Jephthah
1-5 The leaders of the Gilead clan decided to ask a brave warrior named Jephthah son of Gilead to lead the attack against the Ammonites.
Even though Jephthah belonged to the Gilead clan, he had earlier been forced to leave the region where they had lived. Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, but his half brothers were the sons of his father's wife.
One day his half brothers told him, “You don't really belong to our family, so you can't have any of the family property.” Then they forced Jephthah to leave home.
Jephthah went to the country of Tob, where he was joined by a number of men who would do anything for money.
So the leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah and said, 6 “Please come back to Gilead! If you lead our army, we will be able to fight off the Ammonites.”
7 “Didn't you hate me?” Jephthah replied. “Weren't you the ones who forced me to leave my family? You're only coming to me now because you're in trouble.”
8 “But we do want you to come back,” the leaders said. “And if you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you the ruler of Gilead.”
9 “All right,” Jephthah said. “If I go back with you and the Lord lets me defeat the Ammonites, will you really make me your ruler?”
10 “You have our word,” the leaders answered. “And the Lord is a witness to what we have said.”
11 So Jephthah went back to Mizpah with the leaders of Gilead. The people of Gilead gathered at the place of worship and made Jephthah their ruler. Jephthah also made promises to them.
12 After the ceremony, Jephthah sent messengers to say to the king of Ammon, “Are you trying to start a war? You have invaded my country, and I want to know why!”
13 The king of Ammon replied, “Tell Jephthah that the land really belongs to me, all the way from the Arnon River in the south, to the Jabbok River in the north, and west to the Jordan River. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole it. Tell Jephthah to return it to me, and there won't be any war.”
14 Jephthah sent the messengers back to the king of Ammon, 15 and they told him that Jephthah had said:
Israel hasn't taken any territory from Moab or Ammon. 16 When the Israelites came from Egypt, they traveled across the desert to the Red Sea and then to Kadesh. 17 They sent messengers to the king of Edom and said, “Please, let us go through your country.” But the king of Edom refused. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he wouldn't let them cross his country either. And so the Israelites stayed at Kadesh.
18 A little later, the Israelites set out into the desert, going east of Edom and Moab, and camping on the eastern side of the Arnon River gorge. The Arnon is the eastern border of Moab, and since the Israelites didn't cross it, they didn't even set foot in Moab.
19 The Israelites sent messengers to the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. “Please,” they said, “let our people go through your country to get to our own land.”
20 Sihon didn't think the Israelites could be trusted, so he called his army together. They set up camp at Jahaz, then they attacked the Israelite camp. 21 But the Lord God helped Israel defeat Sihon and his army. Israel took over all of the Amorite land where Sihon's people had lived, 22 from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and from the desert in the east to the Jordan River in the west.
23 The messengers also told the king of Ammon that Jephthah had said:
The Lord God of Israel helped his nation get rid of the Amorites and take their land. Now do you think you're going to take over that same territory? 24 If Chemosh your god takes over a country and gives it to you, don't you have a right to it? And if the Lord takes over a country and gives it to us, the land is ours!
25 Are you better than Balak the son of Zippor? He was the king of Moab, but he didn't quarrel with Israel or start a war with us.
26 For 300 years, Israelites have been living in Heshbon and Aroer and the nearby villages, and in the towns along the Arnon River gorge. If the land really belonged to you Ammonites, you wouldn't have waited until now to try to get it back.
27 I haven't done anything to you, but it's certainly wrong of you to start a war. I pray that the Lord will show whether Israel or Ammon is in the right.
28 But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah's message.
29 Then the Lord's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where 30 he promised the Lord, “If you will let me defeat the Ammonites 31 and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first.”
32 From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the Lord helped him defeat them.
33 Jephthah and his army destroyed the 20 towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more.
Jephthah's Daughter
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.
35 “Oh no!” Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, “I made a sacred promise to the Lord, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart.”
36 “Father,” she said, “you made a sacred promise to the Lord, and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die. 37 But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children.”
38 “Yes, you may have two months,” Jephthah said.
She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children. 39 Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married.
That's why 40 every year, Israelite girls walk around for four days, weeping for Jephthah's daughter.
1 Jeftab ge ǁkhoaǂgaoxa toroǃkhamaob Gileadi dib di îs ge ǀai-ao ge isa. ǁÎb di îb Gileadi 2 ge ǀnî ǀgôaga taras âb tawa ge ūhâ i, tsî gu ge ǁnā ǀgôaga kai gu geo, Jeftaba ge ǃhaebē. ǁÎgu ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ge ǀgui xū-i tsîna sige îba xu ǀumi tide; sats ge ǀkhara taras di ôatsa.” 3 Jeftab ge ǃgâsagu âba xu ǃhū tsî Tobǃhūb ǃnâ sī ge ǁan. ǁNāpa gu ge xūtama khoega ǁîb tawa ǀhaoǀhaosen tsî ǁîb ǀkha gere ǃgûma.
