Jephthah’s Tragic Vow

²⁹ Now ^(A)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. ³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon, ³¹ then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return ^[a]safely from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” ³² So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord handed them over to him. ³³ He ^[b]inflicted a very great defeat on them from Aroer ^[c]to the entrance of ^(B)Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

³⁴ But Jephthah came to his house at ^(C)Mizpah, and behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him ^(D)with tambourines and with dancing. And she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. ³⁵ So when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Oh, my daughter! You have brought me disaster, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have ^[d]given my word to the Lord, and ^(E)I cannot take it back.” ³⁶ So she said to him, “My father, you have ^[e]given your word to the Lord; ^(F)do to me just as ^[f]you have said, since the Lord has brought you vengeance on your enemies, the sons of Ammon.” ³⁷ And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; allow me two months, so that I may ^[g]go to the mountains and weep because of ^(G)my virginity, I and my friends.” ³⁸ Then he said, “Go.” So he let her go for two months; and she left with her friends, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity. ³⁹ And at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her ^[h]what he had vowed; and she ^[i]had no relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel, ⁴⁰ that the ^[j]daughters of Israel went annually to ^[k]commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days in the year.

Jephthah and His Successors

12 Now the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed ^[l]to Zaphon; and ^(H)they said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you!” ² So Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were in a major dispute with the sons of Ammon; and I did call you, but you did not save me from their hand. ³ When I saw that you were no deliverer, I ^[m](I)took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” ⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead ^[n]defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are survivors of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” ⁵ And the Gileadites ^(J)took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened whenever any of the survivors of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” that the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” ⁶ then they would say to him, “Just say, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he was not ^[o]prepared to ^[p]pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the crossing places of the Jordan. So at that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim fell.

⁷ Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

A New and Living Way

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we ^(A)have confidence to ^(B)enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by ^(C)a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through ^(D)the veil, that is, through His flesh, ²¹ and since we have ^(E)a great priest ^(F)over the house of God, ²² let’s ^(G)approach God with a ^[a]sincere heart in ^(H)full assurance of faith, having our hearts ^(I)sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(J)washed with pure water. ²³ Let’s hold firmly to the ^(K)confession of our ^(L)hope without wavering, for ^(M)He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let’s consider how ^(N)to ^[b]encourage one another in love and ^(O)good deeds, ²⁵ not abandoning our own ^(P)meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but ^(Q)encouraging one another; and all the more as you see ^(R)the day drawing near.

Christ or Judgment

²⁶ For if we go on ^(S)sinning willfully after receiving ^(T)the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a terrifying expectation of ^(U)judgment and ^(V)the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. ^28 (W)Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ^29 (X)How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve ^(Y)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean ^(Z)the blood of the covenant ^(AA)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(AB)insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “^(AC)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “^(AD)The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a ^(AE)terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the ^(AF)living God.

³² But remember ^(AG)the former days, ^[c]when, after being ^(AH)enlightened, you endured a great ^(AI)conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being ^(AJ)made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming ^[d](AK)companions with those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you ^(AL)showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted ^(AM)joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves ^(AN)a better and lasting possession. ³⁵ Therefore, do not throw away your ^(AO)confidence, which has a great ^(AP)reward. ³⁶ For you have need of ^(AQ)endurance, so that when you have ^(AR)done the will of God, you may ^(AS)receive ^[e]what was promised.

³⁹ But ^[f]we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.

Philistines Oppress Again

13 Now the sons of Israel ^(A)again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.

² And there was a man of ^(B)Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was infertile and had not given birth to any children. ^3 (C)Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are infertile and have not given birth; but you will conceive and give birth to a son. ⁴ And now, be careful ^(D)not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any ^[a]unclean thing. ^5 (E)For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a ^(F)Nazirite to God from the womb; and he will begin to save Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” ⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “^(G)A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. So I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any ^[b]unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

⁸ Then Manoah pleaded with the Lord and said, “Lord, please let ^(H)the man of God whom You have sent come to us again so that he may teach us what we are to do for the boy who is to be born.” ⁹ And God listened to the voice of Manoah; and ^(I)the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰ So the woman hurried and ran, and told her ^[c]husband, “Behold, ^(J)the man who ^[d]came the other day has appeared to me!” ¹¹ So Manoah got up and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he said to him, “Are you ^(K)the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” ¹² Then Manoah said, “Now when your words ^[e]are fulfilled, what shall be the boy’s way of life and his vocation?” ¹³ And ^(L)the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “^(M)The woman shall pay attention ^[f]to all that I said. ¹⁴ She shall not eat anything that comes from the ^(N)vine nor drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; she shall keep all that I commanded.”

