Judges 11:29-40
Lexham English Bible
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.
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- Judges 11:29 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:30 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:31 Or “whoever”
- Judges 11:31 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:32 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:33 Hebrew “town”
- Judges 11:33 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:33 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 11:35 Literally “I have opened wide my mouth”
- Judges 11:36 Literally “you have opened wide your mouth”
- Judges 11:36 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
- Judges 11:37 Hebrew “down”
- Judges 11:39 Literally “she did not know a man”
Judges 11:29-40
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 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to [h]lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- 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 11:40 commemorate
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
