1 There was at that time Jephte the Galaadite, a most valiant man & a warrior, the son of a woman that was an harlot, who was born of Galaad.
1 There was at that time Jephte, the Galaadite, a most valiant man, and a warrior, the son of a woman that was a harlot, and his father was Galaad.
2 And Galaad had a wife of whom he had sons: who after they were grown, cast out Jephte, saying: Thou canst not be heir in the house of our father, because thou art born of another mother.
2 Now Galaad had a wife of whom he had sons: who, after they were grown up, thrust out Jephte, saying: Thou canst not inherit in the house of our father, because thou art born of another mother.
3 Whom he flying & avoiding, dwelt in the Land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men, & thievish, & followed him as their Prince.
3 Then he fled and avoided them, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men and robbers, and they followed him as their prince.
4 In those days the children of Ammon fought against Israel:
4 In those days the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 who pressing sore upon them, the ancients of Galaad went to take Jephte out of the Land of Tob to help them:
5 And as they pressed hard upon them, the ancients of Galaad went to fetch Jephte out of the land of Tob to help them:
6 & they said to him: Come & be our Prince, & fight against the children of Ammon.
6 And they said to him: Come thou, and be our prince, and fight against the children of Ammon.
7 To whom he answered: Are not you they that hated me, & cast me out of my father's house, and now are come to me forced by necessity.
7 And he answered them: ¹Are not you the men that hated me, and cast me out of my father’s house, and now you are come to me, constrained by necessity?
8 And the Princes of Galaad said to Jephte: For this cause be we now come to thee, that thou go forth with us, & fight against the children of Ammon, and be the Captain of all that dwell in Galaad.
8 And the princes of Galaad said to Jephte: For this cause we are now come to thee, that thou mayst go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.
9 Jephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerely, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and if our Lord deliver them into my hands, shall I be your Prince?
9 Jephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerely, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and the Lord shall deliver them into my hand, shall I be your prince?
10 Who answered him: Our Lord which heareth these things, himself is mediator and witness that we will do as we have promised.
10 They answered him: The Lord, who heareth these things, he himself is mediator and witness that we will do as we have promised.
11 Jephte therefore went with the Princes of Galaad, and all the people made him their Prince. And Jephte spake all his words before our Lord in Maspha.
11 Jephte therefore went with the princes of Galaad, and all the people made him their prince. And Jephte spoke all his words before the Lord in Maspha.
12 And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, which should say in his person: What is between me and thee, that thou art come against me, to waste my Land?
12 And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, to say in his name: What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me, to waste my land?
13 To whom he answered: Because Israel took my land when he ascended out of Ægypt, from the coasts of Arnon unto Iaboc and Jordan: now therefore with peace restore the same to me.
13 And he answered them: ²Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the confines of the Arnon unto the Jaboc and the Jordan: now, therefore, restore the same peaceably to me.
14 By whom Jephte again sent word, and commanded them that they should say to the king of Ammon:
14 And Jephte again sent word by them, and commanded them to say to the king of Ammon:
15 Thus saith Jephte: Israel did not take the Land of Moab, nor the Land of the children of Ammon:
15 Thus saith Jephte: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 but when they ascended out of Ægypt, he walked through the desert unto the Red sea, and came into Cades.
16 But when they came up out of Egypt, he walked through the desert to the Red Sea, and came into Cades.
17 And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me that I may pass through the land. Who would not condescend to his requests. He sent also to the king of Moab, who also himself contemned to give passage. He abode therefore in Cades,
17 ³And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me to pass through thy land. But he would not condescend to his request. He sent also to the king of Moab, who, likewise, refused to give him passage. He abode, therefore, in Cades,
18 and compassed the Land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: & came against the East quarter of the Land of Moab, & camped beyond Arnon: neither would he enter the bounds of Moab: for Arnon is the border of the Land of Moab.
18 And went round the land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: and came over against the east coast of the land of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon: ⁴and he would not enter the bounds of Moab.
19 Israel therefore sent messengers to Sehon the king of the Amorrheites, who dwelt in Hesebon, & they said to him: Suffer me to pass through thy land unto the river.
19 So Israel sent messengers to Sehon, king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and they said to him: Suffer me to pass through thy land to the river.
20 Who also himself despising the words of Israel, suffered him not to pass through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude went forth against him into Jasa, & resisted strongly.
20 But he, also despising the words of Israel, suffered him not to pass through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude, went out against him to Jasa, and made strong opposition.
