Judges 11:7-19

7But Jephthah replied to Gilead’s leaders, “Don’t you hate me? Didn’t you throw me out of my father’s house? So why are you coming to me now when you’re in trouble?”

8Gilead’s leaders answered Jephthah, “The reason we’ve turned to you now is that we want you to go with us and wage war against Ammon. You will be the ruler of everyone who lives in Gilead.”

9Jephthah told them, “If you take me back to fight against Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.”

10Gilead’s leaders said to Jephthah, “The Lord is a witness between us. We will certainly do what you say.”

11Jephthah went with them, and the people made him their leader and commander. So Jephthah went to Mizpah and repeated all these things in the presence of the Lord.

12Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked the king, “Why did you invade my land and wage war against me?”

13The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When the people of Israel left Egypt, they took my land. It stretched from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now give it back peacefully.”

14Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of Ammon.

15They said, “This is what Jephthah says: The people of Israel didn’t take away the land belonging to Moab or Ammon.

16When the people of Israel left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

17The people of Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, ‘Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab. But he wouldn’t allow it, either. So the people of Israel remained at Kadesh.

18“Then they went through the desert, by-passing Edom and Moab. They camped east of Moab—east of the Arnon River. They did not cross the Arnon River because it was Moab’s border.

19“Then the people of Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites. Sihon ruled from Heshbon. The people of Israel said to him, ‘Please let us go through your land to our own.’