Judges 11:1-22 ▼

1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.

2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s family, because you are the son of another woman.”

3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some worthless men joined Jephthah and went on raids with him.

4 Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel.

5 When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

6 They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight the Ammonites.”

7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me out of my father’s family? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trouble? ”

8 They answered Jephthah, “That’s true. But now we turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, I will be your leader.”

10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we don’t do as you say.”

11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight me in my land? ”

13 The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably.”

14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites

15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

16 But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

18 “Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

19 “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. Israel said to him, ‘Please let us travel through your land to our country,’

20 but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his troops, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

21 Then the LORD God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his troops to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country.

22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.