Judges 11:29-40
New American Standard Bible
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 11:31 Or with success; lit in well-being
- Judges 11:33 Lit struck a...blow
- Judges 11:33 Lit even until you are coming to
- Judges 11:35 Lit opened my mouth wide
- Judges 11:36 Lit opened your mouth wide
- Judges 11:36 Lit has gone out of your mouth
- Judges 11:37 Lit go and go down on
- Judges 11:39 Lit his vow which he had vowed
- Judges 11:39 Lit knew no man
- Judges 11:40 I.e., women
- Judges 11:40 Lit recount; some ancient versions, lament
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