1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. He was the son of a prostitute. Gilead became the father of Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, "You will not inherit in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman." 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Outlaws joined up with Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4 After a while, the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 When the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob. 6 They said to Jephthah, "Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon."
7 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Didn’t you hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?"
8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight with the children of Ammon. You will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."
9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivers them before me, will I be your head?"
10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "Yahweh will be witness between us. Surely we will do what you say."
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.
12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, "What do you have to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?"
13 The king of the children of Ammon answered 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 that territory again peaceably."
14 Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon; 15 and he said to him, "Jephthah says: Israel didn’t take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children 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, ‘Please let me pass through your land;’ but the king of Edom didn’t listen. In the same way, he sent to the king of Moab, but he refused; so Israel stayed 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 didn’t come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 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 didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 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 Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them? 24 Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. 25 Now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26 Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along the side of the Arnon for three hundred years! Why didn’t you recover them within that time? 27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. May Yahweh the Judge be judge today between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon."
28 However, the king of the children of Ammon didn’t listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 Then Yahweh’s Spirit came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.
30 Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, "If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be, that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."
32 So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh delivered them into his hand. 33 He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, 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 Yahweh, and I can’t go back."
36 She said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon." 37 Then she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me. Leave me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions."
38 He said, "Go." He sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and mourned her virginity on the mountains. 39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. She was a virgin. It became 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.
1 基列人耶弗他是个英勇的战士； 他是个妓女的儿子； 耶弗他是基列所生的。
2 基列的妻子也给他生了几个儿子。他妻子的儿子长大了， 就把耶弗他赶出去， 对他说： "你不可以在我们的父家继承产业， 因为你是另一个妇人的儿子。"
3 耶弗他就从他的兄弟面前逃跑， 住在陀伯地； 有些无赖聚集到他那里， 与他一起出入。
4 过了些日子， 亚扪人与以色列人争战。
5 亚扪人与以色列人争战的时候， 基列的众长老就去， 把耶弗他从陀伯请回来。
6 他们对耶弗他说： "请你来作我们的统帅， 我们好攻打亚扪人。"
7 耶弗他对基列的长老说： "从前你们不是恨我， 赶逐我离开我的父家吗？现在你们遭遇患难的时候， 为什么到我这里来呢？"
8 基列的长老对耶弗他说： "现在我们回到你这里来， 是要你与我们一同回去， 与亚扪人争战， 你要作我们基列所有居民的首领。"
9 耶弗他对基列的长老说： "如果你们带我回去， 攻打亚扪人， 耶和华把他们交在我面前， 那么我就可以作你们的首领吗？"
10 基列的长老对耶弗他说： "有耶和华在我们中间作证， 我们必定照着你的话行。"
11 于是耶弗他与基列的长老一同回去了， 众人就立耶弗他作他们的首领， 作他们的统帅； 耶弗他在米斯巴， 在耶和华面前， 把自己的一切话都说了出来。
12 耶弗他派遣使者去见亚扪人的王， 说： "我跟你有什么关系呢？你竟到我这里来攻打我的土地呢？"
13 亚扪人的王对耶弗他的使者说： "因以色列人从埃及上来的时候， 夺了我的土地， 从亚嫩河到雅博河， 直到约旦河； 现在你要把它和和平平地交还。"
14 耶弗他又再派使者去见亚扪人的王，
15 对他说： "耶弗他这样说： ‘以色列人并没有夺取过摩押地和亚扪人的土地。
16 以色列人从埃及上来的时候， 是走过旷野到红海， 到了加低斯；
17 就派遣使者去见以东王， 说： 求你让我们经过你的领土。以东王却不答应； 又派遣使者去见摩押王， 摩押王也不肯； 以色列人就住在加低斯。
18 以后， 他们走过旷野， 绕过以东地和摩押地， 到了摩押地的东边， 在亚嫩河那边安营； 他们并没有进入摩押境内， 因为亚嫩河是摩押的边界。
19 以色列人又派遣使者去见亚摩利人的王西宏， 就是希实本王， 对他说： 求你让我们经过你的领土， 到我们自己的地方去。
20 西宏却不信任以色列人， 不让他们经过他的境界； 西宏聚集了他所有的人民， 在雅杂安营， 与以色列人争战。
21 耶和华以色列的 神， 把西宏和他所有的人民都交在以色列人手中， 以色列人击杀了他们， 夺取了住在那地的亚摩利人的全地，
22 占领了亚摩利人四周的境界， 从亚嫩河到雅博河， 从旷野直到约旦河。
23 现在耶和华以色列的 神， 已经把亚摩利人从他的子民以色列人面前赶走了， 你竟要占有这地吗？
24 你不是应占有你的神基抹要你占有的地吗？我们不是应占有耶和华我们的 神， 从我们面前赶走的人的一切地吗？
25 现在难道你比摩押王西拨的儿子巴勒还强吗？他曾经与以色列人争竞吗？或是与以色列人交战过吗？
26 以色列人住在希实本和属希实本的村镇， 亚罗珥和亚罗珥的村镇， 以及亚嫩河沿岸的一切城市， 已经有三百年了； 在这时期内， 你们为什么没有夺回这些地方呢？
27 我没有得罪你， 你竟恶待我， 攻打我； 愿审判者耶和华今日在以色列人和亚扪人中间， 判断是非。’"
28 但亚扪人的王不听从耶弗他差派人去对他所说的话。
29 那时耶和华的灵临到耶弗他身上， 他就经过基列和玛拿西， 经过基列的米斯巴， 又从基列的米斯巴去到亚扪人那里。
30 耶弗他向耶和华许愿， 说： "如果你真的把亚扪人交在我手里，
31 我从亚扪人那里平平安安回来的时候， 无论谁先从我的家门出来迎接我， 他就必归耶和华， 我也必把他当作燔祭。"
32 于是耶弗他去到亚扪人那里攻打他们， 耶和华把他们交在他手里。
33 于是他从亚罗珥开始击杀他们， 去到米匿， 直到亚备勒．基拉明， 共二十座城， 是一场大击杀； 这样， 亚扪人就在以色列人面前被制伏了。
34 耶弗他回米斯巴去， 到了自己的家， 不料， 他的女儿拿着鼓、跳着舞， 出来迎接他； 她是耶弗他的独生女， 除她以外， 耶弗他没有其他的儿女。
35 耶弗他看见了她， 就撕裂自己的衣服， 说： "啊！ 我的女儿啊， 你真使我忧愁， 你叫我太作难了； 因为我已经向耶和华开过口许愿， 我不能收回。"
36 她对他说： "我的父亲啊， 你既然向耶和华开过口许了愿， 就照着你口里所说的向我行吧！ 因为耶和华已经在你的仇敌亚扪人身上， 为你报了仇。"
37 她又对自己的父亲说： "请你准我这件事吧： 给我两个月时间， 让我和我的同伴去漫游山间， 为我的童贞哀哭。"
38 耶弗他说： "你去吧！ "就让她离去两个月； 她就带着她的同伴去了， 在山上为她的童贞哀哭。
39 两个月后， 她回到她的父亲那里， 她父亲就照他所许的愿向她行了。她没有与男人同过房。以后， 在以色列中有个惯例：
40 以色列的女子年年都去哀悼基列人耶弗他的女儿， 每年四日。