Judges 11:11-34

11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at 1Mizpah.

12So Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What conflict do you and I have, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, “It is because Israel 2took my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the 3Jabbok and the Jordan; so return them peaceably now.” 14But Jephthah sent messengers once again to the king of the sons of Ammon, 15and they said to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon. 16For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel 4went through the wilderness to the 5Red Sea, and 6came to Kadesh, 17then Israel 7sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land”; but the king of Edom would not listen. 8And they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. 18Then they went through the wilderness and 9around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they 10did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19And Israel sent 11messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.” 20But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 21And the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel, and they 1213defeated them; so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 2214So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan. 23And now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from His people Israel; so should you possess it? 24Do you not possess what 15Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess it. 25Now then, are you any better than 16Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 2617While Israel was living in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? 27So I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me. 18May the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’” 28But the king of the sons of Ammon 19disregarded the message which Jephthah sent him.

29Now 20the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. 30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon, 31then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return 21safely from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 32So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord handed them over to him. 33He 22inflicted a very great defeat on them from Aroer 23to the entrance of 24Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

34But Jephthah came to his house at 25Mizpah, and behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him 26with tambourines and with dancing. And she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter.