Judges 7-11

Judges 7

¹And Jerubbaal (he is Gideon) riseth early, and all the people who are with him, and they encamp by the well of Harod, and the camp of Midian hath been on the south of him, on the height of Moreh, in the valley.

²And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, ‘Too many are the people who are with thee for My giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand hath given salvation to me;

³and now, call, I pray thee, in the ears of the people, saying, Whoso is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and go early from mount Gilead;' and there turn back of the people twenty and two thousand, and ten thousand have been left.

⁴And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, ‘Yet are the people too many; bring them down unto the water, and I refine it for thee there; and it hath been, he of whom I say unto thee, This doth go with thee -- he doth go with thee; and any of whom I say unto thee, This doth not go with thee -- he doth not go.'

⁵And he bringeth down the people unto the water, and Jehovah saith unto Gideon, ‘Every one who lappeth with his tongue of the water as the dog lappeth -- thou dost set him apart; also every one who boweth on his knees to drink.'

⁶And the number of those lapping with their hand unto their mouth is three hundred men, and all the rest of the people have bowed down on their knees to drink water.

⁷And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, ‘By the three hundred men who are lapping I save you, and have given Midian into thy hand, and all the people go, each to his place.'

⁸And the people take the provision in their hand, and their trumpets, and every man of Israel he hath sent away, each to his tents; and on the three hundred men he hath kept hold, and the camp of Midian hath been by him at the lower part of the valley.

⁹And it cometh to pass, on that night, that Jehovah saith unto him, ‘Rise, go down into the camp, for I have given it into thy hand;

¹⁰and if thou art afraid to go down -- go down, thou and Phurah thy young man, unto the camp,

¹¹and thou hast heard what they speak, and afterwards are thy hands strengthened, and thou hast gone down against the camp.' And he goeth down, he and Phurah his young man, unto the extremity of the fifties who are in the camp;

¹²and Midian and Amalek, and all the sons of the east are lying in the valley, as the locust for multitude, and of their camels there is no number, as sand which is on the sea-shore for multitude.

¹³And Gideon cometh in, and lo, a man is recounting to his companion a dream, and saith, ‘Lo, a dream I have dreamed, and lo, a cake of barley-bread is turning itself over into the camp of Midian, and it cometh in unto the tent, and smiteth it, and it falleth, and turneth it upwards, and the tent hath fallen.'

¹⁴And his companion answereth and saith, ‘This is nothing save the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; God hath given into his hand Midian and all the camp.'

¹⁵And it cometh to pass, when Gideon heareth the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he boweth himself, and turneth back unto the camp of Israel, and saith, ‘Rise ye, for Jehovah hath given into your hand the camp of Midian.'

¹⁶And he divideth the three hundred men into three detachments, and putteth trumpets into the hand of all of them, and empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

¹⁷And he saith unto them, ‘Look at me, and thus do; and lo, I am coming into the extremity of the camp -- and it hath been -- as I do so ye do;

¹⁸and I have blown with a trumpet -- I and all who are with me, and ye have blown with trumpets, even ye, round about all the camp, and have said, For Jehovah and for Gideon.'

¹⁹And Gideon cometh -- and the hundred men who are with him -- into the extremity of the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch (it hath only just confirmed the watchmen), and they blow with trumpets -- dashing in pieces also the pitchers which are in their hand;

²⁰and the three detachments blow with trumpets, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand on the lamps, and with their right hand on the trumpets to blow, and they cry, ‘The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon.'

²¹And they stand each in his place, round about the camp, and all the camp runneth, and they shout, and flee;

²²and the three hundred blow the trumpets, and Jehovah setteth the sword of each against his companion, even through all the camp; and the camp fleeth unto Beth-Shittah, at Zererath, unto the border of Abel-Meholah, by Tabbath.

²³And the men of Israel are called from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and pursue after Midian.

