Judges 11:35

Easy-to-Read Version

When Jephthah saw that his daughter was the first thing to come out of his house, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. Then he said, "Oh, my daughter! You have ruined me! You have made me very sad! I made a promise to the Lord , and I cannot change it!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the Lord and cannot take it back.”

Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I can't go back.

King James Version
And 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.

Lexham English Bible
And the moment he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Ah! My daughter, you have caused me to bow down, and you have become my trouble. I made an oath to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back."

English Standard Version
And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord , and I cannot take back my vow."

New Century Version
When Jephthah saw his daughter, he tore his clothes to show his sorrow. He said, "My daughter! You have made me so sad because I made a promise to the Lord , and I cannot break it!"

New English Translation
When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, "Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster! I made an oath to the Lord , and I cannot break it."

Amplified Bible
And when he saw her, he tore his clothes [in grief] and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me great disaster, and you are the cause of ruin to me; for I have made a vow to the LORD, and I cannot take it back."

New American Standard Bible
So when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Oh, my daughter! You have brought me disaster, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when hee sawe her, hee rent his clothes, and saide, Alas my daughter, thou hast brought me lowe, and art of them that trouble me: for I haue opened my mouth vnto the Lord, and can not goe backe.

Legacy Standard Bible
En net toe hy haar sien, skeur hy sy klere en sê: Ag, my dogter, jy druk my heeltemal neer, en jy stort my in die ongeluk! Want ek het my mond geopen teenoor die HERE, en ek kan nie terugtrek nie.

Contemporary English Version
"Oh!" Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, "I made a sacred promise to the Lord , and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart."

Complete Jewish Bible
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Oh, no, my daughter! You're breaking my heart! Why must you be the cause of such pain to me? I made a vow to Adonai , and I can't go back on my word."

Darby Translation
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his garments, 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 to Jehovah, and I cannot go back.

George Lamsa Translation
And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become today one of those that ruin me; for I have made a promise to God, and I cannot go back on it.

Good News Translation
When he saw her, he tore his clothes in sorrow and said, "Oh, my daughter! You are breaking my heart! Why must it be you that causes me pain? I have made a solemn promise to the Lord , and I cannot take it back!"

Literal Translation
And it happened when he saw her, he tore his garments, and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those making me low. And surely I have opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I am not able to take it back.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan he sawe her, he rente his clothes, & sayde: Alas my doughter, thou makest my hert soroufull, and discomfortest me: for I haue opened my mouth vnto the LORDE, and can not call it agayne.

American Standard Version
And 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 Jehovah, and I cannot go back.

Bible in Basic English
And when he saw her he was overcome with grief, and said, Ah! my daughter! I am crushed with sorrow, and it is you who are the chief cause of my trouble; for I have made an oath to the Lord and I may not take it back.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when he sawe her, he rent his clotes, & sayde: Alas my daughter, thou hast brought me lowe, & art one of them that troubleth me: For I haue opened my mouth vnto the Lorde, and cannot go backe.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And 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 become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.'

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe 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 haue opened my mouth vnto the Lord, and I cannot goe backe.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, thou hast indeed troubled me, and thou wast the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against thee to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.

English Revised Version
And 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.

Berean Standard Bible
As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne `sche was seyn, he to-rente his clothis, and seide, Allas! my douytir, thou hast disseyued me, and thou art disseyued; for Y openyde my mouth to the Lord, and Y may do noon other thing.

Young's Literal Translation
And 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.'

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of those that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can't go back.

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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 to the LORD, and I cannot go back.

World English Bible
It happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can't go back.

New King James Version
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it."

New Living Translation
When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. "Oh, my daughter!" he cried out. "You have completely destroyed me! You've brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord , and I cannot take it back."

New Life Bible
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "It is bad, my daughter! You have made me very sad. You have brought much trouble to me. For I have made a promise to the Lord, and I must keep it."

New Revised Standard
When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low; you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord , and I cannot take back my vow."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said - Alas! my daughter, Thou hast, brought me low, Even, thou, hast come to be among them who trouble me, - Yet, I, opened wide my mouth unto Yahweh, and cannot go back.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing.

Revised Standard Version
And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me; for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back."

