¹⁷ Then the sons of Ammon were summoned, and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in ^(A)Mizpah. ¹⁸ And the people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah Delivers Israel

11 Now ^(B)Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead ^[a]became the father of Jephthah. ² And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of ^(C)Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves ^[b]about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

⁴ Now it happened after a while that ^(D)the sons of Ammon fought against Israel. ⁵ So it happened that as the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob; ⁶ and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” ⁷ Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “^(E)Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” ⁸ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and ^(F)become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” ⁹ So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and Yahweh gives them up ^[c]to me, will I become your head?” ¹⁰ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “^(G)Yahweh is ^[d]witness between us; surely we will do ^[e]as you have said.” ¹¹ Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at ^(H)Mizpah.