21 And our Lord delivered him into the hands of Israel with all his army, & he struck him, & possessed all the Land of the Amorrhite the inhabiter of that country,
21 And the Lord delivered him, with all his army, into the hands of Israel, and he slew him, and possessed all the land of the Amorrhite, the inhabitant of that country,
22 and all the coasts thereof from Arnon unto Iaboc, and from the wilderness unto Jordan.
22 And all the coasts thereof from the Arnon to the Jaboc, and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 Our Lord therefore the God of Israel subverted the Amorrhite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possess his land?
23 So the Lord, the God of Israel, destroyed the Amorrhite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possess this land?
24 Are not those things which Chamos thy god possessed, due to thee by right? But the things that our Lord God hath obtained conqueror, shall come to our possession:
24 Are not those things which thy god Chamos possesseth, due to thee by right? But what the Lord our God hath obtained by conquest, shall be our possession:
25 unless perhaps thou be better than Balac the son of Sephor the king of Moab: or canst shew, that he wrangled against Israel, and fought against him,
25 ⁵Unless, perhaps, thou art better than Balac the son of Sephor king of Moab: or canst show that he strove against Israel, and fought against him,
26 when he dwelt in Hesebon, & the little towns thereof, & in Aroer, & the towns thereof, or in all the cities near Jordan, for three hundred years. Wherefore have you so long attempted nothing for reclaim?
26 Whereas he hath dwelt in Hesebon, and the villages thereof, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan, for three hundred years. Why have you for so long a time attempted nothing about this claim?
27 Therefore I do not sin against thee, but thou doest evil against me, denouncing me unjust wars. Our Lord be judge the arbiter of this day between Israel, and between the children of Ammon.
27 Therefore I do not trespass against thee, but thou wrongest me by declaring an unjust war against me. The Lord be judge, and decide this day, between Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 And the king of the children of Ammon would not harken to the words of Jephte, which he sent him by the messengers.
28 And the king of the children of Ammon would not hearken to the words of Jephte, which he sent him by the messengers.
29 Therefore the spirit of our Lord came upon Jephte, and circuiting Galaad, and Manasses, Maspha also of Galaad, and thence passing to the children of Ammon,
29 Therefore the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephte, and going round Galaad, and Manasses, and Maspha of Galaad, and passing over from thence to the children of Ammon,
30 he vowed a vow to our Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
30 He made a vow to the Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
31 whosoever shalt first come forth out of the doors of my house, and shall meet me returning with peace from the children of Ammon, him will I offer an holocaust to our Lord.
31 Whosoever shall first come forth out of the doors of my house, and shall meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, the same will I offer a holocaust to the Lord.
32 And Jephte passed to the children of Ammon, to fight against them: whom our Lord delivered into his hands.
32 And Jephte passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them: and the Lord delivered them into his hands.
33 And he struck from Aroer till thou come to Mennith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is set with vineyards, with a very great plague. And the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.
33 And he smote them from Aroer till you come to Mennith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is set with vineyards, with a very great slaughter: and the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.
34 But Jephte returning into Maspha to his house, his only begotten daughter met him with timbrels and dances. For he had not other children.
34 And when Jephte returned into Maspha, to his house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and with dances: for he had no other children.
35 Whom when he saw, he rent his garments, and said: Woe is me my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to our Lord, and I can do no other thing.
35 And when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing.
36 To whom she answered: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to our Lord, do unto me whatsoever thou hast promised, the revenge & victory of thine enemies being granted to thee.
36 And she answered him: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, do unto me whatsoever thou hast promised, since the victory hath been granted to thee, and revenge of thy enemies.
37 And she said to her father: This only grant me which I desire: Suffer me that two months I may go about the mountains, & bewail my virginity with my fellows.
37 And she said to her father: Grant me only this, which I desire: Let me go, that I may go about the mountains for two months, and may bewail my virginity with my companions.
38 To whom he answered: Go. And he dismissed her two months. And when she was gone with her fellows and companions, she mourned her virginity in the mountains.
38 And he answered her: Go. And he sent her away for two months. And when she was gone with her comrades and companions, she mourned her virginity in the mountains.
39 And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, who knew not man. Thence-forth a fashion in Israel, and a custom was kept:
39 And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:
40 that after the compass of a year the daughters of Israel assemble together, and mourn the daughter of Jephte the Galaadite four days.
40 That, from year to year, the daughters of Israel assemble together, and lament the daughter of Jephte the Galaadite, for four days.