Contextual Overview

²⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, and he passed through the area of Gilead and Manasseh. He went through the city of Mizpah in Gilead on his way to the land of the Ammonites. ³⁰ Jephthah made a promise to the Lord . He said, "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites, ³¹ I will give you the first thing that comes out of my house when I come back from the victory. I will give it to the Lord as a burnt offering." ³² Then Jephthah went to the land of the Ammonites. He fought the Ammonites, and the Lord helped him defeat them. ³³ He defeated them from the city of Aroer to the city of Minnith. Jephthah captured 20 cities. Then he fought the Ammonites to the city of Abel Keramim. The Israelites defeated them. It was a very great defeat for the Ammonites. ³⁴ Jephthah went back to Mizpah. He went to his house, and his daughter came out to meet him. She was playing a tambourine and dancing. She was his only daughter, and Jephthah loved her very much. He did not have any other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When Jephthah saw that his daughter was the first thing to come out of his house, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. Then he said, "Oh, my daughter! You have ruined me! You have made me very sad! I made a promise to the Lord , and I cannot change it!" ³⁶ Then his daughter said to Jephthah, "Father, you have made a promise to the Lord , so keep your promise. Do what you said you would do. After all, the Lord did help you defeat your enemies, the Ammonites." ³⁷ Then Jephthah's daughter said to her father, "But do this one thing for me first. Let me be alone for two months. Let me go to the mountains. I will not marry and have children, so let me and my friends go and cry together." ³⁸ Jephthah said, "Go." He sent her away for two months. Jephthah's daughter and her friends stayed in the mountains. They cried for her because she would not marry and have children.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

rent his clothes: Genesis 37:29, Genesis 37:30, Genesis 37:34, Genesis 37:35, Genesis 42:36-38, 2 Samuel 13:30, 2 Samuel 13:31, 2 Samuel 18:33, Job 1:20

have opened: Leviticus 27:28, Leviticus 27:29, Numbers 30:2-5, Psalms 15:4, Ecclesiastes 5:2-6

I cannot: Judges 21:1-7, 1 Samuel 14:44, 1 Samuel 14:45, Matthew 14:7-9, Acts 23:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 14:22 - unto Numbers 14:6 - rent their clothes Deuteronomy 23:23 - That which Judges 21:6 - repented them Judges 21:18 - sworn 2 Samuel 3:31 - Rend Psalms 66:14 - uttered Proverbs 18:7 - his lips

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when he saw her,.... She being the first person that presented to his view, as she was at the head of the virgins with their timbrels and dances:

that he rent his clothes; as was the usual manner, when anything calamitous and distressing happened; see Genesis 37:34

and said, alas, my daughter, thou hast brought me very low; damped his spirits, sunk him very low, so that he was ready to drop into the earth, as we say; he that was now returning in triumph, amidst the acclamations of the people, in the height of his glory, and extolled to the skies, and perhaps elated in his own mind; on a sudden, at the sight of his daughter, was so depressed in his spirits, that he could not bear up; but was ready to sink and die away, all his honour being as it were laid in the dust, and nothing to him:

and thou art one of them that trouble me: or among his troublers, and the greatest he ever met with; he had been in trouble from his brethren, when they drove him from his father's house, and he had had trouble with the children of Ammon to subdue them; but this was the greatest trouble of all, that his daughter should be the first that should meet him; of whom, according to his vow, he was to be deprived, and so all his future comforts, hopes, and expectations from her gone; and therefore ranks her among, and at the head of, his troublers:

for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord; in a vow; not only had purposed it in his heart, but had expressed it with his lips:

and I cannot go back; or retract it; looking upon himself under an indispensable obligation to perform it; of which, be it as it may, he seems to have had mistaken notions and apprehensions; for if his vow was to sacrifice her, as some think, he was not obliged to do it, since it was contrary to the law of God, and abominable in his sight; and besides, what was vowed to be the Lord's, or devoted to him, might be redeemed according to the law, a female for thirty pieces of silver,

Leviticus 27:2 and if the vow was to separate his daughter from the company of men, and oblige her never to marry, such a power as this parents had not allowed them over their children, according to the laws of God or of men, in the Jewish nation; and therefore, be it which it will, what he had to do was to repent of this rash vow, and humble himself before God for making it, and not add sin to sin by performing it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jephthah was right in not being deterred from keeping his vow by the loss and sorrow to himself (compare the marginal references), just as Abraham was right in not withholding his son, his only son, from God, when commanded to offer him up as a burnt-offering. But Jephthah was wholly wrong in that conception of the character of God which led to his making the rash vow. And he would have done right not to slay his child, though the guilt of making and of breaking such a vow would have remained. Josephus well characterizes the sacrifice as “neither sanctioned by the Mosaic law, nor acceptable to God.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 11:35. Thou hast brought me very low — He was greatly distressed to think that his daughter, who was his only child, should be, in consequence of his vow, prevented from continuing his family in Israel; for it is evident that he had not any other child, for besides her, says the text, he had neither son nor daughter, Judges 11:34. He might, therefore, well be grieved that thus his family was to become extinct in Israel.