Judges:11

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* Now Yiphthach the Gil ’adite was a mighty man of valor , but he was the son of a harlot ; and Gil ’ad had begotten Yiphthach . * And the wife of Gil ’ad also bore him sons ; and when the sons of the wife were grown up , they drove away Yiphthach , and said unto him , Thou shalt not inherit in the house of our father : for the son of another woman art thou . * And Yiphthach fled away from his brothers , and dwelt in the land of Tob ; and there gathered themselves to Yiphthach idle men , and they went out with him . * And it came to pass after some time , that the children of ‘Ammon made war against Israel . * And it was so , when the children of ‘Ammon made war against Israel , that the elders of Gil ’ad went to fetch Yiphthach out of the land of Tob . * And they said unto Yiphthach , Come , and become a leader unto us , that we may fight with the children of ‘Ammon . * And Yiphthach said unto the elders of Gil ’ad , Did ye not hate me , and drive me away out of my father ’s house ? and why are ye come unto me now , when ye are in distress ? * And the elders of Gil ’ad said unto Yiphthach , Therefore are we now come back to thee , that thou mayest go with us , and fight against the children of ‘Ammon ; and thou shalt become unto us a head , unto all the inhabitants of Gil ’ad . * And Yiphthach said unto the elders of Gil ’ad , If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of ‘Ammon , and the Lord give them up before me , shall I remain your head ? * And the elders of Gil ’ad said unto Yiphthach , The Lord shall be a hearer between us , if we do not so according to thy word . * Then went Yiphthach with the elders of Gil ’ad , and the people appointed him over them as head and as leader ; and Yiphthach spoke all his words before the Lord in Mitzpah . * And Yiphthach sent messengers unto the king of the children of ‘Ammon , saying , What have I to do with thee , that thou art come unto me to fight against my land ? * And the king of the children of ‘Ammon said unto the messengers of Yiphthach , Because Israel took away my land , when they came up out of Egypt , from the Arnon even unto the Yabbok , and unto the Jordan : and now restore these again in peace . * And Yiphthach again sent messengers unto the king of the children of ‘Ammon ; * And he said unto him , Thus hath said Yiphthach , Israel did not take away the land of Moab , nor the land of the children of ‘Ammon ; * For when they came up out of Egypt , Israel walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea , and came to Kadesh ; * And Israel then sent messengers unto the king of Edom , saying , Let me pass , I pray thee , through thy land ; but the king of Edom would not hearken ; and also to the king of Moab they sent ; but he would not consent : and Israel remained in Kadesh . * Then they wandered through the wilderness , and traveled round the land of Edom , and the land of Moab , and came from the rising of the sun to the land of Moab , and encamped on the other side of the Arnon : but they came not within the border of Moab ; for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab . * And Israel sent messengers unto Sichon the king of the Emorites , the king of Cheshbon ; and Israel said unto him , Let us pass , we pray thee , through thy land unto my place . * But Sichon trusted not Israel to pass through his territory ; and Sichon assembled all his people , and encamped in Yahaz , and fought against Israel . * and the Lord the God of Israel delivered Sichon and all his people into the hand of Israel , and they smote them ; and Israel took possession of all the land of the Emorites , the inhabitants of that country . * And they took possession of all the territory of the Emorites , from the Arnon even unto the Yabbok , and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan . * So now the Lord the God of Israel hath dispossessed the Emorites from before his people Israel , and shouldst thou possess it ? * Truly ! that which Kemosh thy god may give thee to possess , even that canst thou possess ; but whatsoever the Lord our God hath driven out from before us , even that will we possess . * And now art thou then any better than Balak the son of Zippor , the king of Moab ? did he ever strive against Israel , or did he ever fight against them ? * while Israel hath dwelt in Cheshbon and in its towns , and in ‘Ar ’or and in its towns , and in all the cities that are along the margins of the Arnon , three hundred years : why did ye not recover them within that time ? * Whereas I myself have not sinned against thee , and thou doest me wrong to war against me : may the Lord , the Judge , decide this day between the children of Israel and the children of ‘Ammon . * Nevertheless the king of the children of ‘Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Yiphthach which he had sent to him . * Then came upon Yiphthach the spirit of the Lord , and he passed through Gil ’ad and Menasseh , and passed through Mitzpeh of Gil ’ad , and from Mitzpeh of Gil ’ad he passed over unto the children of Ammon . * And Yiphthach made a vow unto the Lord , and said , If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of ‘Ammon into my hand , * Then shall it be , that whatsoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house to meet me , when I return in peace from the children of ‘Ammon , shall belong to the Lord , and I will offer it up for a burnt –offering . * So Yiphthach passed over unto the children of ‘Ammon to fight against them : and the Lord delivered them into his hand . * And he smote them from ‘Aro ’er , even till thou comest to Minnith , twenty cities , and unto Abel –keramin , with a very great defeat ; and the children of ‘Ammon were humbled before the children of Israel . * And Yiphthach came to Mizpah unto his house , and , behold , his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances : and she was his sole child ; he had beside her neither son nor daughter . * And it came to pass , when he saw her , that he rent his garments , and said , Alas , my daughter ! thou hast bent me down very low , and thou art one of those that trouble me ; for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord , and I cannot go back . * And she said unto him , My father , if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord , do to me in accordance with what hath proceeded out of thy mouth ; since the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee on thy enemies , on the children of ‘Ammon . * And she said unto her father , Let this thing be done for me : Let me alone two months , that I may descend to the mountains , and bewail my virginity , I with my companions . * And he aid , Go . And he sent her away for two months : and she went with her companions , and bewailed her virginity on the mountains . * And it came to pass at the end of two months , that she returned unto her father , and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed ; and she knew no man ; and it became a custom in Israel , * That the daughters of Israel went from year to year to lament for the daughter of Yiphthach the Gil ’adite four days in the year .

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