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士師記 11
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

士師耶弗他

11 基列人耶弗他是個英勇的戰士，他父親名叫基列，母親是個妓女。 2 基列的妻子還生了幾個兒子，他們長大後，便把耶弗他趕出家門，說：「你是別的女人生的，你休想繼承我們父親的任何產業。」 3 耶弗他只好逃走，住在陀伯地區。有一群匪徒跟隨了他。

4 後來，亞捫人攻打以色列， 5 基列的眾長老就去陀伯請耶弗他， 6 對他說：「請你回來做統帥帶領我們對抗亞捫人。」 7 耶弗他說：「從前你們不是厭惡我，把我從父親家趕走的嗎？現在你們遭難，為什麼來找我？」 8 基列的眾長老說：「現在我們是來請你跟我們一起回去抵抗亞捫人，你可以做所有基列人的首領。」 9 耶弗他說：「如果我跟你們回去與亞捫人作戰，耶和華讓我打敗他們，我就真的可以做你們的首領嗎？」 10 基列的首領們說：「我們必聽從你的吩咐，有耶和華為我們作證。」 11 於是，耶弗他便跟他們一起回去。民眾擁立他做他們的首領和元帥。耶弗他在米斯巴將之前所說的話在耶和華面前重申一遍。

12 然後，他派遣使者去問亞捫王：「你與我有什麼相干？為什麼要攻打我的領土？」 13 亞捫王對他的使者說：「因為以色列人從埃及出來的時候佔據了我們的土地——從亞嫩河到雅博河，一直到約旦河。現在你們要乖乖地把這些土地還給我們。」 14 耶弗他再差遣使者去見亞捫王， 15 對他說：「以色列人並沒有佔據摩押和亞捫的土地。 16 當年以色列人離開埃及，經曠野渡過紅海來到加低斯， 17 然後派遣使者去見以東王，說，『求你讓我們經過你的領土。』以東王卻不答應。他們又派遣使者去見摩押王，摩押王也不答應。於是，以色列人就住在加低斯。 18 後來，他們走過曠野，繞過以東和摩押，到了摩押的東邊，在摩押的邊界亞嫩河東岸紮營，並沒有進入摩押境內。 19 以色列人派遣使者去見希實本的亞摩利王西宏，對他說，『求讓我們經過你的領土前往我們自己的土地。』 20 但西宏不信任以色列人，拒絕了他們的請求，並招聚全軍駐紮在雅雜，攻打他們。 21 但以色列的上帝耶和華幫助以色列人戰勝西宏和他的軍隊，佔領了他們所有的土地， 22 從亞嫩河直到雅博河，從曠野直到約旦河。 23 既然是以色列的上帝耶和華為祂的以色列子民趕走了亞摩利人，你憑什麼要奪取這塊土地？ 24 你擁有你們的神明基抹給你們的土地，我們也要擁有我們的上帝耶和華賜給我們的土地。 25 難道你比摩押王西撥的兒子巴勒更強嗎？他從未挑戰過以色列人，也未和以色列人交過戰。 26 三百年來，以色列人一直住在希實本及其周圍的鄉村、亞羅珥及其周圍的鄉村和亞嫩河沿岸一帶的城邑。在這期間，你們為什麼不收回這些土地呢？ 27 我們沒有得罪你們，你們卻攻打我們。願審判者耶和華今天在以色列人和亞捫人之間主持公道。」 28 可是，亞捫王不理會耶弗他派使者所傳的話。

29 那時，耶和華的靈降在耶弗他身上，他便經過基列和瑪拿西，來到基列的米斯巴，然後從那裡去迎戰亞捫人。 30 他向耶和華許願說：「如果你把亞捫人交在我手中， 31 讓我凱旋而歸，第一個從我家門出來迎接我的人必歸給你，我必把他獻給你作燔祭。」 32 於是，耶弗他率軍與亞捫人作戰，耶和華把敵人交在他手中， 33 他大敗敵軍，摧毀了從亞羅珥到米匿、遠至亞備勒·基拉明的二十座城。這樣，以色列人征服了亞捫人。

