1Jefta var en modig kriger fra Gileads land. Han var søn af en mand ved navn Gilead, men hans mor var en prostitueret kvinde. 2Gileads kone fødte ham også en del sønner, og da de blev voksne, jog de deres halvbror Jefta bort. „Du er et uægte barn!” sagde de til ham. „Du skal ikke have del i arven efter vores far!”
3Så flygtede Jefta fra sit hjem og slog sig ned i landet Tob, hvor en flok omstrejfende banditter sluttede sig til ham. 4-5Det var omkring det tidspunkt, at ammonitterne gjorde sig klar til at angribe israelitterne. Da sendte lederne i Gilead bud efter Jefta i Tob. 6„Kom og vær vores anfører i krigen mod ammonitterne,” sagde de. 7Men Jefta svarede: „Var det ikke jer, som hadede mig og jog mig væk fra mit barndomshjem? Hvorfor kommer I så for at få hjælp fra mig nu, hvor I er i vanskeligheder?” 8„Fordi vi har brug for dig,” svarede de. „Hvis du vil være vores hærfører mod ammonitterne, vil vi bagefter gøre dig til overhoved for Gilead!” 9Jefta fortsatte: „Hvis jeg vender tilbage, og hvis Herren giver mig sejr i kampen mod ammonitterne, så vil jeg være jeres leder.” 10„Det sværger vi på for Herrens ansigt!” svarede de.
11Så tog Jefta imod tilbuddet og fulgte med dem. Han blev udnævnt til leder og hærfører for folket, og han blev officielt indsat som leder over dem i Herrens nærvær i Mitzpa. 12Derefter sendte Jefta bud til Ammons konge for at få at vide, hvorfor han angreb Israel. 13Kongen svarede: „Da israelitterne kom fra Egypten stjal de mit land, hele området mellem Arnonfloden, Jabbokfloden og Jordanfloden. Giv os nu frivilligt vores land tilbage.”
14-15Jefta sendte besked tilbage: „Israel har aldrig stjålet land fra ammonitterne eller moabitterne. 16Da Israels folk ankom til Kadesh, efter at de havde forladt Egypten og var gået igennem Det Røde Hav, 17sendte de bud til Edoms konge for at få tilladelse til at gå igennem hans land, men Edoms konge nægtede dem tilladelse. Det samme gjorde Moabs konge, da de henvendte sig til ham. Derfor blev israelitterne i Kadesh.
18Da israelitterne senere brød op, gik de gennem ørkenen i en bue uden om Edom og Moab langs den østlige grænse, indtil de havde passeret Moab, og nåede til Arnonfloden. Men de overskred aldrig grænsen til Moab. 19Derfra sendte de bud til amoritterkongen Sihon i Heshbon for at bede om tilladelse til at rejse gennem hans land og videre til deres bestemmelsessted.
20Men kong Sihon troede ikke på, at israelitterne ville rejse fredeligt igennem hans land. Derfor samlede han sin hær ved Jahatz og rykkede ud imod dem. 21-22Herren, vores Gud, gav imidlertid Israel sejr over kong Sihon og hans hær, så de overtog amoritternes område fra Arnonfloden i syd til Jabbokfloden i nord, og fra ørkenen mod øst til Jordanfloden i vest.
23Du ser altså, at det var Herren, Israels Gud, der tog landet fra amoritterne og gav det til Israels folk. Hvorfor skulle vi så give det tilbage til dig? 24Beholder du ikke, hvad din gud Kemosh har givet dig? Vi gør krav på ethvert område, som Herren, vores Gud, gav os held til at erobre! 25Er du bedre end kong Balak, Moabs konge, der aldrig gjorde krav på landet, efter at israelitterne havde taget det fra ham? 26Nu er der gået 300 år, og så kommer du og vil have området tilbage! I al den tid har det tilhørt israelitterne, der har slået sig ned langs Arnonfloden og i området fra Heshbon i nord til Aroer i syd. Hvorfor har I ikke for længst gjort noget for at få området tilbage? 27Nej, jeg er i min fulde ret til at beholde området, og det er dig, som gør mig uret ved at erklære mig krig. Lad nu Herren være vores dommer og afgøre hvem af os, der har ret, Israel eller Ammon.”
28Den besked gjorde imidlertid ikke indtryk på ammonitterkongen.
29Da kom Herrens Ånd over Jefta, og han drog gennem Gilead og Manasse og tilbage til Mitzpa i Gilead for at samle en hær, hvorefter han gjorde klar til at rykke ud mod ammonitterne. 30-31Jefta gav Herren det løfte, at hvis Herren ville hjælpe ham til at besejre ammonitterne og vende uskadt tilbage, ville han til gengæld bringe det første, han traf på, når han kom hjem, som et brændoffer til Herren.
32Jefta førte nu hæren til angreb på ammonitterne, som han ved Herrens hjælp besejrede. 33Han fældede ammonitterne i en frygtelig massakre lige fra Aroer til Minnit og løb 20 byer over ende, helt til Abel-Keramim. Ammonitterne led således et afgørende nederlag til israelitterne.
34Da Jefta vendte tilbage til sit hus i Mitzpa,11,34 Mitzpa betyder „vagttårn”, og flere byer er kendt under det samme navn. Det er uklart, om det drejer sig om byen Mitzpa syd for Betel eller en by i Gilead. kom hans datter—hans eneste barn—ham dansende i møde, mens hun spillede på tamburin. 35Da han fik øje på hende, flængede han sit tøj i dyb fortvivlelse.
„Åh, min datter!” udbrød han. „Du har knust mit hjerte, for jeg har givet Herren et løfte, som jeg umuligt kan trække tilbage.” 36Da hun fik at vide, hvad det var, svarede hun: „Far, du må holde dit løfte til Herren, for han har givet dig sejr over dine fjender. 37Men giv mig først lov til at gå op i bjergene i to måneder, så jeg sammen med mine veninder kan sørge over, at jeg skal dø så ung og som ugift.”
38Det gav han hende lov til, og hun gik op i bjergene for sammen med sine veninder at sørge over sin skæbne. 39Derefter vendte hun tilbage til sin far, der indfriede sit løfte, og derfor nåede hun ikke at blive gift. Efter den tid blev det skik i Israel, 40at unge piger hvert år tager væk i fire dage for at begræde den skæbne, der ramte Jeftas datter.
1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.11.1 Jephthah: Gr. Jephthae11.1 an harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot 2And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.11.3 from: Heb. from the face of
4¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.11.4 in process…: Heb. after days 5And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 8And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.11.10 witness…: Heb. the hearer between us 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
12¶ And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 13And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 17Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 19And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. 25And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29¶ Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.11.31 whatsoever…: Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth11.31 and…: or, or I will offer it, etc
32¶ So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.11.33 the plain: or, Abel
34¶ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.11.34 beside…: or, he had not of his own either son or daughter: Heb. of himself 35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 36And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.11.37 go up…: Heb. go and go down 38And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,11.39 custom: or, ordinance 40That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.11.40 yearly: Heb. from year to year11.40 to lament: or, to talk with
