Chapter 11

1

NOW Yiphtach the Gil'adiy was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gil'ad begat Yiphtach.

2

And Gil'ad's woman bore him sons; and his woman's sons grew up, and they thrust out Yiphtach, and said unto him, You shall not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of a strange woman.

3

Then Yiphtach fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tov: and there were gathered vain men to Yiphtach, and went out with him.

4

And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Yashar'el.

5

And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Yashar'el, the elders of Gil'ad went to fetch Yiphtach out of the land of Tov:

6

And they said unto Yiphtach, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

7

And Yiphtach said unto the elders of Gil'ad, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

8

And the elders of Gil'ad said unto Yiphtach, Therefore we turn again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gil'ad.

9

And Yiphtach said unto the elders of Gil'ad, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and Yahuah deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

10

And the elders of Gil'ad said unto Yiphtach, Yahuah be witness between us, if we do not so according to your words.

11

Then Yiphtach went with the elders of Gil'ad, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Yiphtach uttered all his words before Yahuah in Mitspah.

12

And Yiphtach sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come against me to fight in my land?

13

And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Yiphtach, Because Yashar'el took away my land, when they came up out of Mitsrayim, from Arnon even unto Yabboq, and unto the Yardan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

14

And Yiphtach sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

15

And said unto him, Thus says Yiphtach, Yashar'el took not away the land of Mo'av, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

16

But when Yashar'el came up from Mitsrayim, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Qadesh;

17

Then Yashar'el sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray you, pass through your land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Mo'av: but he would not consent: and Yashar'el abode in Qadesh.

18

Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Mo'av, and came by the east side of the land of Mo'av, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Mo'av: for Arnon was the border of Mo'av.

19

And Yashar'el sent messengers unto Ciychon king of the Emoriym, the king of Cheshbon; and Yashar'el said unto him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land into my place.

20

But Ciychon trusted not Yashar'el to pass through his coast: but Ciychon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Yahats, and fought against Yashar'el.

21

And Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el delivered Ciychon and all his people into the hand of Yashar'el, and they smote them: so Yashar'el possessed את all the land of the Emoriym, the inhabitants of that country.

22

And they possessed את all the coasts of the Emoriym, from Arnon even unto Yabboq, and from the wilderness even unto the Yardan.

23

So now Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el has dispossessed the Emoriym from before his people Yashar'el, and should you possess it?

24

Will not את you possess that which Kemosh your elohiym gives you את to possess? So whomsoever Yahuah Elohaynu shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

25

And now are you anything better than Balaq the son of Tsippor, king of Mo'av? did he ever strive against Yashar'el, or did he ever fight against them,

26

While Yashar'el dwelt in Cheshbon and her towns, and in Aro'er and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

27

Wherefore I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me: Yahuah the Judge be judge this day between the children of Yashar'el and the children of Ammon.

28

Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Yiphtach which he sent him.

29

Then the Ruach Yahuah came upon Yiphtach, and he passed over Gil'ad, and Menashsheh, and passed over Mitspah of Gil'ad, and from Mitspah of Gil'ad he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

30

And Yiphtach vowed a vow unto Yahuah, and said, If you shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

31

Then it shall be, that whatsoever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be Yahuah's, and I will offer it up for an ascending smoke offering.

32

So Yiphtach passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahuah delivered them into his hands.

33

And he smote them from Aro'er, even till you come to Minniyth, even twenty cities, and unto Avel Keramiym, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Yashar'el.

34

And Yiphtach came to Mitspah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his yachiydah; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

35

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto El-Yahuah, and I cannot go back.

36

And she said unto him, My father, if you have opened your mouth unto El-Yahuah, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth; forasmuch as Yahuah has taken vengeance for you of your enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37

And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

38

And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39

And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Yashar'el,

40

That the daughters of Yashar'el went yearly to lament the daughter of Yiphtach the Gil'adiy four days in a year.



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