Judges 11

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

1Jephthah came from Gilead. He was a strong, brave fighter. His mother was a prostitute, a woman who sold her body to men. His father was Gilead.

2And 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.

2Gilead's wife also had sons. When those sons grew up, they pushed Jephthah out. They said, "You will get nothing from our father. Your mother was a different woman."

3Then 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.

3So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He went to live in the land of Tob. Some rough men with no good name joined him and went out with him.

NoteThe KJV says "vain men." That does not mean proud men. It means men with no work, no money, and no good name.

4And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

4After some time, the people of Ammon started a war against Israel.

5And 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:

5When the Ammonites attacked, the leaders of Gilead went to the land of Tob. They went to bring Jephthah back.

6And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

6They said to Jephthah, "Come and be our commander. Then we can fight the Ammonites."

7And 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?

7Jephthah said, "You hated me. You pushed me out of my father's house. Why come to me now, when you are in trouble?"

8And 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.

8The leaders of Gilead said, "That is why we came back to you. Come and fight the Ammonites with us. Then be the leader of everyone in Gilead."

9And 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?

9Jephthah said, "You want me to come home and fight the Ammonites. If the LORD helps me beat them, will I really be your leader?"

10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

10The leaders of Gilead said, "The LORD is listening to us. We will do just what you said."

11Then 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.

11So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. At the town of Mizpeh, he said all these words again in front of the LORD.

12And 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?

12Then Jephthah sent men with a message to the king of Ammon. It said, "What do you have against me? Why have you come to fight in my land?"

13And 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.

13The king of Ammon answered, "Israel took my land when they came up out of Egypt. They took it from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, all the way to the Jordan. Give it back now, and there will be peace."

14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

14Jephthah sent his men to the king of Ammon again.

15And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

15They said, "Jephthah says this: Israel did not take the land of Moab. Israel did not take the land of Ammon."

16But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

16"When Israel came up out of Egypt, they walked through the desert. They went to the Red Sea and then came to a place called Kadesh."

17Then 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.

17"Israel asked the king of Edom, 'Please let us walk through your land.' The king said no. Israel asked the king of Moab too. He also said no. So Israel stayed at Kadesh."

18Then 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.

18"Then Israel walked through the desert and went around Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of Moab and camped across the Arnon River. They never stepped inside Moab, because the Arnon was Moab's border."

19And 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.

19"Israel sent men to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. They said, 'Please let us walk through your land to our own place.'"

20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

20"But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his land. He gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought Israel."

21And 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.

21"The LORD, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel. Israel beat them. So Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived there."

22And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

22"They took all the land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. It went from the desert all the way to the Jordan River."

23So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

23"The LORD, the God of Israel, drove the Amorites out for his people. So should you take that land now?"

24Wilt 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.

24"You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, don't you? In the same way, we keep whatever the LORD our God gives us."

25And 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,

25"Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he ever argue with Israel or fight against them?"

26While 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?

26"For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon and its towns, in Aroer and its towns, and in all the towns by the Arnon. Why did you not take them back in all that time?"

27Wherefore 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.

27"I have done nothing wrong to you. You are the one doing wrong by fighting me. Let the LORD, the true Judge, decide today between Israel and Ammon."

28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

28But the king of Ammon would not listen to the message Jephthah sent him.

29Then 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.

29Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah. He traveled through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpeh of Gilead and went on to fight the Ammonites.

30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

30Jephthah made a promise to the LORD. He said, "If you really hand the Ammonites over to me,"

31Then 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.

31"then this is what I will do. When I come home safe, something will come out my door to meet me. Whatever it is, it will belong to the LORD. I will offer it up as a burnt offering."

NoteA burnt offering was a gift given to God. An animal was killed and burned on a stone table called an altar.

32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

32So Jephthah crossed over to fight the Ammonites. The LORD handed them over to him.

33And 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.

33He beat them from Aroer all the way to Minnith. He took twenty towns and went on to the plain of the vineyards. Very many were killed. So Ammon was beaten down by Israel.

34And 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.

34Jephthah came home to his house in Mizpeh. His daughter came out to meet him, playing a small drum and dancing. She was his only child. He had no other son or daughter.

35And 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.

35When he saw her, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. He said, "Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down low. You are the one who brings me this pain. I gave my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back."

36And 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.

36She said, "My father, you gave your word to the LORD. Do to me what you said. The LORD has paid back your enemies, the Ammonites, for you."

37And 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.

37She said to her father, "Please do this one thing for me. Give me two months. Let me walk in the hills with my friends. I want to cry, because I will never marry or have children."

Note"Bewail my virginity" means she was crying because she would never get married and never have children of her own.

38And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

38He said, "Go." So he sent her away for two months. She went into the hills with her friends and cried there.

39And 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,

39After the two months she came back to her father. He did to her what he had promised. She never married. From then on, Israel kept this custom:

40That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

40Every year the girls of Israel go out for four days. They remember Jephthah's daughter and cry for her.