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29 Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be, that [a]whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 33 And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto [b]Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: 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 rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was [c]a custom in Israel, 40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to [d]celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 11:31 Or, whosoever
  2. Judges 11:33 That is, The meadow of vineyards.
  3. Judges 11:39 Or, an ordinance
  4. Judges 11:40 Or, lament

Jephthah Makes a Vow

29 And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through to the Ammonites.[a] 30 And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, and he said, “If indeed you will give the Ammonites[b] into my hand, 31 whatever[c] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the Ammonites[d] will be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it as a burnt offering.” 32 And Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites[e] to make war against them; and Yahweh gave them into his hand. 33 And he defeated them with a very great blow, from Aroer as far as Minnith, twenty towns,[f] up to Abel Keramim. And the Ammonites[g] were subdued before the Israelites.[h]

34 Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. She was his only child; he did not have a son or daughter except her. 35 And the moment he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Ah! My daughter, you have caused me to bow down, and you have become my trouble. I made an oath[i] to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back.” 36 She said to him, “My father, you made an oath[j] to Yahweh. Do to me according to what has gone out from your mouth, since Yahweh gave vengeance to you against your enemies, the Ammonites.”[k] 37 And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: grant me two months so that I may go wander[l] on the mountains and lament over my virginity, I and my companions. 38 And he said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months, and she went with her friends, and she lamented over her virginity on the mountains. 39 At the end of the two months she returned to her father, and he did to her according to his vow; and she did not sleep with a man.[m] And it became an annual custom in Israel 40 for the daughters of Israel to go and lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for forty days of the year.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 11:29 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  2. Judges 11:30 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  3. Judges 11:31 Or “whoever”
  4. Judges 11:31 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  5. Judges 11:32 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  6. Judges 11:33 Hebrew “town”
  7. Judges 11:33 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  8. Judges 11:33 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Judges 11:35 Literally “I have opened wide my mouth”
  10. Judges 11:36 Literally “you have opened wide your mouth”
  11. Judges 11:36 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  12. Judges 11:37 Hebrew “down”
  13. Judges 11:39 Literally “she did not know a man”