6 ^lThe people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^mand served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, ⁿthe gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they ^oforsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and ^phe sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the people of Israel ^qcried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because ^rwe have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you ^sfrom the Egyptians and ^tfrom the Amorites, ^ufrom the Ammonites and ^vfrom the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and ^wthe Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I ^xsaved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have ^yforsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out ^zto the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and ^ahe became impatient over the misery of Israel.

17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at ^bMizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? ^cHe shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

1 Now ^dJephthah the Gileadite was ^ea mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife also bore him sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of ^fTob, and ^gworthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.

4 After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel. 5 And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of ^fTob. 6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.” 7 But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” 8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and ^hbe our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.” 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, ⁱ“The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people ^jmade him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words ^kbefore the Lord at ^lMizpah.

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” 13 And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, ^m“Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the ⁿArnon to the ^oJabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: ^pIsrael did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, 16 but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness ^qto the Red Sea and ^rcame to Kadesh. 17 ^sIsrael then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ ^tbut the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel ^uremained at Kadesh.

18 “Then they journeyed through the wilderness and ^vwent around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and ^warrived on the east side of the land of Moab and ^xcamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19 ^yIsrael then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? 24 Will you not possess what ^zChemosh your god gives you to possess? ^aAnd all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. 25 Now are you any better than ^bBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? 26 While Israel lived ^cin Heshbon and its villages, and ^din Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. ^eThe Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.