²⁴And messengers hath sent Gideon into all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, ‘Come down to meet Midian, and capture before them the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the Jordan;' and every man of Ephraim is called, and they capture the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the Jordan,

²⁵and they capture two of the heads of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb, and slay Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they have slain at the wine-vat of Zeeb, and they pursue unto Midian; and the heads of Oreb and Zeeb they have brought in unto Gideon beyond the Jordan.

Judges 8

¹And the men of Ephraim say unto him, ‘What is this thing thou hast done to us -- not to call for us when thou didst go to fight with Midian?' and they strive with him severely;

²and he saith unto them, ‘What have I done now like you? are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the harvest of Abi-Ezer?

³Into your hand hath God given the heads of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what have I been able to do like you?' Then their temper desisted from off him in his speaking this thing.

⁴And Gideon cometh in unto the Jordan, passing over, he and the three hundred men who are with him -- wearied, and pursuing,

⁵and he saith to the men of Succoth, ‘Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who are at my feet, for they are wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna kings of Midian.'

⁶And the heads of Succoth say, ‘Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we give to thy host bread?'

⁷And Gideon saith, ‘Therefore -- in Jehovah's giving Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand -- I have threshed your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with the threshing instruments.'

⁸And he goeth up thence to Penuel, and speaketh unto them thus; and the men of Penuel answer him as the men of Succoth answered.

⁹And he speaketh also to the men of Penuel, saying, ‘In my turning back in peace, I break down this tower.'

¹⁰And Zebah and Zalmunna are in Karkor, and their camps with them, about fifteen thousand, all who are left of all the camp of the sons of the east; and those falling are a hundred and twenty thousand men, drawing sword.

¹¹And Gideon goeth up the way of those who tabernacle in tents, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smiteth the camp, and the camp was confident;

¹²and Zebab and Zalmunna flee, and he pursueth after them, and captureth the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and all the camp he hath caused to tremble.

¹³And Gideon son of Joash turneth back from the battle, at the going up of the sun,

¹⁴and captureth a young man of the men of Succoth, and asketh him, and he describeth unto him the heads of Succoth, and its elders -- seventy and seven men.

¹⁵And he cometh in unto the men of Succoth, and saith, ‘Lo Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye reproached me, saying, Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand that we give to thy men who are wearied bread?'

¹⁶And he taketh the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the threshing instruments, and teacheth by them the men of Succoth,

¹⁷and the tower of Penuel he hath broken down, and slayeth the men of the city.

¹⁸And he saith unto Zebah and unto Zalmunna, ‘How -- the men whom ye slew in Tabor?' and they say, ‘As thou -- so they, one -- as the form of the king's sons.'

¹⁹And he saith, ‘My brethren -- sons of my mother -- they; Jehovah liveth, if ye had kept them alive -- I had not slain you.'

²⁰And he saith to Jether his first-born, ‘Rise, slay them;' and the young man hath not drawn his sword, for he hath been afraid, for he is yet a youth.

²¹And Zebah saith -- also Zalmunna -- ‘Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man -- his might;' and Gideon riseth, and slayeth Zebah and Zalmunna, and taketh their round ornaments which are on the necks of their camels.

²²And the men of Israel say unto Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, for thou hast saved us from the hand of Midian.'

²³And Gideon saith unto them, ‘I do not rule over you, nor doth my son rule over you; Jehovah doth rule over you.'

²⁴And Gideon saith unto them, ‘Let me ask of you a petition, and give ye to me each the ring of his prey, for they have rings of gold, for they are Ishmaelites.'

²⁵And they say, ‘We certainly give;' and they spread out the garment, and cast thither each the ring of his prey;

²⁶and the weight of the rings of gold which he asked is a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the round ornaments, and the drops, and the purple garments, which are on the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains which are on the necks of their camels,

²⁷and Gideon maketh it into an ephod, and setteth it up in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel go a-whoring after it there, and it is to Gideon and to his house for a snare.