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to ^(O)the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.” ¹⁶ But the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, ^(P)I will not eat your ^[g]food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. ¹⁷ And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “^(Q)What is your name, so that when your words ^[h]are fulfilled, we may honor you?” ¹⁸ But the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, for it is ^[i](R)wonderful?” ¹⁹ So ^(S)Manoah took the young goat along with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the Lord; and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. ²⁰ For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they ^(T)fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ Now the angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. ^(U)Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. ²² So Manoah said to his wife, “^(V)We will certainly die, for we have seen God.” ²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have ^(W)shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.”

²⁴ So the woman gave birth to a son, and named him Samson; and the ^(X)child grew up and the Lord blessed him. ²⁵ And ^(Y)the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him when he was in ^[j](Z)Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The Triumphs of Faith

11 Now faith is the ^(A)certainty of things ^[a](B)hoped for, a ^[b]proof of ^(C)things not seen. ² For by it the ^(D)people of old ^[c](E)gained approval.

³ By faith we understand that the ^[d](F)world has been created ^(G)by the word of God so that what is seen ^(H)has not been made out of things that are visible. ⁴ By faith ^(I)Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was ^(J)attested to be righteous, God testifying ^[e]about his ^(K)gifts, and through ^[f]faith, though ^(L)he is dead, he still speaks. ⁵ By faith ^(M)Enoch was taken up so that he would not ^(N)see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who ^(O)comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. ⁷ By faith ^(P)Noah, being ^(Q)warned by God about ^(R)things not yet seen, ^[g](S)in reverence ^(T)prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of ^(U)the righteousness which is according to faith.

⁸ By faith ^(V)Abraham, when he was called, obeyed ^[h]by going out to a place which he was to ^(W)receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived as a stranger in ^(X)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^(Y)living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, ^(Z)fellow heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he was looking for ^(AA)the city which has ^(AB)foundations, ^(AC)whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith even ^(AD)Sarah herself received ^[i]ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him ^(AE)faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore even from one man, and ^(AF)one who was as good as dead ^[j]at that, there were born descendants who were ^(AG)just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore.

^13 (AH)All these died in faith, ^(AI)without receiving the promises, but ^(AJ)having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and ^(AK)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵ And indeed if they had been ^[k]thinking of that country which they left, ^(AL)they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a ^(AM)heavenly one. Therefore ^(AN)God is not ^[l]ashamed to be ^(AO)called their God; for ^(AP)He has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ By faith ^(AQ)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had ^(AR)received the promises was offering up his ^[m]only son; ¹⁸ it was he to whom it was said, “^(AS)Through Isaac your ^[n]descendants shall be named.” ^19 [o]He considered that ^(AT)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back ^[p]as a ^[q](AU)type. ²⁰ By faith ^(AV)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. ²¹ By faith ^(AW)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and ^(AX)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. ²² By faith ^(AY)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

²³ By faith ^(AZ)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the ^(BA)king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, ^(BB)when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to ^(BC)endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, ^26 (BD)considering the ^[r]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the ^(BE)reward. ²⁷ By faith he ^(BF)left Egypt, not ^(BG)fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though ^(BH)seeing Him who is unseen. ²⁸ By faith he ^[s](BI)kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that ^(BJ)the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. ²⁹ By faith they ^(BK)passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were ^[t]drowned.

³⁰ By faith ^(BL)the walls of Jericho fell down ^[u](BM)after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. ³¹ By faith the prostitute ^(BN)Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies ^[v]in peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of ^(BO)Gideon, ^(BP)Barak, ^(BQ)Samson, ^(BR)Jephthah, of ^(BS)David and ^(BT)Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who by faith ^(BU)conquered kingdoms, ^(BV)performed acts of righteousness, ^(BW)obtained promises, ^(BX)shut the mouths of lions, ^34 (BY)quenched the power of fire, ^(BZ)escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, ^(CA)became mighty in war, ^(CB)put foreign armies to flight. ^35 (CC)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their ^[w]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; ³⁶ and others ^[x]experienced mocking and flogging, and further, ^(CD)chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were ^(CE)stoned, they were sawn in two, ^[y]they were tempted, they were ^(CF)put to death with the sword; they went about ^(CG)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ^(CH)tormented ³⁸ (people of whom the world was not worthy), ^(CI)wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes ^[z]in the ground.

³⁹ And all these, having ^(CJ)gained approval through their faith, ^(CK)did not receive ^[aa]what was promised, ⁴⁰ because God had ^[ab]provided ^(CL)something better for us, so that ^(CM)apart from us they would not be made perfect.