34 耶弗他返回自己在米斯巴的家，他的獨生女兒敲著鼓、跳著舞出來迎接他。 35 他一見自己的女兒，便撕裂衣服，說：「唉，我的女兒啊，你真讓我傷心欲絕！我向耶和華許了願，不能收回了！」 36 他女兒說：「父親啊，你既然向耶和華許了願，就照你許的願對待我吧！因為耶和華幫你打敗了敵軍亞捫人，為你報了仇。 37 但求你先給我兩個月的時間，讓我和同伴到山上去為我終身未嫁哀哭。」 38 耶弗他答應了，給了她兩個月的時間。於是，她便和同伴到山上為自己終身未嫁哀哭。 39 兩個月後，她回到父親那裡。她父親履行了自己所許的願。她終身未嫁。自此以後，在以色列有個習俗： 40 每年以色列的女子都去為基列人耶弗他的女兒哀哭四天。

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士师记 11
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

士师耶弗他

11 基列人耶弗他是个英勇的战士，他父亲名叫基列，母亲是个妓女。 2 基列的妻子还生了几个儿子，他们长大后，便把耶弗他赶出家门，说：“你是别的女人生的，你休想继承我们父亲的任何产业。” 3 耶弗他只好逃走，住在陀伯地区。有一群匪徒跟随了他。

4 后来，亚扪人攻打以色列， 5 基列的众长老就去陀伯请耶弗他， 6 对他说：“请你回来做统帅带领我们对抗亚扪人。” 7 耶弗他说：“从前你们不是厌恶我，把我从父亲家赶走的吗？现在你们遭难，为什么来找我？” 8 基列的众长老说：“现在我们是来请你跟我们一起回去抵抗亚扪人，你可以做所有基列人的首领。” 9 耶弗他说：“如果我跟你们回去与亚扪人作战，耶和华让我打败他们，我就真的可以做你们的首领吗？” 10 基列的首领们说：“我们必听从你的吩咐，有耶和华为我们作证。” 11 于是，耶弗他便跟他们一起回去。民众拥立他做他们的首领和元帅。耶弗他在米斯巴将之前所说的话在耶和华面前重申一遍。

12 然后，他派遣使者去问亚扪王：“你与我有什么相干？为什么要攻打我的领土？” 13 亚扪王对他的使者说：“因为以色列人从埃及出来的时候占据了我们的土地——从亚嫩河到雅博河，一直到约旦河。现在你们要乖乖地把这些土地还给我们。” 14 耶弗他再差遣使者去见亚扪王， 15 对他说：“以色列人并没有占据摩押和亚扪的土地。 16 当年以色列人离开埃及，经旷野渡过红海来到加低斯， 17 然后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。他们又派遣使者去见摩押王，摩押王也不答应。于是，以色列人就住在加低斯。 18 后来，他们走过旷野，绕过以东和摩押，到了摩押的东边，在摩押的边界亚嫩河东岸扎营，并没有进入摩押境内。 19 以色列人派遣使者去见希实本的亚摩利王西宏，对他说，‘求让我们经过你的领土前往我们自己的土地。’ 20 但西宏不信任以色列人，拒绝了他们的请求，并招聚全军驻扎在雅杂，攻打他们。 21 但以色列的上帝耶和华帮助以色列人战胜西宏和他的军队，占领了他们所有的土地， 22 从亚嫩河直到雅博河，从旷野直到约旦河。 23 既然是以色列的上帝耶和华为祂的以色列子民赶走了亚摩利人，你凭什么要夺取这块土地？ 24 你拥有你们的神明基抹给你们的土地，我们也要拥有我们的上帝耶和华赐给我们的土地。 25 难道你比摩押王西拨的儿子巴勒更强吗？他从未挑战过以色列人，也未和以色列人交过战。 26 三百年来，以色列人一直住在希实本及其周围的乡村、亚罗珥及其周围的乡村和亚嫩河沿岸一带的城邑。在这期间，你们为什么不收回这些土地呢？ 27 我们没有得罪你们，你们却攻打我们。愿审判者耶和华今天在以色列人和亚扪人之间主持公道。” 28 可是，亚扪王不理会耶弗他派使者所传的话。

29 那时，耶和华的灵降在耶弗他身上，他便经过基列和玛拿西，来到基列的米斯巴，然后从那里去迎战亚扪人。 30 他向耶和华许愿说：“如果你把亚扪人交在我手中， 31 让我凯旋而归，第一个从我家门出来迎接我的人必归给你，我必把他献给你作燔祭。” 32 于是，耶弗他率军与亚扪人作战，耶和华把敌人交在他手中， 33 他大败敌军，摧毁了从亚罗珥到米匿、远至亚备勒·基拉明的二十座城。这样，以色列人征服了亚扪人。