²⁸And Midian is humbled before the sons of Israel, and have not added to lift up their head; and the land resteth forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹And Jerubbaal son of Joash goeth and dwelleth in his own house,

³⁰and to Gideon there have been seventy sons, coming out of his loin, for he had many wives;

³¹and his concubine, who is in Shechem, hath born to him -- even she -- a son, and he appointeth his name Abimelech.

³²And Gideon son of Joash dieth, in a good old age, and is buried in the burying-place of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrite.

³³And it cometh to pass, when Gideon is dead, that the sons of Israel turn back and go a-whoring after the Baalim, and set over them Baal-Berith for a god;

³⁴and the sons of Israel have not remembered Jehovah their God, who is delivering them out of the hand of all their enemies round about,

³⁵neither have they done kindness with the house of Jerubbaal -- Gideon -- according to all the good which he did with Israel.

Judges 9

¹and Abimelech son of Jerubbaal goeth to Shechem, unto his mother's brethren, and speaketh unto them, and unto all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

²‘Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, Which is good for you -- the ruling over you of seventy men (all the sons of Jerubbaal), or the ruling over you of one man? -- and ye have remembered that I am your bone and your flesh.'

³And his mother's brethren speak concerning him, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, all these words, and their heart inclineth after Abimelech, for they said, ‘He is our brother;'

⁴and they give to him seventy silverings out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hireth with them men, vain and unstable, and they go after him;

⁵and he goeth into the house of his father at Ophrah, and slayeth his brethren, sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone; and Jotham, youngest son of Jerubbaal, is left, for he was hidden.

⁶And all the masters of Shechem are gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and come and cause Abimelech to reign for king at the oak of the camp which is in Shechem;

⁷and they declare it to Jotham, and he goeth and standeth on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifteth up his voice, and calleth, and saith to them, ‘Hearken unto me, O masters of Shechem, and God doth hearken unto you:

⁸‘The trees have diligently gone to anoint over them a king, and they say to the olive, Reign thou over us.

⁹And the olive saith to them, Have I ceased from my fatness, by which they honour gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?

¹⁰And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.

¹¹And the fig saith to them, Have I ceased from my sweetness, and my good increase, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?

¹²‘And the trees say to the vine, Come thou, reign over us.

¹³And the vine saith to them, Have I ceased from my new wine, which is rejoicing gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?

¹⁴And all the trees say unto the bramble, Come thou, reign over us.

¹⁵And the bramble saith unto the trees, If in truth ye are anointing me for king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow; and if not -- fire cometh out from the bramble, and devoureth the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶‘And, now, if in truth and in sincerity ye have acted, when ye make Abimelech king; and if ye have done good with Jerubbaal, and with his house; and if according to the deed of his hands ye have done to him --

¹⁷because my father hath fought for you, and doth cast away his life from him, and deliver you from the hand of Midian;

¹⁸and ye have risen against the house of my father to-day, and slay his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and cause Abimelech son of his handmaid to reign over the masters of Shechem, because he is your brother --

¹⁹yea, if in truth and in sincerity ye have acted with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and he doth rejoice -- even he -- in you;

²⁰and if not -- fire cometh out from Abimelech and devoureth the masters of Shechem and the house of Millo, and fire cometh out from the masters of Shechem and from the house of Millo, and devoureth Abimelech.'

²¹And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.

²²And Abimelech is prince over Israel three years,

²³and God sendeth an evil spirit between Abimelech and the masters of Shechem, and the masters of Shechem deal treacherously with Abimelech,

²⁴for the coming in of the violence to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and of their blood to place it on Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and on the masters of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren.

²⁵And the masters of Shechem set for him ambushes on the top of the hills, and rob every one who passeth over by them in the way, and it is declared to Abimelech.

²⁶And Gaal son of Ebed cometh -- also his brethren -- and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,

²⁷and go out into the field, and gather their vineyards, and tread, and make praises, and go into the house of their god, and eat and drink, and revile Abimelech.

²⁸And Gaal son of Ebed saith, ‘Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we serve him? is he not son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his commander? Serve ye the men of Hamor father of Shechem, and wherefore do we serve him -- we?

