1   There was at that time Iephte the Galaadite a most valiant man and a warrier, the sonne of a woman that was ^note an harlot, who was borne of Galaad.

2   And Galaad had a wife of whom he had sonnes: who after they were growen, cast out Iepthte, saying: Thou canst not be heyre in the house of our father, because thou art borne of an other mother.

3   Whom he fleeing and auoyding, dwelt in the Land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needie men, and theeuish, and folowed him as their prince.

4   In those dayes the children of Ammon fought against Israel.

5   who pressing sore vpon them, the ancientes of Galaad went to take Iephte out of the Land of Tob to helpe them:

6   and they saied to him: Come and be our prince, and fight against the children of Ammon.

7   To whom he answered: Are not you they that hated me, and cast me out of my fathers house, and now are come to me forced by necessitie.

8   And the princes of Galaad said to Iephte: For this cause be we now ^note come to thee, that thou goe forth with vs, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be the captaine of al that dwell in Galaad.

9   Iephte also said to them: If you be come to me sincerly, that I should fight for you against the children of Ammon, and if our Lord deliuer them into my handes, shal I be your prince?

10   Who answered him: Our Lord which heareth these thinges, him selfe is mediatour and witnes that we wil doe as we haue promised.

11   Iephte therfore went with the princes of Galaad, and al the people made him their prince. And Iephte spake al his wordes before our Lord in Maspha.

12   And he sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, which should say in his person: What is betwen me and thee, that thou art come against me, to wast my Land?

13   To whom he answered: Because Israel tooke my land, when he ascended out of Ægypt, from the coasts of Arnon vnto Iaboc and Iordan: now therfore with peace restore the same to me.

14   By whom Iephte againe sent word, and commanded them that they should say

Iephte. to the king of Ammon:

15   Thus sayth Iephte: Israel did not take the Land of Moab, nor the Land of the children of Ammon:

16   but when they ascended out of Ægypt, he walked through the desert vnto the Readsea, and came into Cades.

17   And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Suffer me that I may passe through thy land. Who would not condescend to his requestes. He sent also to the king of Moab, who also him selfe contemned to geue passage. He abode therfore in Cades,

18   and compassed the Land of Edom at the side, and the land of Moab: and came against the East quarter of the Land of Moab, and camped beyond Arnon: neither would he enter the boundes of Moab: for Arnon is the border of the Land of Moab.

19   Israel therfore sent messengers to Sehon the king of the Ammorrheites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and they said to him: Suffer me to passe through thy land vnto the riuer.

20   Who also him selfe despising the wordes of Israel, suffered him not to passe through his borders: but gathering an infinite multitude went forth against him into Iasa, and resisted strongly.

21   And our Lord deliuered him into the handes of Israel with al his armie, and he stroke him, and possessed al the Land of the Ammorrheite the inhabiter of that countrie,

22   and al the coastes therof from Arnon vnto Iaboc, & from the wildernes vnto Iordan.

23   Our Lord therfore the God of Israel subuerted the Amorrheite, his people of Israel fighting against him, and wilt thou now possesse his land?

24   Are not those thinges which ^note Chamos thy God possessed, dew to thee by right? But the thinges that our Lord God hath obteyned conquerour, shal come to our possession:

25   vnlesse perhaps thou be better then Balac the sonne of Sephor the king of Moab: or canst shew, that he wrangled against Israel, and fought against him,

26   when he dwelt in Hesebon, and the litle townes therof, and in Aroer, and the townes therof, or in al the cities nere Iordan, for ^note three hundred yeares. Wherfore haue you so long attempted nothing for reclaime?

27   Therfore I doe not sinne against thee, but thou doest euil against me, denouncing me vniust warres. Our Lord be iudge the arbiter of this day betwen Israel, and betwen the children of Ammon.

28   And the king of the children of Ammon would not harken to the wordes of Iephte, which he sent him by the messengers.

29   Therfore the spirite of our Lord came vpon Iephte, and circuiting Galaad, and Manasses,

Iephte. Maspha also of Galaad, and thence passing to the children of Ammon,

30   he vowed a vow to our Lord, saying: If thou wilt deliuer the children of Ammon. into my handes,

31    ^notewhosoeuer shal first come forth out of the doores of my house, and shal meete me returning with peace from the children of Ammon, him wil I offer an holocauste to our Lord.

32   And Iephte passed to the children of Ammon, to fight against them: whom our Lord deliuered into his handes.

33   and he stroke from Aroer til thou come to Mennith, twentie cities, and as farre as Abel, which is sette with vineyardes, with a very great plague. and the children of Ammon were humbled by the children of Israel.

34   But Iephte returning into Maspha to his house, his onlie begotten daughter mette him with tymbrels and daunces. for he had not other children.

35   Whom when he saw, he rent his garmentes, and said: Wo is me my daughter thou hast deceiued me, and thy self art deceiued: for I haue opened my mouth to our Lord, and I can doe no other thing.

36   To whom she answered: My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth to our Lord, do vnto me whatsoeuer thou hast promised, the reuenge and victorie of thyne enemies being granted to thee.

37   And she said to her father: This only graunt me which I desire: Suffer me that two monethes I may goe about the mountaines, and ^note bewayle my virginitie with my felowes.

38   To whom he answered: Goe. And he dismissed her two monethes. And when she was gone with her felowes and companions, she mourned her virginitie in the mountaines.

39   And the two monethes being expired, she returned to her father, and he09Q0181 did to her as he had vowed, who knew not man. Thence forth a fashion in Israel, and a custome was kept:

40   that after the compasse of a yeare the daughters of Israel assemble together, and mourne the daughter of Iephte the Galaadite foure dayes.

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