Now Yiftah the Gil'adi was a mighty warrior, and he was the son of a prostitute; and Gil'ad fathered Yiftah.

And Gil'ad's wife bore him sons, and when the wife's sons grew up, they drove out Yiftah, and they said to him, 'You will not inherit in our father's house, because you are the son of another woman.'

And Yiftah fled from the face of his brothers, and he settled in the land of Tov. And worthless men gathered to Yiftah, and they went out with him.

And it came to pass after some days that the sons of 'Ammon fought against Yisra'el.

And it came to pass when the sons of 'Ammon fought against Yisra'el, that the elders of Gil'ad went to get Yiftah from the land of Tov.

And they said to Yiftah, 'Come, and you will be our commander, and we will fight against the sons of 'Ammon.'

And Yiftah said to the elders of Gil'ad, 'Did you not hate me, and drive me out from my father's house? And why have you come to me now when you are in distress?'

And the elders of Gil'ad said to Yiftah, 'For this reason, we have now returned to you, and you will go with us, and you will fight against the sons of 'Ammon, and you will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gil'ad.'

And Yiftah said to the elders of Gil'ad, 'If you are bringing me back to fight against the sons of 'Ammon, and יהוה gives them before me, then I will be your head.'

And the elders of Gil'ad said to Yiftah, 'יהוה will be a witness between us; if we do not do according to your word, so we will do.'

And Yiftah went with the elders of Gil'ad, and the people appointed him over them as head and commander. And Yiftah spoke all his words before יהוה in the Mitzpah.

And Yiftah sent messengers to the king of the sons of 'Ammon, saying, 'What is there between me and you, that you have come to me to fight against my land?'

And the king of the sons of 'Ammon said to Yiftah's messengers, 'Because Yisra'el took my land when they came up from Mitsrayim, from the Arnon even to the Yabbok, and even to the Yarden. And now, return them in peace.'

And Yiftah added again, and sent messengers to the king of the sons of 'Ammon.

And he said to him, 'Thus says Yiftah: Yisra'el did not take the land of Mo'av, nor the land of the sons of 'Ammon.'

'Because when they came up from Mitsrayim, Yisra'el went through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds, and came to Qadesh.'

'And Yisra'el sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let me pass through your land.' But the king of Edom did not listen. And he also sent to the king of Mo'av, and he refused. And Yisra'el stayed in Qadesh.'

'Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom and the land of Mo'av, and came from the east of the sun to the land of Mo'av, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, but they did not enter the territory of Mo'av, because the Arnon is the boundary of Mo'av.'

'And Yisra'el sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Emori, king of Ḥeshbon, and Yisra'el said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land to my place.''

'But Sihon did not trust Yisra'el to pass through his territory. And Sihon gathered all his people, and they encamped in Yaḥatz, and fought against Yisra'el.'

'And יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra'el, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Yisra'el, and they struck them. And Yisra'el took possession of all the land of the Emori, the inhabitants of that land.'

'And they took possession of all the territory of the Emori, from the Arnon to the Yabbok, and from the wilderness to the Yarden.'

'And now, יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra'el, has dispossessed the Emori from before his people Yisra'el, and you, will you dispossess them?'

'Will you not possess what your Elohim Kemosh dispossesses for you? And what יהוה our Elohim dispossesses from before us, that we will possess.'

'And now, are you better than Balak, son of Tsippor, king of Mo'av? Did he contend with Yisra'el, or did he fight against them?'

'While Yisra'el lived in Ḥeshbon and its towns, and in 'Ar'or and its towns, and in all the cities that are along the Arnon, for three hundred years. And why did you not rescue them in that time?'

'And I have not sinned against you, but you do evil to me to fight against me. May יהוה, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Yisra'el and the sons of 'Ammon.'

'And the king of the sons of 'Ammon did not listen to the words of Yiftah, which he sent to him.'

'And the Spirit of יהוה came upon Yiftah, and he passed over Gil'ad and Menashsheh, and he passed over Mitzpeh Gil'ad, and from Mitzpeh Gil'ad he passed over to the sons of 'Ammon.'

'And Yiftah made a vow to יהוה, and said, 'If you will indeed give the sons of 'Ammon into my hand,''

'Then it shall be that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of 'Ammon, it shall be יהוה's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.'

'And Yiftah passed over to the sons of 'Ammon to fight against them, and יהוה gave them into his hand.'

'And he struck them from 'Aro'er, and as far as Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Hevel-keramim, a very great slaughter. And the sons of 'Ammon were subdued before the sons of Yisra'el.'

'And Yiftah came to his house to the Mitzpah, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances, and she was his only one; he had no son or daughter besides her.'

'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, and you have become one who troubles me. For I have opened my mouth to יהוה, and I cannot turn back.''

'And she said to him, 'My father, you have opened your mouth to יהוה; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, after יהוה has avenged you on your enemies, on the sons of 'Ammon.''

'And she said to her father, 'Let this thing be done for me: Let me go for two months, and I will go and descend to the mountains, and I will weep for my virginity, I and my companions.''

'And he said, 'Go.' And he sent her away for two months. And she went, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.'

'And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, and he did to her according to his vow which he had vowed. And she had not known a man. And it became a custom in Yisra'el.'

'From year to year, the daughters of Yisra'el would go to commemorate the daughter of Yiftah the Gil'adi, four days in the year.'