1 Jephthah, a brave soldier from Gilead, was the son of a prostitute. His father Gilead 2 had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They told him, “You will not inherit anything from our father; you are the son of another woman.” 3 Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There he attracted a group of worthless men, and they went around with him.
4 It was some time later that the Ammonites went to war against Israel. 5 When this happened, the leaders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. 6 They told him, “Come and lead us, so that we can fight the Ammonites.”
7 But Jephthah answered, “You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my father's house. Why come to me now that you're in trouble?”
8 They said to Jephthah, “We are turning to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead.”
9 Jephthah said to them, “If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives me victory, I will be your ruler.”
10 They replied, “We agree. The Lord is our witness.” 11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and the people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in the presence of the Lord.
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon to say, “What is your quarrel with us? Why have you invaded our country?”
13 The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers, “When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully.”
14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon 15 with this answer: “It is not true that Israel took away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon. 16 This is what happened: when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh. 17 Then they sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but neither would he let them go through his land. So the Israelites stayed at Kadesh. 18 Then they went on through the desert, going around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab. 19 Then the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon, and asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land. 20 But Sihon would not let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel. 21 But the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the Israelites victory over Sihon and his army. So the Israelites took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country. 22 They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west. 23 So it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who drove out the Amorites for his people, the Israelites. 24 Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything that the Lord, our God, has taken for us. 25 Do you think you are any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? He never challenged Israel, did he? Did he ever go to war against us? 26 For three hundred years Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why haven't you taken them back in all this time? 27 No, I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong by making war on me. The Lord is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.” 28 But the king of Ammon paid no attention to this message from Jephthah.
29 Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh and returned to Mizpah in Gilead and went on to Ammon. 30 Jephthah promised the Lord: “If you will give me victory over the Ammonites, 31 I will burn as an offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I come back from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice.”
32 So Jephthah crossed the river to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. 33 He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. There was a great slaughter, and the Ammonites were defeated by Israel.
Jephthah's Daughter
34 When Jephthah went back home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine. She was his only child. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes in sorrow and said, “Oh, my daughter! You are breaking my heart! Why must it be you that causes me pain? I have made a solemn promise to the Lord, and I cannot take it back!”
36 She told him, “If you have made a promise to the Lord, do what you said you would do to me, since the Lord has given you revenge on your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 But she asked her father, “Do this one thing for me. Leave me alone for two months, so that I can go with my friends to wander in the mountains and grieve that I must die a virgin.” 38 He told her to go and sent her away for two months. She and her friends went up into the mountains and grieved because she was going to die unmarried and childless. 39 After two months she came back to her father. He did what he had promised the Lord, and she died still a virgin.
This was the origin of the custom in Israel 40 that the Israelite women would go out for four days every year to grieve for the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead.
Jiftāhs
1 Gileādietis Jiftāhs bija varens karavīrs, kaut arī maukas dēls, bet Jiftāha tēvs bija Gileāds. 2 Gileāda sieva dzemdēja viņam dēlus, bet, kad šīs sievas dēli izauga, tie padzina Jiftāhu, sacīdami: “Tu neko nemantosi mūsu tēva namā, jo tu esi citas sievas dēls!” 3 Tad Jiftāhs bēga no saviem brāļiem un apmetās Toba zemē. Pie Jiftāha savācās visādi salašņas un siroja kopā ar viņu.
4 Pēc kāda laika Amona dēli sāka karu ar Israēlu. 5 Amona dēliem karojot ar Israēlu, Gileādas vecajie devās atvest Jiftāhu no Toba zemes. 6 Viņi sacīja Jiftāham: “Nāc, esi mūsu vadonis karā ar Amona dēliem!” 7 Bet Jiftāhs atbildēja Gileādas vecajiem: “Vai tad ne mani jūs ienīdāt un padzināt no tēva nama? Kāpēc tagad esat nākuši pie manis, kad jūs esat briesmās?” 8 Tad Gileādas vecajie teica Jiftāham: “Tādēļ jau mēs tagad vēršamies pie tevis, lai tu nāktu ar mums un cīnītos ar Amona dēliem, un būtu mums galvenais – visiem Gileādas iedzīvotājiem.” 9 Un Jiftāhs sacīja Gileādas vecajiem: “Ja vedīsiet mani atpakaļ cīnīties ar Amona dēliem un Kungs nodos viņus man, es būšu jūsu galvenais!” 10 Gileādas vecajie teica Jiftāham: “Kungs ir liecinieks, ka mēs tiešām darīsim, kā tu saki!” 11 Tad Jiftāhs devās līdzi Gileādas vecajiem, un tauta iecēla viņu par savu galveno un karavadoni, un Kunga priekšā Micpā Jiftāhs teica visu savu sakāmo.