²⁹and oh that this people were in my hand -- then I turn Abimelech aside;' and he saith to Abimelech, ‘Increase thy host, and come out.'

³⁰And Zebul, prince of the city, heareth the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burneth,

³¹and he sendeth messengers unto Abimelech deceitfully, saying, ‘Lo, Gaal son of Ebed and his brethren are coming into Shechem, and lo, they are fortifying the city against thee;

³²and, now, rise by night, thou and the people who are with thee, and lay wait in the field,

³³and it hath been, in the morning, about the rising of the sun, thou dost rise early, and hast pushed against the city; and lo, he and the people who are with him are going out unto thee -- and thou hast done to him as thy hand doth find.'

³⁴And Abimelech riseth, and all the people who are with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem -- four detachments;

³⁵and Gaal son of Ebed goeth out, and standeth at the opening of the gate of the city, and Abimelech riseth -- also the people who are with him -- from the ambush,

³⁶and Gaal seeth the people, and saith unto Zebul, ‘Lo, people are coming down from the top of the hills;' and Zebul saith unto him, ‘The shadow of the hills thou art seeing like men.'

³⁷And Gaal addeth yet to speak, and saith, ‘Lo, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and another detachment is coming by the way of the oak of Meonenim.'

³⁸And Zebul saith unto him, ‘Where is now thy mouth, in that thou sayest, Who is Abimelech that we serve him? is not this the people against which thou hast kicked? go out, I pray thee now, and fight against it.'

³⁹And Gaal goeth out before the masters of Shechem, and fighteth against Abimelech,

⁴⁰and Abimelech pursueth him, and he fleeth from his presence, and many fall wounded -- unto the opening of the gate.

⁴¹And Abimelech abideth in Arumah, and Zebul casteth out Gaal and his brethren from dwelling in Shechem.

⁴²And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that the people go out to the field, and they declare it to Abimelech,

⁴³and he taketh the people, and divideth them into three detachments, and layeth wait in a field, and looketh, and lo, the people are coming out from the city, and he riseth against them, and smiteth them.

⁴⁴And Abimelech and the detachments who are with him have pushed on, and stand at the opening of the gate of the city, and the two detachments have pushed against all who are in the field, and smite them,

⁴⁵and Abimelech hath fought against the city all that day, and captureth the city, and the people who are in it he hath slain, and he breaketh down the city, and soweth it with salt.

⁴⁶And all the masters of the tower of Shechem hear, and go in unto the high place of the house of the god Berith,

⁴⁷and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,

⁴⁸and Abimelech goeth up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people who are with him, and Abimelech taketh the great axe in his hand, and cutteth off a bough of the trees, and lifteth it up, and setteth it on his shoulder, and saith unto the people who are with him, ‘What ye have seen I have done -- haste, do ye like it.'

⁴⁹And all the people also cut down each one his bough, and go after Abimelech, and set them at the high place, and burn by these the high place with fire, and also all the men of the tower of Shechem die, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰And Abimelech goeth unto Thebez, and encampeth against Thebez, and captureth it,

⁵¹and a strong tower hath been in the midst of the city, and thither flee do all the men and the women, and all the masters of the city, and they shut it behind them, and go up on the roof of the tower.

⁵²And Abimelech cometh unto the tower, and fighteth against it, and draweth nigh unto the opening of the tower to burn it with fire,

⁵³and a certain woman doth cast a piece of a rider on the head of Abimelech, and breaketh his skull,

⁵⁴and he calleth hastily unto the young man bearing his weapons, and saith to him, ‘Draw thy sword, and thou hast put me to death, lest they say of me -- A woman slew him;' and his young man pierced him through, and he dieth.

⁵⁵And the men of Israel see that Abimelech is dead, and go each one to his place;

⁵⁶and God turneth back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brethren;

⁵⁷and all the evil of the men of Shechem hath God turned back on their head, and come unto them doth the cursing of Jotham son of Jerubbaal.

