Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. His father was Gilead and his mother was a wicked woman.
Gilead had other sons, his wife, and when his sons were grown, they drove out Jephthah, and said, "We have no inheritance in our father, because you are the son of another woman." Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob.
Then he persuaded worthless people to follow him. And the children of Ammon made war against Israel. Then the princes of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob.
And they said unto him, Return to us, that thou mayest lead us, and fight against the children of Ammon.
But Jephthah said, "I told you that you hated me. You drove me out of my father's house. Why are you coming now when you are in trouble? "
And they said unto Jephthah, We came to thee to this day, that we may go with thee to the battle against the children of Ammon, and to be the head of all the people of Gilead.
And Jephthah said unto them, If ye bring me down to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver me, I will be your leader. 10The leaders answered, "We will do as you say. The Lord is our witness. "
Then Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah set out his plans in Mizpah before the Lord.
Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, "Why have you quarreled with us? Why are you invading our country? "
And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they took our land from the river of Arnon unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; Now return it peacefully. "
Then Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon, and said to him, "The Israelites did not take possession of the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.
And the children of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt, and passed through the wilderness unto the sea of Achab, and came to Kadesh;
Then they sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask him to pass through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them.
They also begged the king of Moab but he still would not let them. So the Israelites stayed in Kadesh.
Then they passed through the wilderness and went around Edom and Moab and came to the east side of Moab, across the Arnon River. They camped there but did not cross the Arnon River because it was the border of Moab. And the children of Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which was in Heshbon, and besought him that he would come into his land. But Sihon did not pass through them.
Instead, he took all his army and camped at Jahaz and attacked the Israelites. But the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and all his army over to Israel. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites. And they possessed all the coasts from the Arnon on the south to the Jabbok on the north, and from the wilderness on the east to the Jordan on the west.
So the Lord, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites for his people Israel.
Will you take it back? You may retain whatever your god Camos gives you.
But we will keep everything the Lord our God has taken away from us.
Are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? He didn't even dare to challenge Israel to war!
And Israel took possession of Heshbon, and Aroer, and the towns thereof, and all the cities that were along by the side of the Arnon, for 300 years. Why would you even now consider retrieving it?
I have done you no wrong. It was your fault for fighting me. The Lord will judge who is guilty: the Israelites or the Ammonites? "
But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to Jephthah's message.
When Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes in grief and said, "My daughter! You make me sad! You hurt my heart! I have sworn to the Lord, and I cannot undo it! "
Jephthah let his son go and let him go for two months. She and her friends went to the mountains and mourned that she would die a virgin.