34 耶弗他返回自己在米斯巴的家，他的独生女儿敲着鼓、跳着舞出来迎接他。 35 他一见自己的女儿，便撕裂衣服，说：“唉，我的女儿啊，你真让我伤心欲绝！我向耶和华许了愿，不能收回了！” 36 他女儿说：“父亲啊，你既然向耶和华许了愿，就照你许的愿对待我吧！因为耶和华帮你打败了敌军亚扪人，为你报了仇。 37 但求你先给我两个月的时间，让我和同伴到山上去为我终身未嫁哀哭。” 38 耶弗他答应了，给了她两个月的时间。于是，她便和同伴到山上为自己终身未嫁哀哭。 39 两个月后，她回到父亲那里。她父亲履行了自己所许的愿。她终身未嫁。自此以后，在以色列有个习俗： 40 每年以色列的女子都去为基列人耶弗他的女儿哀哭四天。

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Judges 11
New English Translation

11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father.[a] 2 Gilead’s wife also gave[b] him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth,[c] because you are another woman’s son.” 3 So Jephthah left[d] his half brothers[e] and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him.[f]

4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 5 When the Ammonites attacked,[g] the leaders[h] of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back[i] from the land of Tob. 6 They said,[j] “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave[k] my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true,[l] but now we pledge to you our loyalty.[m] Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader[n] of all who live in Gilead.”[o] 9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right.[p] If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me,[q] I will be your leader.”[r] 10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us,[s] if we do not do as you say.”[t] 11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement[u] before the Lord in Mizpah.

Jephthah Gives a History Lesson

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have[v] you come against me to attack my land?” 13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole[w] my land when they[x] came up from Egypt—from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan.[y] Now return it[z] peaceably!”

14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal[aa] the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 16 When they left[ab] Egypt, Israel traveled[ac] through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us[ad] to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request.[ae] Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate.[af] So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 18 Then Israel[ag] went through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River;[ah] they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.”[ai] 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He[aj] assembled his whole army,[ak] camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took[al] all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west.[am] 23 Since[an] the Lord God of Israel has driven out[ao] the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them?[ap] 24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us.[aq] 25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them?[ar] 26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for 300 years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 27 I have not done you wrong,[as] but you are doing wrong[at] by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 28 But the Ammonite king disregarded[au] the message sent by Jephthah.[av]

A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter

29 The Lord’s Spirit empowered[aw] Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went[ax] to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites.[ay] 30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 31 then whoever is the first to come through[az] the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites—he[ba] will belong to the Lord and[bb] I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 32 Jephthah approached[bc] the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith—twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim. He wiped them out![bd] The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites.[be]

34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out[bf] to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines.[bg] She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me![bh] You have brought me disaster![bi] I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.”[bj] 36 She said to him, “My father, since[bk] you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised.[bl] After all, the Lord vindicated you before[bm] your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish.[bn] For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.”[bo] 38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave[bp] for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills.[bq] 39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin.[br] Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.[bs] 40 Every year[bt] Israelite women commemorate[bu] the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days.[bv]

