Judges
Chapter 11
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1Jephthah the Gileadite was a warrior of worth. He was the son of a woman who was a prostitute, and Gilead had fathered Jephthah.
2Gilead’s wife bore him sons. When the wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, You shall not inherit in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.
3Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Empty men gathered to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4After some time, the sons of Ammon fought with Israel.
5When the sons of Ammon fought with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6They said to Jephthah, Come, and be our commander, and let us fight the sons of Ammon.
7Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Are you not the ones who hated me and drove me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now, when you are in distress?
8The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, That is why we have turned back to you now. Go with us, fight the sons of Ammon, and you shall be head over us, over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
9Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me back to fight the sons of Ammon, and God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. gives them over before me, I will be your head.
10The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. shall be the listener between us, if we do not do as you have said.
11Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him over them as head and commander. Jephthah spoke all his words before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. at Mizpah.
12Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What is between me and you, that you have come against me to fight in my land?
13The king of the sons of Ammon said to Jephthah’s messengers, Because Israel took my land when he came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and as far as the Jordan. Now give them back in peace.
14Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon,
15and he said to him, This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the sons of Ammon.
16For when they came up from Egypt, Israel walked through the wilderness as far as the Sea of Reeds and came to Kadesh.
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- Translation
Yam suf is the Sea of Reeds.
17Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Please let me cross your land. The king of Edom did not listen. He also sent to the king of Moab, and he was not willing. Israel stayed at Kadesh.
18He walked through the wilderness, went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon and did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon is the border of Moab.
19Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, Please let us cross your land to my place.
20Sihon did not trust Israel to cross his territory. Sihon gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorite who lived in that land.
22They took possession of the whole territory of the Amorite, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.
23So now God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorite from before his people Israel, and will you take possession of it?
24Will you not take possession of whatever Chemosh your god drives out for you? And everything that God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. our God has driven out from before us, we will take possession of that.
25Now, are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he contend at all with Israel, or did he fight them at all?
26While Israel lived in Heshbon and its daughter towns, and in Aroer and its daughter towns, and in all the cities that are along the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them in that time?
27I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me harm by fighting against me. Let God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. the Judge judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.
28The king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.
29The spirit of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. came upon Jephthah, and he crossed Gilead and Manasseh. He crossed Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he crossed over to the sons of Ammon.
30Jephthah vowed a vow to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. and said, If you will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,
31then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, shall be God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s, and I will offer it up as a whole offering.
32Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight them, and God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. gave them into his hand.
33He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, a very great blow. The sons of Ammon were brought down before the sons of Israel.
34Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and look, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child. Besides her, he had no son or daughter.
35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter, you have brought me to my knees, brought me to my knees. You have become the one who troubles me. I have opened my mouth to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., and I cannot take it back.
36She said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.. Do to me as what came out of your mouth, after God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. has done for you the vengeance on your enemies, the sons of Ammon.
37She said to her father, Let this thing be done for me. Let me alone for two months, and I will go and come down on the mountains and weep over my virginity, I and my companion.
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- Text
The written consonants are ve-re’iti, “and my companion,” singular. The Masoretic reading is ve-re’otai, “and my companions.” The written singular is printed.
38He said, Go. He sent her away for two months. She went, she and her companions, and she wept over her virginity on the mountains.
39At the end of two months she returned to her father, and he did to her the vow that he had vowed. She had not known a man. It became a A rule that is meant to last. in Israel.
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- Translation
The line says he carried out the vow, and that she had not known a man. It does not narrate the offering itself.
40From year to year the daughters of Israel go to recount the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in the year.
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- Translation
Letannot is to recount her. The same verb is used in the song for recounting Yahweh’s acts.