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Judges 11:29-39
New King James Version
Judges 11:29-39
New King James Version
Jephthah’s Vow and Victory
29 Then (A)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah (B)made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, (C)shall surely be the Lord’s, (D)and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33 And he [a]defeated them from Aroer as far as (E)Minnith—twenty cities—and to [b]Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
Jephthah’s Daughter
34 When Jephthah came to his house at (F)Mizpah, there was (G)his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he (H)tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I (I)have [c]given my word to the Lord, and (J)I cannot [d]go back on it.”
36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, (K)do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because (L)the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and [e]bewail my virginity, my [f]friends and I.”
38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he (M)carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She [g]knew no man.
And it became a custom in Israel
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 11:33 Lit. struck
- Judges 11:33 Lit. Plain of Vineyards
- Judges 11:35 Lit. opened my mouth
- Judges 11:35 Lit. take it back
- Judges 11:37 lament
- Judges 11:37 companions
- Judges 11:39 Remained a virgin
Judges 11:29-39
New International Version
Judges 11:29-39
New International Version
29 Then the Spirit(A) of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah(B) of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.(C) 30 And Jephthah made a vow(D) to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph(E) from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.(F)”
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith,(G) as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing(H) to the sound of timbrels!(I) She was an only child.(J) Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes(K) and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.(L)”
36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised,(M) now that the Lord has avenged you(N) of your enemies,(O) the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”
38 “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
From this comes the Israelite tradition
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.