Footnotes

  1. Judges 11:1 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
  2. Judges 11:2 tn Heb “bore.”
  3. Judges 11:2 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
  4. Judges 11:3 tn Or “fled from.”
  5. Judges 11:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
  6. Judges 11:3 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
  7. Judges 11:5 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
  8. Judges 11:5 tn Or “elders.”
  9. Judges 11:5 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
  10. Judges 11:6 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
  11. Judges 11:7 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
  12. Judges 11:8 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (loʾ khen).
  13. Judges 11:8 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ʾel) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
  14. Judges 11:8 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (roʾsh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward—rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
  15. Judges 11:8 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
  16. Judges 11:9 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  17. Judges 11:9 tn Heb “places them before me.”
  18. Judges 11:9 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
  19. Judges 11:10 tn Heb “The Lord will be the one who hears between us.” For the idiom שָׁמַע בַּיִן (shamaʿ bayin, “to hear between”), see Deut 1:16.
  20. Judges 11:10 sn The Lord will judge…if we do not do as you say. The statement by the leaders of Gilead takes the form of a legally binding oath, which obligates them to the terms of the agreement.
  21. Judges 11:11 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.
  22. Judges 11:12 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
  23. Judges 11:13 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
  24. Judges 11:13 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
  25. Judges 11:13 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
  26. Judges 11:13 tc The translation assumes a singular suffix (“[return] it”); the Hebrew text has a plural suffix (“[return] them”), which, if retained, might refer to the cities of the land.
  27. Judges 11:15 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
  28. Judges 11:16 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
  29. Judges 11:16 tn Or “went.”
  30. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
  31. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “did not listen.”
  32. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
  33. Judges 11:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  34. Judges 11:18 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  35. Judges 11:19 tn Heb “to my place.”
  36. Judges 11:20 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
  37. Judges 11:20 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
  38. Judges 11:21 tn That is, took as its own possession.
  39. Judges 11:22 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
  40. Judges 11:23 tn Heb “Now.”
  41. Judges 11:23 tn Or “dispossessed.”
  42. Judges 11:23 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
  43. Judges 11:24 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the Lord our God dispossesses before us we will possess?” Jephthah speaks of Chemosh as if he is on a par with the Lord God of Israel. This does not necessarily mean that Jephthah is polytheistic or that he recognizes the Lord as only a local deity. He may simply be assuming the Ammonite king’s perspective for the sake of argument. Other texts, as well as the extrabiblical Mesha inscription, associate Chemosh with Moab, while Milcom is identified as the god of the Ammonites. Why then does Jephthah refer to Chemosh as the Ammonite god? Ammon had likely conquered Moab and the Ammonite king probably regarded himself as heir of all territory formerly held by Moab. Originally Moab had owned the disputed territory (cf. Num 21:26-29), meaning that Chemosh was regarded as the god of the region (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 203-4). Jephthah argues that Chemosh had long ago relinquished claim to the area (by allowing Sihon to conquer it), while the Lord had long ago established jurisdiction over it (by taking it from Sihon and giving it to Israel). Both sides should abide by the decisions of the gods which had stood firm for 300 years.
  44. Judges 11:25 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation. sn Jephthah argues that the Ammonite king should follow the example of Balak, who, once thwarted in his attempt to bring a curse on Israel, refused to attack Israel and returned home (Num 22-24).
  45. Judges 11:27 tn Or “sinned against you.”
  46. Judges 11:27 tn Or “evil.”
  47. Judges 11:28 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
  48. Judges 11:28 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
  49. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “was on.”
  50. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “passed through.”
  51. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
  52. Judges 11:31 tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotseʾ, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.
  53. Judges 11:31 tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.
  54. Judges 11:31 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the Lord’s service, but if an animal comes through the doors, he will offer it up as a sacrifice. However, it is far more likely that the Hebrew construction (vav [ו] + perfect) specifies how the subject will become the Lord’s, that is, by being offered up as a sacrifice. For similar constructions, where the apodosis of a conditional sentence has at least two perfects (each with vav) in sequence, see Gen 34:15-16; Exod 18:16.
  55. Judges 11:32 tn Heb “passed over to.”
  56. Judges 11:33 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
  57. Judges 11:33 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
  58. Judges 11:34 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
  59. Judges 11:34 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
  60. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
  61. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
  62. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the Lord and I am not able to return.”
  63. Judges 11:36 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  64. Judges 11:36 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”
  65. Judges 11:36 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
  66. Judges 11:37 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
  67. Judges 11:37 tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity—I and my friends.”
  68. Judges 11:38 tn Heb “he sent her.”
  69. Judges 11:38 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
  70. Judges 11:39 tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.
  71. Judges 11:39 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
  72. Judges 11:40 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
  73. Judges 11:40 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
  74. Judges 11:40 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in the year.” This is redundant (note “every year” at the beginning of the verse) and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
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Judges 11
Contemporary English Version

Jephthah

11 1-5 The leaders of the Gilead clan decided to ask a brave warrior named Jephthah son of Gilead to lead the attack against the Ammonites.

Even though Jephthah belonged to the Gilead clan, he had earlier been forced to leave the region where they had lived. Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, but his half brothers were the sons of his father's wife.

One day his half brothers told him, “You don't really belong to our family, so you can't have any of the family property.” Then they forced Jephthah to leave home.

