Jephthah Delivers Israel

1Iephthae a Gileadite was a valeaut man of armes, but an harlottes childe. Gilead begat Iephthae. 2But whan the wyfe had borne children vnto Gilead, and the same wyues childre were waxe greate, they thrust out Iephtae, and sayde vnto him: Thou shalt not be heire in oure fathers house, for thou art another womas sonne. 3The fled he from his brethre, and dwelt in the londe of Tob. And there resorted vnto him vagabudes, and wete out with him.

4And after a certayne tyme foughte the children of Ammon with Israel. 5Now wha the childre of Ammon foughte thus with Israel, the Elders wente from Gilead to fetch Iephthae out of the londe of Tob, 6and sayde vnto him: Come, and be oure captayne, and fight agaynst the children of Ammon. 7But Iephthae sayde vnto the Eldes of Gilead: Are not ye they that hate me and haue thrust me out of my fathers house, and now come ye to me whan ye are in trouble? 8The Elders of Gilead sayde: Therfore come we now againe vnto the, that thou mayest go with vs, and fighte agaynst the children of Ammon, and be oure captayne ouer all that dwell in Gilead. 9Iephthae sayde vnto the Elders of Gilead: Yf ye fetch me agayne to fighte agaynst the childre of Ammon, and the LORDE delyuer them before me shal I then be youre heade? 10The Elders of Gilead saide vnto Iephthae: The LORDE be hearer betwene vs, yf we do not as thou hast sayde. 11So Iephthae wete with the Elders of Gilead. And the people made him heade and duke ouer them. And Iephthae spake all this before the LORDE at Mispa.

12Then sente Iephthae messaungers to the kynge of the children of Ammon, and caused to saye vnto him: What hast thou to do with me, that thou comest vnto me to fight agaynst my londe? 13The kynge of the childre of Ammo answered Iephthaes messaungers Because that Israel toke awaye my londe (whan they departed out of Egipte) from Arnon vnto Iabock, and vnto Iordane: geue it me agayne now therfore peaceably. 14But Iephthae sent yet mo messaungers to ye kynge of the children of Ammon, 15which sayde vnto him: Thus sayeth Iephthae: Israel hath taken no londe, nether from the Moabites ner from the children of Ammon: 16for when they departed out of Egipte, Israel walked thorow the wyldernes vnto the reed see, and came to Cades, 17and sent messaungers to the kynge of the Edomites, and sayde: Let me go thorow thy londe. But the kynge of ye Edomites wolde not heare the. They sent lykewyse vnto the kynge of the Moabites, which wolde not also. Thus Israel abode in Cades, 18and compased the lode of the Edomites and Moabites, and came on the eastsyde of the londe of the Moabites and pitched beyonde Arnon, and came not within the coaste of the Moabites. For Arnon is the border of the Moabites. 19And Israel sent messaungers vnto Sihon the kynge of the Amorites at Hesbon, and caused to saye vnto him: Let me go thorow thy londe vnto my place. 20Neuertheles Sihon wolde not trust Israel to go thorow the border of his londe, but gathered all his people, and pitched at Iahza, and foughte with Israel. 21Howbeit the LORDE God of Israel gaue Sihon with all his people in to Israels hade, so that they slewe them. Thus Israel conquered all the londe of the Amorites that dwelt in ye same countre. 22And they toke possessio of all the borders of the Amorites, from Arnon vnto Iabok, & from ye wyldernesse vnto Iordane. 23So ye LORDE God of Israel droue awaye the Amorites before his people of Israel, and wilt thou coquere them? 24Is it not so, yf thy God Camos gaue the oughte to possesse, woldest thou not possesse it? What so euer the LORDE oure God hath geue vs before vs to possesse, that shal we conquere and take in possession. 25Hast thou better right (thinkest thou) the Balac the sonne of Ziphor, the kynge of ye Moabites? Dyd he euer go to lawe or fighte agaynst Israel? 26Though Israel haue dwelt now vpo a thre hudreth yeare in Hesbon, and in the vyllages therof, in Aroer and in the vyllages therof, and in all the cities that lye by Arnon. Why dyd not ye rescue it at the same tyme? 27I haue not offended the, & thou doest me euell to fighte agaynst me? The LORDE geue sentence this daie betwene Israel and the children of Ammon. 28Neuertheles the kynge of the children of Ammon wolde not heare ye wordes of Iephthae, which he sent vnto him.

Jephthah’s Tragic Vow

29Then came ye sprete of the LORDE vpon Iephthae, and he wente thorow Gilead and Manasse, and thorow Mispa which lieth in Gilead, and fro Mispa that lieth in Gilead, vnto ye children of Ammon. 30And Iephthae vowed a vowe vnto the LORDE, and sayde: Yf thou wilt delyuer the childre of Ammon in to my hande, 31what so euer commeth (first) out at the dore of my house in my waye, whan I returne agayne peaceably from the childre of Ammon, that same shalbe the LORDES, and I wyl offre it for a burtnofferynge. 32So Iephthae wente vpon the children of Ammon, to fighte against them. And ye LORDE gaue them in to his hande, 33and he smote the from Aroer tyll thou comest vnto Minnith, euen twentye cities, and vnto the playne of ye vynyardes a very greate slaughter, and thus were the children of Ammon subdued before the children of Israel.

34Now whan Iephthae came to Mispa vnto his house, beholde, his doughter wente out to mete him with tabrettes and daunces: and she was his onely childe, & he had els nether sonne ner doughter. 35And whan he sawe her, he rente his clothes, & sayde: Alas my doughter, thou makest my hert soroufull, and discomfortest me: for I haue opened my mouth vnto the LORDE, and can not call it agayne. 36She sayde: My father, yf thou hast opened thy mouth vnto the LORDE, then do vnto me as it is proceaded out of yi mouth, acordinge as the LORDE hath aueged the of thyne enemies the children of Ammon. 37And she sayde vnto hir father: Do this for me, geue me leue to go downe vpo the mountaynes two monethes, that I maye bewepe my virginite with my playfeeres. 38He sayde: Go thy waye. And he let her go two monethes. Then wente she with her playefeeres, and bewayled hir mayden heade vpon the mountaynes. 39And after two monethes she came agayne vnto hir father. And he dyd vnto her acordinge as he had vowed. And she had neuer bene in daunger of eny man. And it was a custome in Israel, 40that the doughters of Israel shulde go euery yeare, and mourne for the doughter of Iephthae the Gileadite, foure dayes in the yeare.