1Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” 3So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.
4Some time later, when the Ammonites were fighting against Israel, 5the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.”
7Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?”
8The elders of Gilead said to him, “Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be head over all of us who live in Gilead.”
9Jephthah answered, “Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me—will I really be your head?”
10The elders of Gilead replied, “The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.” 11So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.
12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?”
13The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably.”
14Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, 15saying:
“This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. 16But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea11:16 Or the Sea of Reeds and on to Kadesh. 17Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Give us permission to go through your country,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.
18“Next they traveled through the wilderness, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.
19“Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own place.’ 20Sihon, however, did not trust Israel11:20 Or however, would not make an agreement for Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his troops and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.
21“Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel’s hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, 22capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.
23“Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? 24Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess. 25Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? 26For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn’t you retake them during that time? 27I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.
29Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
32Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
34When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.”
36“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”
38“You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
From this comes the Israelite tradition 40that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Yefta Bɛyɛ Israel So Ɔtemmufoɔ
1Gileadni Yefta yɛ ɔkofoɔ kɛseɛ. Nʼagya din de Gilead. Nanso ne maame yɛ ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ. 2Gilead yere woo mmammarima bebree, na saa mmammarima no nyinyiniiɛ no, wɔpamoo Yefta firii asase no so. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Worennya yɛn agya agyapadeɛ biara, ɛfiri sɛ, woyɛ ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ bi ba.” 3Enti Yefta dwane firii ne nuanom nkyɛn kɔtenaa Tob asase so. Ankyɛre, ɔnyaa atuatefoɔ bebree bɛdii nʼakyi.
4Ɛberɛ korɔ yi ara, Amonfoɔ de ɔko bɛkaa Israel. 5Ɛberɛ a Amonfoɔ to hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ so, Gilead mpanimfoɔ soma kɔfaa Yefta firii Tob asase so baeɛ. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, 6“Bra na bɛyɛ yɛn so ɔsahene! Boa yɛn ma yɛne Amonfoɔ nko.”
7Yefta bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛnyɛ mo na motane me, pamoo me firii mʼagya fie no? Adɛn enti na afei a mowɔ ɔhaw mu no, morebɛfrɛ me?”
8Gilead mpanimfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ Yefta sɛ, “Wo ho hia yɛn. Sɛ wodi yɛn anim ma yɛko tia Amonfoɔ a, yɛbɛyɛ wo Gileadfoɔ nyinaa sodifoɔ.”
9Yefta buaa sɛ, “Sɛ me ne mo kɔ na Awurade ma medi Amonfoɔ so nkonim a, ampa ara sɛ mode me bɛyɛ nnipa no nyinaa sodifoɔ anaa?”
10Gilead ntuanofoɔ no buaa no sɛ, “Awurade ne yɛn danseni. Yɛbɛyɛ sɛdeɛ woka biara.” 11Enti, Yefta ne ntuanofoɔ no kɔɔ Gilead. Na wɔde no yɛɛ wɔn sodifoɔ ne ɔsahene. Na Yefta tii nsɛm no nyinaa mu wɔ Mispa wɔ Awurade anim.
12Afei, Yefta somaa abɔfoɔ kɔɔ Amonfoɔ ɔhene nkyɛn sɛ wɔnkɔbisa no deɛ enti a ɔrebɛto ahyɛ Israel so. 13Amonfoɔ ɔhene buaa Yefta abɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Ɛberɛ a Israel firii Misraim baeɛ no, wɔfaa mʼasase a ɛfiri Asubɔnten Arnon de kɔsi Asubɔnten Yabok, toaso kɔsi Yordan. Enti, sane fa mʼadeɛ ma me asomdwoeɛ mu.”
14Na Yefta sane somaa abɔfoɔ kɔɔ Amonfoɔ ɔhene hɔ sɛ,
15“Sɛdeɛ Yefta seɛ nie: Israel amfa Moab asase anaa Amonfoɔ asase biara. 16Ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ tuu kwan firii Misraim, twaa Ɛpo Kɔkɔɔ na wɔduruu Kades no, 17wɔsomaa abɔfoɔ kɔɔ Edomhene hɔ sɛ ɔmma wɔn ɛkwan na wɔmfa nʼasase no so. Nanso Edomhene ampene. Wɔsoma ma wɔkɔɔ Moabhene hɔ, nanso ɔno nso ampene. Enti, Israelfoɔ tenaa Kades.
18“Ne korakora ne sɛ, wɔnam ɛserɛ so twa faa Edom ne Moab ho hyiaeɛ. Wɔfaa Edom apueeɛ fam hyeɛ so kyeree sraban wɔ Asubɔnten Arnon fa hɔ. Nanso, wɔantwa Asubɔnten Arnon ankɔ Moab asase so.
