Judges 11

Jephthah, the Outcast God Used

1 Jephthah was a straight-up warrior from Gilead, but his momma was a prostitute. His daddy was Gilead.

2 Gilead’s legit sons told Jephthah, “Man, you not getting none of daddy’s stuff. You a son from the streets.” So they kicked him out.

3 Jephthah dipped to the land of Tob. A bunch of broke dudes and roughnecks linked up with him and rolled with him like a gang.

Israel Calls Jephthah Back

4 Later on, the Ammonites pulled up and started war with Israel.

5 The leaders of Gilead went and hunted down Jephthah in Tob.

6 They told him, “Come run this fight for us against the Ammonites.”

7 But Jephthah said, “Hold up, are you not all the same ones who hated me and kicked me out my daddy’s house, Now you all need me?”

8 They said, “Yeah, we need you now. If you help us win, you will be our leader over everybody in Gilead.”

9 Jephthah said, “If I roll with you all, and God hands them over to me, I am running everything,” They said, “Bet.”

10 The elders said, “The Lord is our witness. We will do whatever you say.”

11 So Jephthah went back with them, they made him ruler and commander. Jephthah prayed and talked to God at Mizpah.

Jephthah Sends A Message First

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon like, “Listen, what is your beef with us, Why you tryna start war?”

13 The king said, “Israel took my land when they came out of Egypt. Give it back peaceful, or it is war.”

Jephthah Checks Him with the Facts

14 Jephthah sent messengers back saying…

15 “Israel did not steal any land from Moab or Ammon.”

16 “When we left Egypt, we rolled through the desert to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.”

17 “We asked Edom for permission to pass, they said no. We asked Moab, they said no. So we stayed in the desert.”

18 “We stayed out the way until we got to the land of the Amorites at Sihon, king of Heshbon.”

19 “We asked Sihon to let us pass, he did not listen.”

20 “Sihon came out to fight Israel at Jahaz.”

21 “But the Lord handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel, and we took the land.”

22 “We held down all the territory from the desert to the Jordan River.”

23 “Since God gave us this land, why should we give it back to you?”

24 “Do you not all take whatever your god Chemosh gives you, We do the same with what the Lord gives us.”

25 “Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, He did not fight Israel for this land.”

26 “Israel has been in this land for 300 years. Why are y’all just now speaking up?”

27 “I did not sin against you, but you are coming at me dirty. God is going to judge between us today.”

28 But the king of Ammon did not listen to Jephthah’s words.

Jephthah Makes A Vow

29 The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah heavy. He marched through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah, and went out to fight Ammon.

30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If You give me this victory…

31 When I come back home, whatever comes out my house first to meet me, I will offer it to You as a burnt sacrifice.”

God Gives Jephthah the Win

32 Jephthah went out to fight Ammon, and the Lord handed them over to him.

33 He crushed them from Aroer all the way to Minnith, 20 cities deep, and down to Abel-keramim. The Ammonites were humiliated.

Jephthah’s Vow Cost Him

34 When Jephthah got back to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, dancing, singing, playing tambourines. She was his only child, no sons or daughters besides her.

35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You breaking my heart. I made a promise to God I cannot take back.”

36 She told him, “Daddy, you made a vow to the Lord. Do what you must do, since God gave you victory.”

37 She said, “Just let me go for two months to cry with my friends in the mountains, because I will never get married.”

38 He told her to go, she went with her girls to mourn for two months.

39 After that time, she came back, and Jephthah did what he vowed. She never knew a man. From then on…

40 The young women of Israel honored her every year, going out for four days to remember Jephthah’s daughter.