Judges 11:17-36

¹⁷and he sent messengers to the king of Edom, and said, Suffer thou me, that I go through thy land, (or and they sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Allow us to 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. (and they went around by the borders of the land of Edom, and the land of Moab; and they came to the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched their tents on the other side of the Arnon River, for they would not enter into the land of Moab; for the Arnon River is the border 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. (And so Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon; and they said to him, Allow us to pass through thy land to the river.)

²⁰And he despised the words of Israel, and suffered not him (to) pass by his terms, but with a multitude without number gathered together, Sihon went out against Israel (at Jahaz), and against-stood him strongly. (But he scorned Israel’s request, and would not allow them to pass through his land; and with a multitude without number gathered together, Sihon went out against the people of Israel at Jahaz, and strongly stood against them.)

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 dweller(s) of that country, (And the Lord delivered Sihon with all his army into the hands of Israel; and Israel struck them down, and had in possession all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country,)

²²and all the coasts thereof, from (the) Arnon unto (the) Jabbok, and from the wilderness unto (the) 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? (And so the Lord God of Israel destroyed the Amorites, fighting against them for his people Israel. And now wilt thou take possession of their 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 (the) overcomer hath gotten, shall fall into our possession; (Be not those things which Chemosh, thy god, had in possession, by rights be due to thee? And likewise, those things which the Lord our God the Overcomer hath taken, they shall be ours;)

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, (but perhaps thou art better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, or thou mayest say, that Balak contended against Israel, and fought against them,)

²⁶when Israel dwelled in Heshbon, and in towns thereof, and in Aroer, and in towns thereof, and in all cities beyond (the) Jordan, by three hundred years. Why in so much time assayed ye nothing on this asking again? (when Israel lived in Heshbon, and its towns, and in Aroer, and its towns, and in all the cities on the eastern side of the Jordan River, for three hundred years. Why have ye done nothing to try to take them back in all this time?)

²⁷Therefore not I do sin against thee, but thou doest evil against me, and bringest in battles not just to me; the Lord, (the) judge of this day, deem betwixt the sons of Israel and betwixt the sons of Ammon. (And so I do not sin against thee, but thou doest evil against me, and bringest in battles not just, or fair, to me; the Lord is the judge, and he shall judge this very day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.)

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 (or and then back to Mizpeh of Gilead); and he passed (over) 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 (up as a) burnt sacrifice to the Lord. (whoever first goeth out of the doors of my house, and cometh to meet me when I return in victory over the Ammonites, I shall offer him up as a 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, (yea), twenty cities, and (even) unto Abel, which is set about with vineries, with full great vengeance; and the sons of Ammon were made low of the sons of Israel. (and he struck down, or overcame, from Aroer until that he came unto Minnith, twenty cities, and even unto Abelkeramim, with very great vengeance; and the Ammonites were made low before the Israelites.)

³⁴And when Jephthah turned again into Mizpeh, (to) his house, his one begotten daughter came to meet him with tympans, and crowds dancing; for he had not other free children. (And when Jephthah returned to Mizpeh, to his house, his only daughter came to meet him with tambourines, and people dancing; and he had no other 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. (And when he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, Alas! my daughter, thou hast brought woe upon me, and woe upon thyself; for I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I may do no 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 (or for vengeance and victory over thy enemies have been granted to thee by the Lord).