4 ǁAe-i khaoǃgân ge Amonǁîna Israelǁîn ǃoagu ge torodī. 5 Nē ǃkhais ge ī, o gu ge Gileadi di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga Jeftaba gu sī nî ūse Tobǃhūb ǁga ge ǃgû. 6 Tsî gu ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Satsa hā ǂgaeǂgui ge re, î ge Amonǁîn ǃoagu sī ǃkham ǁkhā.”
7 Xaweb ge Jeftaba ge ǃeream: “Sago ge tita ǁnātikōse ge ǁkhan tsî ti îb di omsa xu ge ǃhaebē. Tare xū-i ǃaroma go nēsi ǂōǂōsib ǃnâ du go ǂgâo, tita ǃoa ra hā?”
8 O gu ge ǁîga Jeftab ǃoa ge mî: “Sige ge nēsi satsa ǃoa go hā, sige ǀkha ǃgû tsîts Amonǁîn ǃoagu sī ǃkham tsî Gileadi di khoen hoana nî ǂgaeǂguisa ge ra ǂgao amaga.”
9 Ob ge Jeftaba ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Tita go ga oa-ū Amonǁîn ǃoagu ta nî ǃkhamse tsîb ga ǃKhūba dansa a mā te, o ta ge nî sadu di ǂgaeǂgui-ao kai.”
10 O gu ge ge ǃeream: “ǁNāti i ge nî ī. ǃKhūb ge a sage di ǃkhō-amao.” 11 Tsîb ge Jeftaba Gileadi ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǀkha ge ǃgû, tsîs ge ǁaesa ǁîba ǁîn dana tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aose ge mâi. Jeftab ge ǁîb di mî xūn hoana Mispas tawa ǃKhūb aiǃâ ge ǁguiǃā.
12 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Jeftaba sîsabega Amonǁîn di gao-aob ǁga ge sî, ǁîba gu nî dîse: “Tare-i ǃaromats sida ǃoagu ra torodī? Tare-i ǃaromats sida ǃhūba ǁnāǂam?”
13 Ob ge Amonǁîn di gao-aoba Jeftab di sîsabega ge ǃeream: “Israelǁîn ge Egipteba xun ge hāo, ti ǃhūba ge ū, Arnonǃāba xu Jabokǃāb tsî Jordanni tsîkha kōse. ǁÎba nēsi ǂkhîb ǃnâ mā-oa te re.”
14 Jeftab ge ǁkhawa sîsabega Amonǁîn di gao-aoba ǃoa ge sî, 15 î gu sī mî: “Israelǁîn ge Moabǁîn di ǃhūb kas, Amonǁîn di ǃhūb kas hoasa ū tama hâ. 16 Israelǁîn ge Egipteba xun ge doeǂoao, ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ-u ǀApahurib kōse ǃgû tsî Kades tawa ge sī. 17 Tsîn ge sîsabega Edommi di gao-aob ǁga ge sî, ǁîb di ǃhūb ǃnâ-u ǃkharusan nî mā-amhega; xaweb ge Edommi di gao-aoba ǁîna mā-am ǂgao tama ge i. ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti Moab di gao-aob tsîn ai ge ǂgan, xaweb ge ǁîb tsîna ǁîb di ǃhūb ǃnâ-u ǃkharusa ǁîna mā-am tama ge i. On ge Israelǁîna Kades tawa ge hâ. 18 ǁNāpa xun ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ-u ge doe, Edommi di ǃhūb tsî Moab di ǃhūb tsîkha xōǀkhā, Moab di aiǂoasǀkhāb ain ge Arnonǃāb nauǃani a sīs kōse. Tsîn ge ǁnāpa hâǃkhaiba ge dībasen, xawen ge Arnonna ǃgâu tama ge i, ǁîb ge Moab di ǃhūǀgora i xui-ao. 19 On ge Israelǁîna sîsabega Amorǁîn di gao-aob Sihonni, Hesbons dib ǃoa sî tsî ǁîba ge ǂgan în ǁîb di ǃhūb ǃnâ-u ǁîn di ǃhūb ǃoa ǃkharusa mā-amhe. 20 Xaweb ge Sihonna Israelǁîna ǁnāsa mā-am tama ge i. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di toroǂnubis hoaragasa ǀhaoǀhao, Jahas tawa hâǃkhaiba ǂnaumâi tsî Israelǁîna ge ǁnāǂam. 21 Xaweb ge ǃKhūb, Israelǁîn di Eloba Israelǁîna Sihonni tsî ǁîb di toroǂnubis ǂama dansa ge mā. ǁNātin ge Israelǁîna Amorǁîn ǁnāpa ge ǁan hâ in di ǃhūb hoaragaba ge ū. 22 ǁÎn ge Amorǁîn di ǀkharib hoaragaba ge ū, Arnonni ǃkhawagas ǃnâ ǁgoeba xu Jaboki ǀapas ǃnâ ǁgoeb kōse, tsî ǃgaroǃhūb huriǂoas ǃnâ ǁgoeba xu Jordanni aiǂoas ǃnâ ǁgoeb kōse. 23 ǁNātib ge ǃKhūb, Israelǁîn di Eloba, ǁîb di khoen Israelǁîn ǃaroma Amorǁîna ǃhūb âna xu ge doeǁgaǂui. 24 ǁÎba du nēsi ra ū-oa ǂgao? Sadu elob Kemosi ge mā duba du ge a ūhâbasen ǁkhā, xawe sida ge ǃKhūb sida Elob ge mā dan hoana nî ūǀgarabasen. 25 Sipori di ôab Balaki, Moab di gao-aob xats a ama-ai tits ra ǂâi? ǁÎba Israeli ǃoagu ǂkhawa-i tamas ka io toro-e dīb ge? 26 ǃNonakaidisi kurigan ge Israelǁîna Hesbons tsî Aroers tsî ǁîra ǂnamipe ǁgoe ǃārodi, tsî hoaraga ǃādi Arnonǃāb amǃgâ ǁgoedi ǃnâ ge ǁan. Tare xū-i ǃaromats ge ǁîde ǁnā ǁaeb ǃnâ ū tama hâ i? 27 Tita ge tsū xū-e dī tsi tama hâ. Sats ge tita ǃoaguts toroba dīs ǀkha tita ra tsūdī. ǃKhūb ge a ǀgoraǃgâ-ao. ǁÎb ge nētsē Israelǁîn tsî Amonǁîn tsîn ǁaegu nî mîǁgui.” 28 Xaweb ge Amonǁîn di gao-aoba Jeftab di haisisa ǃgâ ǂgao tama ge i.