Judges 10

¹And there riseth after Abimelech, to save Israel, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he is dwelling in Shamir, in the hill-country of Ephraim,

²and he judgeth Israel twenty and three years, and he dieth, and is buried in Shamir.

³And there riseth after him Jair the Gileadite, and he judgeth Israel twenty and two years,

⁴and he hath thirty sons riding on thirty ass-colts, and they have thirty cities, (they call them Havoth-Jair unto this day), which are in the land of Gilead;

⁵and Jair dieth, and is buried in Kamon.

⁶And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the Bene-Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsake Jehovah, and have not served Him;

⁷and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the Bene-Ammon,

⁸and they crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year -- eighteen years all the sons of Israel who are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which is in Gilead.

⁹And the Bene-Ammon pass over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, and Israel hath great distress.

¹⁰And the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, saying, ‘We have sinned against Thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and serve the Baalim.'

¹¹And Jehovah saith unto the sons of Israel, ‘Have I not saved you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorite, from the Bene-Ammon, and from the Philistines?

¹²And the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon have oppressed you, and ye cry unto Me, and I save you out of their hand;

¹³and ye -- ye have forsaken Me, and serve other gods, therefore I add not to save you.

¹⁴Go and cry unto the gods on which ye have fixed; they -- they save you in the time of your adversity.'

¹⁵And the sons of Israel say unto Jehovah, ‘We have sinned, do Thou to us according to all that is good in Thine eyes; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.'

¹⁶And they turn aside the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and serve Jehovah, and His soul is grieved with the misery of Israel.

¹⁷And the Bene-Ammon are called together, and encamp in Gilead, and the sons of Israel are gathered together, and encamp in Mizpah.

¹⁸And the people -- heads of Gilead -- say one unto another, ‘Who is the man that doth begin to fight against the Bene-Ammon? he is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.'

Judges 11

¹And Jephthah the Gileadite hath been a mighty man of valour, and he is son of a woman, a harlot; and Gilead begetteth Jephthah,

²and the wife of Gilead beareth to him sons, and the wife's sons grow up and cast out Jephthah, and say to him, ‘Thou dost not inherit in the house of our father; for son of another woman art thou.'

³And Jephthah fleeth from the face of his brethren, and dwelleth in the land of Tob; and vain men gather themselves together unto Jephthah, and they go out with him.

⁴And it cometh to pass, after a time, that the Bene-Ammon fight with Israel,

⁵and it cometh to pass, when the Bene-Ammon have fought with Israel, that the elders of Gilead go to take Jephthah from the land of Tob;

⁶and they say unto Jephthah, ‘Come, and thou hast been to us for captain, and we fight against the Bene-Ammon.'

⁷And Jephthah saith to the elders of Gilead, ‘Have not ye hated me? and ye cast me out from the house of my father, and wherefore have ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?'

⁸and the elders of Gilead say unto Jephthah, ‘Therefore, now, we have turned back unto thee; and thou hast gone with us, and fought against the Bene-Ammon, and thou hast been to us for head -- to all the inhabitants of Gilead.'

⁹And Jephthah saith unto the elders of Gilead, ‘If ye are taking me back to fight against the Bene-Ammon, and Jehovah hath given them before me -- I, am I to you for a head?'

¹⁰And the elders of Gilead say unto Jephthah, ‘Jehovah is hearkening between us -- if according to thy word we do not so.'

¹¹And Jephthah goeth with the elders of Gilead, and the people set him over them for head and for captain, and Jephthah speaketh all his words before Jehovah in Mizpeh.

¹²And Jephthah sendeth messengers unto the king of the Bene-Ammon, saying, ‘What -- to me and to thee, that thou hast come in unto me, to fight in my land.'

¹³And the king of the Bene-Ammon saith unto the messengers of Jephthah, ‘Because Israel took my land in his coming up out of Egypt, from Arnon, and unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; and now, restore them in peace.'