19“Afei, Israelfoɔ somaa abɔfoɔ kɔɔ Amorifoɔhene Sihon a ɔdii adeɛ firi Hesbon na wɔbisaa ɛkwan sɛ wɔpɛ sɛ wɔfa nʼasase so kɔ baabi a wɔrekɔ. 20Nanso, ɛsiane sɛ na ɔhene Sihon nni Israelfoɔ mu gyidie enti ɔboaboaa ne dɔm ano wɔ Yahas maa wɔto hyɛɛ wɔn so.
21“Na Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, maa ne nkurɔfoɔ dii ɔhene Sihon so. Enti, Israelfoɔ faa Amorifoɔ asase a na wɔte so wɔ ɔmantam no mu 22firi Asubɔnten Arnon de kɔsi Asubɔnten Yabok, firi ɛserɛ no so de kɔsi Yordan nyinaa dii so.
23“Enti, moahunu, ɛyɛ Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn na ɔgyee asase no firii Amorifoɔ nsam na ɔde maa Israel. Enti, adɛn na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛde ma mo? 24Deɛ mo nyame Kemos de maa mo no momfa, na yɛn nso, deɛ Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn de maa yɛn biara no yɛafa. 25Mosene Sipor babarima Balak a na ɔyɛ Moabhene no? Ɔne Israel twee asase bi so manso anaa? Ɔkɔɔ ɔko anaa? Dabi. 26Na afei, mfeɛ ahasa akyi, na woama saa asɛm yi so? Israel atena ha saa ɛberɛ tenten yi, wɔatrɛ afiri Hesbon asase so, akɔsi Aroer ne nkuro no nyinaa so, akɔfa Asubɔnten Arnon ano. Adɛn enti na dadaada yi moanyɛ mo adwene sɛ mobɛgye asase yi? 27Menyɛɛ mo bɔne. Mmom, mo na moayɛ me bɔne sɛ moto hyɛɛ me so. Momma Awurade a ɔyɛ ɔtemmufoɔ no mmua ɛnnɛ, sɛ yɛn mu hwan na nʼasɛm yɛ dɛ? Israel anaa Amon.”
28Nanso, Amonhene amfa Yefta asɛm no asɛmhia.
Yefta Ntam
29Saa ɛberɛ no, Awurade Honhom baa Yefta so ma ɔkɔɔ Gilead ne Manase nsase nyinaa so a, Mispa a ɛwɔ Gilead ka ho. Na ɔdii akodɔm anim to hyɛɛ Amonfoɔ so. 30Na Yefta hyɛɛ Awurade bɔ. Ɔkaa sɛ, “Sɛ woma medi Amonfoɔ so a, 31mede adeɛ a ɛbɛdi ɛkan afiri me fie abɛhyia me ɛberɛ a mede nkonimdie reba no, bɛma Awurade. Mede bɛma no sɛ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ.”
32Ɛnna Yefta dii nʼakodɔm anim tiaa Amonfoɔ, na Awurade ma ɔdii nkonim. 33Ɔdii Amonfoɔ so pasaa, sɛee nkuro bɛyɛ aduonu, firii Aroer de kɔsii baabi a ɛbɛn Minit, kɔeɛ ara kɔsii Abel-Keramim. Saa ɛkwan yi na Israelfoɔ faa so kaa Amonfoɔ hyɛeɛ.
34Ɛberɛ a Yefta firi akono kɔɔ ne fie wɔ Mispa no, ne babaa, a ɔyɛ ne ba korɔ no, tuu mmirika bɛhyiaa no a ɔrebɔ akasaeɛ, na anigyeɛ enti, ɔresa. 35Yefta hunuu no no, ɔde awerɛhoɔ sunsuanee ne ntadeɛ mu, teaam sɛ, “Ao, me ba, mʼakoma rete! Ɛdeɛn ahometesɛm sɛ woaba, rebɛhyia me. Na maka Awurade ntam na merentumi mmu so.”
36Ne babaa no buaa sɛ, “Mʼagya, woahyɛ Awurade bɔ. Yɛ me sɛdeɛ woahyɛ bɔ no, ɛfiri sɛ Awurade ama woadi wʼatamfoɔ a wɔyɛ Amonfoɔ no so nkonim. 37Nanso, deɛ ɛdi ɛkan no, ma memforo mmepɔ nkɔkyinkyini so na me ne me nnamfonom nsu abosome mmienu, ɛfiri sɛ, mɛwu sɛ ababaawa a menhunuu ɔbarima da.”
38Yefta ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wotumi kɔ.” Enti, ɔmaa no kɔ kɔdii abosome mmienu. Ɔne ne nnamfonom kɔɔ mmepɔ no so kɔsuiɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔrennya mma. 39Ɛberɛ a ɔsane baa fie no, nʼagya dii ne bɔhyɛ so. Enti ɔwuu sɛ ababaawa a ɔnhunuu ɔbarima da.
Yei abɛyɛ amanneɛ wɔ Israel 40ama Israel mmaabunu sɛ afe biara wɔbɛkɔ baabi akɔdi nna ɛnan na wɔakɔsu Yefta babaa no nkrabea.
