Judges 11:12-28

New International Reader's Version

¹² Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked, “What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”

¹³ The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said, “Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”

¹⁴ Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. ¹⁵ They said,

“Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon. ¹⁶ When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, ‘Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

¹⁸ “Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.

¹⁹ “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own land.’ ²⁰ But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.

²¹ “Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land. ²² Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.

²³ “The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over? ²⁴ You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us. ²⁵ Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them? ²⁶ For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time? ²⁷ I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

²⁸ But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.