12 Jiftāhs sūtīja vēstnešus pie Amona dēlu ķēniņa, sacīdams: “Kas tev pret mani, ka esi nācis uz manu zemi karot ar mani?” 13 Amona dēlu ķēniņš atbildēja Jiftāha vēstnešiem: “Tāpēc ka Israēls, kad tas nāca no Ēģiptes, paņēma manu zemi no Arnonas līdz Jabokai un līdz Jardānai. Tad nu atdod tās tagad ar labu!” 14 Jiftāhs vēlreiz sūtīja vēstnešus pie Amona dēlu ķēniņa 15 un sacīja viņam: “Tā saka Jiftāhs: Israēls nav ņēmis ne Moāba zemi, ne Amona dēlu zemi! 16 Jo, nākdams no Ēģiptes, Israēls gāja pa tuksnesi līdz Niedru jūrai un nonāca Kedešā. 17 Toreiz Israēls sūtīja vēstnešus pie Edoma ķēniņa, sacīdams: ļauj, es iziešu caur tavu zemi. Bet Edoma ķēniņš neklausījās. Un viņš sūtīja arī pie Moāba ķēniņa, bet tas nepiekrita. Tā Israēls palika Kedešā. 18 Un tas devās tuksnesī un gāja apkārt Edoma zemei un Moāba zemei un nonāca pie Moāba zemes no saules lēkta puses. Nometni uzslēja viņpus Arnonas, bet Moāba robežās tie neienāca, jo Arnona ir Moāba robeža. 19 Tad Israēls izsūtīja vēstnešus pie amoriešu un Hešbonas ķēniņa Sīhona, un Israēls tam teica: ļauj, mēs iziesim caur tavu zemi uz savu mājvietu. 20 Bet Sīhons neļāva Israēlam iet cauri savām robežām. Sīhons sapulcināja visus savus ļaudis, uzslēja nometni Jahacā un karoja ar Israēlu. 21 Kungs, Israēla Dievs, nodeva Sīhonu un visus viņa ļaudis Israēla rokās, un tie viņus sakāva. Tā Israēls iemantoja visu to amoriešu zemi, kuri mita šajā zemē. 22 Viņi iemantoja visas amoriešu robežas no Arnonas līdz Jabokai un no tuksneša līdz Jardānai. 23 Kad nu Kungs, Israēla Dievs, ir atņēmis amoriešiem īpašumu, lai dotu savai tautai Israēlam, vai tad to iemantosi tu? 24 Vai tad tu nemanto to, ko tev devis īpašumā tavs dievs Kemošs? Bet mēs mantojam visu, ko Kungs, mūsu Dievs, atsavinājis priekš mums! 25 Vai tad tu būtu labāks par Moāba ķēniņu Bālāku, Cipora dēlu? Vai gan viņš cīnījās ar Israēlu un vai karoja ar to? 26 Israēls mīt Hešbonā un tās ciemos un Aroērā un tās ciemos un visās pilsētās Arnonas krastos trīs simti gadus – kāpēc tad jūs neatbrīvojāties visā šajā laikā? 27 Tātad es neesmu grēkojis pret tevi, bet tu gan man esi darījis ļaunu, sākdams pret mani karu. Kungs Soģis šodien lai iztiesā starp Israēla dēliem un Amona dēliem!” 28 Bet Amona dēlu ķēniņš neklausījās Jiftāha vēstījumu, ko tas viņam sūtīja.
Jiftāha zvērests
29 Kunga Gars bija pār Jiftāhu, un viņš šķērsoja Gileādu un Manasi, izgāja cauri Micpai Gileādā un no Micpas Gileādā devās pāri pret Amona dēliem. 30 Jiftāhs deva zvērestu Kungam: “Ja tu man dotin atdosi Amona dēlus, 31 tad notiks tā – kurš iznāks pa mana nama durvīm man pretī, kad es atgriezīšos ar uzvaru no Amona dēliem, tas būs Kungam, to es upurēšu par sadedzināmo upuri!”
32 Jiftāhs devās pāri pret Amona dēliem, lai karotu ar tiem, un Kungs tos nodeva viņa rokā. 33 Viņš tos sakāva no Aroēras līdz Minnītas apkārtnei – divdesmit pilsētas, un milzīga asinspirts bija līdz Ābel-Hramīmai. Tā Israēla dēli pazemoja Amona dēlus.
Jiftāha meita
34 Jiftāhs nāca uz Micpu, uz savu namu, un, redzi, viņa meita dejodama iznāca viņam pretī ar tamburīnu. Viņa bija tam viena vienīgā, viņam vairāk nebija ne dēlu, ne meitu. 35 Kad viņš to ieraudzīja, viņš plēsa savas drānas un teica: “Ak vai, mana meita! Liektin tu mani saliec! Tu dzen mani izmisumā! Ar savu muti es Kungam esmu solījis un atsaukt to nevaru!” 36 Viņa tam teica: “Mans tēvs, ar savu muti tu Kungam esi solījis – tagad, kad Kungs tev ir dāvājis atriebšanu taviem ienaidniekiem, Amona dēliem, dari man, kā ar savu muti esi sacījis!” 37 Un viņa teica savam tēvam: “Lai man tā dara! Dod man divus mēnešus, ka varu iet – iešu kalnos un apraudāšu savu jaunavību kopā ar savām biedrenēm.” 38 Viņš teica: “Ej!” – un aizsūtīja viņu projām uz diviem mēnešiem. Un viņa kopā ar savām biedrenēm devās kalnos apraudāt savu jaunavību. 39 Kad bija pagājuši divi mēneši, viņa atgriezās pie sava tēva, un viņš tai darīja, kā bija zvērējis. Viņa vēl nebija pazinusi vīra. Un tas kļuva par ieradumu Israēlā: 40 gadu no gada Israēla meitas dodas pieminēt gileādieša Jiftāha meitu četras dienas gadā.
