Judges 11:17-36

¹⁷and he sent messengers to the king of Edom, and said, Suffer thou me, that I go through thy land; the which king would not assent to the prayers of Israel. Also Israel sent to the king of Moab, and he despised to give Israel passage; and so Israel dwelled in Kadesh,

¹⁸and he compassed by the side the land of Edom, and the land of Moab; and he came to the east coast of the land of Moab, and setted tents beyond Arnon, neither he would enter into the terms of Moab; for Arnon is the end of the land of Moab.

¹⁹And so Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of Amorites, that dwelled in Heshbon; and they said to him, Suffer thou, that I pass through thy land unto the river.

²⁰And he despised the words of Israel, and suffered not him pass by his terms, but with a multitude with-out number gathered together, Sihon went out against Israel at Jahaz, and against-stood him strongly.

²¹And the Lord betook Sihon with all his host into the hands of Israel; and Israel smote him, and had in possession all the land of Amorites, the dwellers of that country,

²²and all the coasts thereof, from Arnon unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness unto Jordan.

²³Therefore the Lord God of Israel destroyed Amorites, fighting against him for his people Israel. And wilt thou now have in possession his land?

²⁴Whether not those things which Chemosh, thy god, had in possession, be due to thee by right? Soothly those things which the Lord our God over-comer hath gotten, shall fall into our possession;

²⁵but in hap thou art better than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, either thou mayest say, that Balak strived against Israel, and fought against him,

²⁶when Israel dwelled in Heshbon, and in the towns thereof, and in Aroer, and in towns thereof, and in all the cities beyond Jordan, by three hundred years. Why in so much time assayed ye nothing on this asking again?

²⁷Therefore not I do sin against thee, but thou doest evil against me, and bringest in battles not just to me; the Lord, judge of this day, deem betwixt the sons of Israel and betwixt the sons of Ammon.

²⁸And the king of the sons of Ammon would not assent to the words of Jephthah, which he sent by the messengers.

²⁹Therefore the spirit of the Lord was made upon Jephthah, and he compassed Gilead, and Manasseh, Mizpeh and Gilead; and he passed from thence to the sons of Ammon,

³⁰and he made a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou shalt betake the sons of Ammon into mine hands,

³¹whoever goeth out first of the doors of mine house, and cometh against me turning again with peace from the sons of Ammon, I shall offer him burnt sacrifice to the Lord.

³²And Jephthah went to the sons of Ammon, to fight against them, which the Lord betook into his hands;

³³and he smote from Aroer till that he came into Minnith, twenty cities, and unto Abel, which is set about with vineries or vines, with full great vengeance; and the sons of Ammon were made low of the sons of Israel.

³⁴And when Jephthah turned again into Mizpeh, his house, his one begotten daughter came to meet him with tympans, and crowds dancing; for he had not other free children.

³⁵And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, Alas! my daughter, thou hast troubled me, and thou art troubled; for I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I may do none other thing.

³⁶To whom she answered, My father, if thou openedest thy mouth to the Lord, do to me whatever thing thou promisedest, while vengeance and victory of thine enemies be granted to thee.