Judges 11:30

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Jephthah made this vow to the Lord: “If you in fact hand over the Ammonites to me,

Hebrew Names Version
Yiftach vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If you will indeed deliver the children of `Ammon into my hand,

King James Version
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord , and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

Lexham English Bible
And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh, and he said, "If indeed you will give the Ammonites into my hand,

English Standard Version
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,

New Century Version
Jephthah made a promise to the Lord , saying, "If you will hand over the Ammonites to me,

New English Translation
Jephthah made a vow to the Lord , saying, "If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me,

Amplified Bible
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the Ammonites into my hand,

New American Standard Bible
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Iphtah vowed a vowe vnto the Lorde, and said, If thou shalt deliuer the children of Ammon into mine handes,

Legacy Standard Bible
En Jefta het aan die HERE 'n gelofte gedoen en gesê: As U werklik die kinders van Ammon in my hand gee,

Contemporary English Version
he promised the Lord , "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites

Complete Jewish Bible
Yiftach made a vow to Adonai : "If you will hand the people of ‘Amon over to me,

Darby Translation
And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt without fail give the children of Ammon into my hand,

Easy-to-Read Version
Jephthah made a promise to the Lord . He said, "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites,

George Lamsa Translation
And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If thou wilt surely deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

Good News Translation
Jephthah promised the Lord : "If you will give me victory over the Ammonites,

Literal Translation
And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Iephthae vowed a vowe vnto the LORDE, and sayde: Yf thou wilt delyuer the childre of Ammon in to my hande,

American Standard Version
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

Bible in Basic English
And Jephthah took an oath to the Lord, and said, If you will give the children of Ammon into my hands,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iephthah vowed a vowe vnto ye Lorde, & sayd: If thou shalt deliuer the children of Ammon into my handes,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: 'If Thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

King James Version (1611)
And Iephthah vowed a vowe vnto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without faile deliuer the children of Ammon into mine hands,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jephthae vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

English Revised Version
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into mine hand,

Berean Standard Bible
Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: "If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hands,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and made a vow to the Lord, and seide, If thou schalt bitake the sones of Amon in to myn hondis,

Young's Literal Translation
And Jephthah voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, `If Thou dost at all give the Bene-Ammon into my hand --

Update Bible Version
And Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, If you will indeed deliver the sons of Ammon into my hand,

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

World English Bible
Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

New King James Version
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,

New Living Translation
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord . He said, "If you give me victory over the Ammonites,

New Life Bible
Jephthah made a promise to the Lord and said, "You give the people of Ammon into my hand.

New Revised Standard
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord , and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, - If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,

Douay-Rheims Bible
He made a vow to the Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

