MLV(i)
12 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?
13 And the king of the sons of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
14 And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon. 15 And he said to him, Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon, 16 but when they came up from Egypt and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh, 17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I beseech you, let me pass through your land, but the king of Edom did not listen. And in like manner he sent to the king of Moab, but he would not. And Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came by the east side of the land of Moab. And they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon. And Israel said to him, Please let us pass, through your land to my place. 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped in Jahaz and fought against Israel.
21 And Jehovah, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel and they killed* them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
23 So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel and should you possess them? 24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomever Jehovah our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
25 And now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns and in Aroer and its towns and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you* not recover them within that time?
27 I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon. 28 However the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the sons of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah and said, If you will indeed deliver the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it will be, that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it will be Jehovah's and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32 So Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 33 And he killed* them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities and to Abel-keramim, with a very great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. And she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low and you are one of those who trouble me, for I have opened my mouth to Jehovah and I cannot go back.
36 And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to Jehovah. Do to me according to what has proceeded out of your mouth, inasmuch as Jehovah has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the sons of Ammon.
37 And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months. And she departed, she and her companions and wept for her virginity upon the mountains.
39 And it happened at the end of two months, that she returned to 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, 40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
14 And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon. 15 And he said to him, Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon, 16 but when they came up from Egypt and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh, 17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I beseech you, let me pass through your land, but the king of Edom did not listen. And in like manner he sent to the king of Moab, but he would not. And Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came by the east side of the land of Moab. And they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon. And Israel said to him, Please let us pass, through your land to my place. 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped in Jahaz and fought against Israel.
21 And Jehovah, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel and they killed* them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
23 So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel and should you possess them? 24 Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomever Jehovah our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
25 And now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns and in Aroer and its towns and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you* not recover them within that time?
27 I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon. 28 However the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the sons of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah and said, If you will indeed deliver the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it will be, that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it will be Jehovah's and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32 So Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 33 And he killed* them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities and to Abel-keramim, with a very great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. And she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low and you are one of those who trouble me, for I have opened my mouth to Jehovah and I cannot go back.
36 And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to Jehovah. Do to me according to what has proceeded out of your mouth, inasmuch as Jehovah has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the sons of Ammon.
37 And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months. And she departed, she and her companions and wept for her virginity upon the mountains.
39 And it happened at the end of two months, that she returned to 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, 40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.