¹⁴And Jephthah addeth yet and sendeth messengers unto the king of the Bene-Ammon,

¹⁵and saith to him, ‘Thus said Jephthah, Israel took not the land of Moab, and the land of the Bene-Ammon,

¹⁶for in their coming up out of Egypt, Israel goeth in the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and cometh in to Kadesh,

¹⁷and Israel sendeth messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me pass over, I pray thee, through thy land, and the king of Edom hearkened not; and also unto the king of Moab hath Israel sent, and he hath not been willing; and Israel abideth in Kadesh,

¹⁸and he goeth through the wilderness, and compasseth the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and cometh in at the rising of the sun of the land of Moab, and they encamp beyond Arnon, and have not come into the border of Moab, for Arnon is the border of Moab.

¹⁹‘And Israel sendeth messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and Israel saith to him, Let us pass over, we pray thee, through thy land, unto my place,

²⁰and Sihon hath not trusted Israel to pass over through his border, and Sihon gathereth all his people, and they encamp in Jahaz, and fight with Israel;

²¹and Jehovah, God of Israel, giveth Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smite them, and Israel possesseth all the land of the Amorite, the inhabitant of that land,

²²and they possess all the border of the Amorite from Arnon, and unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness, and unto the Jordan.

²³‘And now, Jehovah, God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorite from the presence of His people Israel, and thou wouldst possess it!

²⁴That which Chemosh thy god causeth thee to possess -- dost thou not possess it? and all that which Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from our presence, -- it we do possess.

²⁵‘And now, art thou at all better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he at all strive with Israel? did he at all fight against them?

²⁶In Israel's dwelling in Heshbon and in its towns, and in Aroer and in its towns, and in all the cities which are by the sides of Arnon three hundred years -- and wherefore have ye not delivered them in that time?

²⁷And I -- I have not sinned against thee, and thou art doing with me evil -- to fight against me. Jehovah, the Judge, doth judge to-day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.'

²⁸And the king of the Bene-Ammon hath not hearkened unto the words of Jephthah which he sent unto him,

²⁹and the Spirit of Jehovah is on Jephthah, and he passeth over Gilead and Manasseh, and passeth over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he hath passed over to the Bene-Ammon.

³⁰And Jephthah voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, ‘If Thou dost at all give the Bene-Ammon into my hand --

³¹then it hath been, that which at all cometh out from the doors of my house to meet me in my turning back in peace from the Bene-Ammon -- it hath been to Jehovah, or I have offered up for it -- a burnt-offering.'

³²And Jephthah passeth over unto the Bene-Ammon to fight against them, and Jehovah giveth them into his hand,

³³and he smiteth them from Aroer, and unto thy going in to Minnith, twenty cities, and unto the meadow of the vineyards -- a very great smiting; and the Bene-Ammon are humbled at the presence of the sons of Israel.

³⁴And Jephthah cometh into Mizpeh, unto his house, and lo, his daughter is coming out to meet him with timbrels, and with choruses, and save her alone, he hath none, son or daughter.

³⁵And it cometh to pass, when he seeth her, that he rendeth his garments, and saith, ‘Alas, my daughter, thou hast caused me greatly to bend, and thou hast been among those troubling me; and I -- I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I am not able to turn back.'

³⁶And she saith unto him, ‘My father -- thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah, do to me as it hath gone out from thy mouth, after that Jehovah hath done for thee vengeance on thine enemies, on the Bene-Ammon.'

³⁷And she saith unto her father, ‘Let this thing be done to me; desist from me two months, and I go on, and have gone down on the hills, and I weep for my virginity -- I and my friends.'

³⁸And he saith, ‘Go;' and he sendeth her away two months, and she goeth, she and her friends, and she weepeth for her virginity on the hills;

³⁹and it cometh to pass at the end of two months that she turneth back unto her father, and he doth to her his vow which he hath vowed, and she knew not a man; and it is a statute in Israel:

⁴⁰from time to time the daughters of Israel go to talk to the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year.