Jephthah went to the country of Tob, where he was joined by a number of men who would do anything for money.

So the leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah and said, 6 “Please come back to Gilead! If you lead our army, we will be able to fight off the Ammonites.”

7 “Didn't you hate me?” Jephthah replied. “Weren't you the ones who forced me to leave my family? You're only coming to me now because you're in trouble.”

8 “But we do want you to come back,” the leaders said. “And if you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you the ruler of Gilead.”

9 “All right,” Jephthah said. “If I go back with you and the Lord lets me defeat the Ammonites, will you really make me your ruler?”

10 “You have our word,” the leaders answered. “And the Lord is a witness to what we have said.”

11 So Jephthah went back to Mizpah[a] with the leaders of Gilead. The people of Gilead gathered at the place of worship and made Jephthah their ruler. Jephthah also made promises to them.

12 After the ceremony, Jephthah sent messengers to say to the king of Ammon, “Are you trying to start a war? You have invaded my country, and I want to know why!”

13 The king of Ammon replied, “Tell Jephthah that the land really belongs to me, all the way from the Arnon River in the south, to the Jabbok River in the north, and west to the Jordan River. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole it. Tell Jephthah to return it to me, and there won't be any war.”

14 Jephthah sent the messengers back to the king of Ammon, 15 and they told him that Jephthah had said:

Israel hasn't taken any territory from Moab or Ammon. 16 When the Israelites came from Egypt, they traveled across the desert to the Red Sea[b] and then to Kadesh. 17 (A) They sent messengers to the king of Edom and said, “Please, let us go through your country.” But the king of Edom refused. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he wouldn't let them cross his country either. And so the Israelites stayed at Kadesh.

18 (B) A little later, the Israelites set out into the desert, going east of Edom and Moab, and camping on the eastern side of the Arnon River gorge. The Arnon is the eastern border of Moab, and since the Israelites didn't cross it, they didn't even set foot in Moab.

19 (C) The Israelites sent messengers to the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. “Please,” they said, “let our people go through your country to get to our own land.”

20 Sihon didn't think the Israelites could be trusted, so he called his army together. They set up camp at Jahaz, then they attacked the Israelite camp. 21 But the Lord God helped Israel defeat Sihon and his army. Israel took over all of the Amorite land where Sihon's people had lived, 22 from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and from the desert in the east to the Jordan River in the west.

23 The messengers also told the king of Ammon that Jephthah had said:

The Lord God of Israel helped his nation get rid of the Amorites and take their land. Now do you think you're going to take over that same territory? 24 If Chemosh your god[c] takes over a country and gives it to you, don't you have a right to it? And if the Lord takes over a country and gives it to us, the land is ours!

25 (D) Are you better than Balak the son of Zippor? He was the king of Moab, but he didn't quarrel with Israel or start a war with us.

26 For 300 years, Israelites have been living in Heshbon and Aroer and the nearby villages, and in the towns along the Arnon River gorge. If the land really belonged to you Ammonites, you wouldn't have waited until now to try to get it back.

27 I haven't done anything to you, but it's certainly wrong of you to start a war. I pray that the Lord will show whether Israel or Ammon is in the right.

28 But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah's message.

29 Then the Lord's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where 30 he promised the Lord, “If you will let me defeat the Ammonites 31 and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first.”

32 From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the Lord helped him defeat them.

33 Jephthah and his army destroyed the 20 towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more.

Jephthah's Daughter

34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.

35 (E) “Oh no!” Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, “I made a sacred promise to the Lord, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart.”

36 “Father,” she said, “you made a sacred promise to the Lord, and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die. 37 But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children.”

38 “Yes, you may have two months,” Jephthah said.

She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children. 39 Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married.

That's why 40 every year, Israelite girls walk around for four days, weeping for[d] Jephthah's daughter.

Footnotes

  1. 11.11 Mizpah: In chapters 10–12, Mizpah is the name of a town in Gilead (see 11.29), not the same town as the Mizpah of chapters 20,21.
  2. 11.16 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
  3. 11.24 Chemosh your god: Chemosh was actually the national god of Moab, not Ammon. The land that Ammon was trying to take over had belonged to the Moabites before belonging to the Amorites (see Numbers 21.26). So the Ammonites may have thought that Chemosh controlled it.
  4. 11.40 weeping for: Or “remembering.”
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士師記 10
士師記 12
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