Study Desk

Then came upon Jephthah the spirit of Yahweh, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, - and passed through Mizpeh of Gilead, and, from Mizpeh of Gilead, he passed through unto the sons of Ammon.

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, - If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,

then shall it be, that, whosoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house, to meet me, when I return successful, from the sons of Ammon, shall belong unto Yahweh, and I will offer him up, as an ascending-sacrifice.

So then Jephthah passed over unto the sons of Ammon, to fight against them, - and Yahweh delivered them into his hand;

and he smote them, from Aroer even till thou enterest in to Minnith, even twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with an exceeding great smiting, - and thus were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel.

Then came Jephthah towards Mizpah, unto his own house, and lo! his daughter, coming forth to meet him, with timbrels, and with dances, - and, she, was none other than his only child, he had not, besides her, either son or daughter.

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.

And she said unto him - My father! Thou hast opened wide thy mouth unto Yahweh, Do with me, according to that which hath gone forth out of thy mouth, - after that Yahweh hath exacted for thee an avenging from thine enemies, from the sons of Ammon.

And she said unto her father, Let this thing, be done for me, - Let me alone two months, that I may depart, and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

And he said - Depart. So he let her go, for two months, - and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity, upon the mountains.

And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed, - she not having known man. And it became a statute, in Israel: -

From year to year, departed the daughters of Israel, to lament aloud for the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, four days in the year.