29 ǃKhūb di gagab ge Jeftab ai ge hā, tsîb ge ǁîba Gileadi tsî Manaseb tsîkha ǃnâ-u ǃgû tsî Mispas Gileadi dis kōse sī tsî ǁnāpa xu Amonǁîn kōse ge ǃkharu. 30 Jeftab ge ǃKhūba ge mîmâiba: “Amonǁîn ǂamats ga dansa a mā teo, 31 o ta ge Amonǁîna dan tsî ta ga oaǀkhī, o ga ǂgurose tita i nî ǃgûǃoaga omsa xu a ǂoaxa khoe-e satsa nî khaiba. ǁÎ-e ta ge khauǁguibase satsa nî ǁguiba.”
32 Jeftab ge ǃāba ǃgâu tsî Amonǁîn ǃoagu sī ge ǃkham, tsîb ge ǃKhūba dansa ge mā bi. 33 Jeftab ge ǁîna ge ǃkhamdan, Aroersa xu Minits, ǀgamdisi ǃādi ǀhûpe hâde xu Abel-Keramims kōse. Kaise kai ǃgams ge ǁnāpa ge hâ tsîn ge Amonǁîna Israelǁîn xa ge danǃarihe.
Jeftab ôas
34 Jeftab ge Mispas ǃnâ ǁîb oms tawa oasī, os ge ǁîb ôasa ǃkhomǃkharurusa ǀhuru tsî ra ǂnāse ǁîba ge ǃgûǃoa. ǁÎb ge ǁnā ǀgôas ǀguisa ge ūhâ i, tsî ǀnî hâ ǀgôa-i xare-e ge ūhâ tama hâ i. 35 Tsîb ge ǁîsab ge mûo, ǃoab xa saran âba ǀkhau tsî ge mî: “Ae, ti ôase, sas ge tita go ǃanaǂgao kai. Tare-i ǃaromas kha nî sa, ti tsûba nî ǃaromasa? Tita ge ǃKhūba nūs ǀkha go mîmâiba tsî ta ge ǁîsa a ǂgae-oa ǁoa.”
36 Os ge ǁîsa ǁîba ge ǃeream: “ǃKhūbats nî mîmâibas kao, o ǁnâi mîts ge khami dī-ū te, ǃKhūb ge sa khākhoen, Amonǁîna go ǀkhaoba tsiba xuige.” 37 Xawes ge ǁîs îba ge ǂgan: “Nē ǀgui xū-i ǀgui-e dība te re. ǀGam ǁkhâkha ǁaeba ǁnāxū te re, î ta ti ǀhōsadi ǀkha ǃhomga ǃoa ǃgû tsî oaxaese ta nî ǁō ǃkhais ǂama sī ǃoa.” 38 Ob ge ǁîsa ge ǃgû kai tsî ǀgam ǁkhâkha ǁaeba ge ǁnāxū si. O di ge ǁîs tsî ǀhōsadi âs tsîde ǃhomgu ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁîs di oaxaesis ǂama ge ǃoa.
39 Tsîs ge ǀgam ǁkhâkha khaoǃgâ ǁgûba ǃoa ge oaǀkhī. Ob ge ǁîba ǃKhūbab ge mîmâiba hâ i khami ge dī tsîs ge oaxaese ge ǁō.
Os ge nē ǃkhaisa ǁnaetib ase Israeli ǃnâ ge tsoatsoa 40 ǂkham khoedi mâ kurib hoaba haka tsēde, Jeftab Gileadǁîb ôas ǂama di nî ǃoase ra ǃgûǂoa ǃkhaisa.
