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was from the land of Gilead. His father’s name was Gilead. Jephthah’s mother was a prostitute.

²Gilead’s wife also had sons by him. When they had grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You aren’t going to get any share of our family’s property,” they said. “You are the son of another woman.”

³So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He made his home in the land of Tob. A group of men who weren’t good for anything gathered around him there. And they followed him.

⁴Some time later, the Ammonites were fighting against Israel.

⁵So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

⁶“Come with us,” they said. “Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites.”

⁷Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me? Didn’t you drive me away from my father’s house? Why are you coming to me only when you are in trouble?”

⁸The elders of Gilead replied to him. “You are right,” they said. “That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”

⁹Jephthah said, “Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”

¹⁰The elders of Gilead replied, “The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.”

¹¹So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.

¹²Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked, “What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”

¹³The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said, “Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”

¹⁴Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon.

¹⁵They said,

²⁸But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

²⁹Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon.

³⁰Jephthah made a promise to the Lord . Jephthah said, “Hand the Ammonites over to me.

³¹If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord . I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

³²Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him.

³³Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.

³⁴Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. And guess who came out to meet him. It was his daughter! She was dancing to the beat of tambourines. She was his only child. He didn’t have any other sons or daughters.

³⁵When Jephthah saw her, he was so upset that he tore his clothes. He cried out, “Oh no, my daughter! You have filled me with trouble and sorrow. I’ve made a promise to the Lord . And I can’t break it.”

³⁶“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord . So do to me just what you promised to do. The Ammonites were your enemies. And the Lord has paid them back for what they did to you.

³⁷But please do one thing for me,” she continued. “Give me two months to wander around in the hills. Let me weep there with my friends. I want to do that because I’ll never get married.”

³⁸“You may go,” he said. He let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills. They were filled with sadness because she would never get married.

³⁹After the two months were over, she returned to her father. He did to her just what he had promised to do. And she was a virgin.

So that became a practice in Israel.

⁴⁰Each year the young women of Israel go away for four days. They do it in honor of the daughter of Jephthah. He was from the land of Gilead.