Revised Standard Version
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

Contextual Overview

²⁹ God 's Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before God : "If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I'll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I'll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering." ³²Then Jephthah was off to fight the Ammonites. And God gave them to him. He beat them soundly, all the way from Aroer to the area around Minnith as far as Abel Keramim—twenty cities! A massacre! Ammonites brought to their knees by the People of Israel. ³⁴Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, "Ah, dearest daughter—I'm dirt. I'm despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to God and I can't take it back!" ³⁶ She said, "Dear father, if you made a vow to God , do to me what you vowed; God did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies." ³⁷ And then she said to her father, "But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends." ³⁸"Oh yes, go," he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man. It became a custom in Israel that for four days every year the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. ⁴⁰ Jephthah the Gileadite was one tough warrior. He was the son of a whore, but Gilead was his father. Meanwhile Gilead's legal wife had given him other sons, and when they grew up, his wife's sons threw Jephthah out. They told him: "You're not getting any of our family inheritance—you're the son of another woman." So Jephthah fled from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. Some riffraff joined him and went around with him. Some time passed. And then the Ammonites started fighting Israel. With the Ammonites at war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to Jephthah: "Come. Be our general and we'll fight the Ammonites." But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead: "But you hate me. You kicked me out of my family home. So why are you coming to me now? Because you are in trouble. Right?" The elders of Gilead replied, "That's it exactly. We've come to you to get you to go with us and fight the Ammonites. You'll be the head of all of us, all the Gileadites." Jephthah addressed the elders of Gilead, "So if you bring me back home to fight the Ammonites and God gives them to me, I'll be your head—is that right?" They said, " God is witness between us; whatever you say, we'll do." Jephthah went along with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their top man and general. And Jephthah repeated what he had said before God at Mizpah. Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with a message: "What's going on here that you have come into my country picking a fight?" The king of the Ammonites told Jephthah's messengers: "Because Israel took my land when they came up out of Egypt—from the Arnon all the way to the Jabbok and to the Jordan. Give it back peaceably and I'll go." Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites with the message: "Jephthah's word: Israel took no Moabite land and no Ammonite land. When they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the desert as far as the Red Sea, arriving at Kadesh. There Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, ‘Let us pass through your land, please.' But the king of Edom wouldn't let them. Israel also requested permission from the king of Moab, but he wouldn't let them cross either. They were stopped in their tracks at Kadesh. So they traveled across the desert and circled around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came out east of the land of Moab and set camp on the other side of the Arnon—they didn't set foot in Moabite territory, for Arnon was the Moabite border. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites at Heshbon the capital. Israel asked, ‘Let us pass, please, through your land on the way to our country.' But Sihon didn't trust Israel to cut across his land; he got his entire army together, set up camp at Jahaz, and fought Israel. But God , the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his troops to Israel. Israel defeated them. Israel took all the Amorite land, all Amorite land from Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan. It was God , the God of Israel, who pushed out the Amorites in favor of Israel; so who do you think you are to try to take it over? Why don't you just be satisfied with what your god Chemosh gives you and we'll settle for what God , our God, gives us? Do you think you're going to come off better than Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Did he get anywhere in opposing Israel? Did he risk war? All this time—it's been three hundred years now!—that Israel has lived in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns along the Arnon, why didn't you try to snatch them away then? No, I haven't wronged you. But this is an evil thing that you are doing to me by starting a fight. Today God the Judge will decide between the People of Israel and the people of Ammon." But the king of the Ammonites refused to listen to a word that Jephthah had sent him. God 's Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before God : "If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I'll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I'll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering." Then Jephthah was off to fight the Ammonites. And God gave them to him. He beat them soundly, all the way from Aroer to the area around Minnith as far as Abel Keramim—twenty cities! A massacre! Ammonites brought to their knees by the People of Israel. Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, "Ah, dearest daughter—I'm dirt. I'm despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to God and I can't take it back!" She said, "Dear father, if you made a vow to God , do to me what you vowed; God did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies." And then she said to her father, "But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends." "Oh yes, go," he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man. It became a custom in Israel that for four days every year the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Genesis 28:20, Numbers 30:2-16, 1 Samuel 1:11, Ecclesiastes 5:1, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Ecclesiastes 5:4, Ecclesiastes 5:5

Reciprocal: Leviticus 27:2 - When Leviticus 27:28 - no devoted Numbers 21:2 - vowed Numbers 21:34 - for I have Deuteronomy 23:23 - That which Judges 21:1 - There 1 Samuel 14:24 - Cursed Matthew 14:9 - the oath's

Cross-References

Genesis 11:1
At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.

Genesis 11:3
They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and fire them well." They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.

Genesis 11:12
When Arphaxad was thirty-five years old, he had Shelah. After Arphaxad had Shelah, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 25:21
Isaac prayed hard to God for his wife because she was barren. God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. But the children tumbled and kicked inside her so much that she said, "If this is the way it's going to be, why go on living?" She went to God to find out what was going on. God told her, Two nations are in your womb, two peoples butting heads while still in your body. One people will overpower the other, and the older will serve the younger.

Genesis 29:31
When God realized that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben (Look-It's-a-Boy!). "This is a sign," she said, "that God has seen my misery; and a sign that now my husband will love me."

Judges 13:2
At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression."

Luke 1:36
"And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord,.... Before he set out for the land of the children of Ammon, and to fight with them; hoping that such a religious disposition of mind would be regarded by the Lord, and be acceptable to him, and he should be blessed with success in his enterprise:

and said, if thou shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands; though he was assured of the justness of his cause, and of his call to engage in it, he seems to have some little diffidence in his mind about the success of it; at least, was not fully certain of it.