1 A Gileádból való Jefte pedig nagy hõs volt, és [egy]2 De [mikor] Gileádnak a felesége [is] szült néki fiakat, és megnõttek az3 És elfutott Jefte az õ atyjafiai elõl, és Tób földén4 És történt napok mulva, hogy az Ammon fiai harczba keveredtek Izráellel.5 És lõn, hogy a mint harczolni [kezdtek] az Ammon fiai Izráellel, Gileád6 És mondának Jeftének: Jer el, és légy nékünk fejedelmünk, és harczoljunk7 Jefte pedig monda Gileád véneinek: Avagy nem ti vagytok-é, a kik engem8 És mondának Gileád vénei Jeftének: Azért fordultunk most hozzád, hogy9 És monda Jefte Gileád véneinek: Ha visszavisztek engem, hogy hadakozzam10 Akkor mondának Gileád vénei Jeftének: Az Úr a tanúnk, ha a te beszéded11 És elment Jefte Gileád véneivel, és a nép a maga fejévé és fejedelmévé12 És követeket küldött Jefte az Ammon fiainak királyához, [ezt] izenvén:13 És monda az Ammon fiainak királya Jefte követeinek: Mert elvette Izráel14 Ismét külde pedig Jefte követeket az Ammon fiainak királyához;15 És monda néki: Ezt izeni Jefte: Nem vette el Izráel sem a Moáb földét,16 Mert mikor kijött Égyiptomból, a pusztában bolyongott Izráel egész a17 Követeket küldött Izráel Edom királyához, mondván:18 És mikor [tovább] vándorolt a pusztában, megkerülte Edom földét és Moáb földét, és napkelet felõl érkezett a Moáb földéhez, és19 Ekkor követeket küldött Izráel Szihonhoz,20 De Szihon nem hitt Izráelnek, hogy átvonul az õ határán, hanem21 Az Úr, az Izráel Istene pedig Szihont és egész népét Izráel kezébe adta,22 És birtokába vette az Emoreusok egész határát, az Arnontól fogva23 És mikor az Úr, az Izráel Istene [maga] ûzte ki az Emoreusokat az õ24 Hát nem úgy van-é, hogy a mit bírnod adott néked Kámos,25 És most vajjon mennyivel vagy te különb Báláknál,26 Míg Izráel Hesbonban és annak mezõvárosaiban, Aroerben és ennek27 Én nem vétettem te ellened, hanem te cselekszel velem gonoszt, hogy28 De az Ammon fiainak királya nem hallgatott Jefte szavaira, a melyeket29 Jeftén pedig lõn az Úrnak lelke, és általméne Gileádon és Manassén, és30 És fogadást tõn Jefte az Úrnak, és monda: Ha mindenestõl kezembe adod az31 Akkor valami kijövénd az én házamnak ajtaján elõmbe, mikor békével32 És kivonult Jefte az Ammon fiai ellen, hogy hadakozzék velök, és kezébe33 És veré õket Aroertõl fogva mindaddig, míg mennél Minnithbe, húsz34 Mikor pedig méne Jefte Mispába az õ házához: ímé az õ leánya jött ki35 És mikor meglátta õt, megszaggatá ruháit, és monda: Óh leányom, de36 Az pedig monda néki: Atyám, ha fogadást tettél az Úrnak, úgy cselekedjél37 És monda az õ atyjának: Csak azt az egyet tedd meg nékem; ereszsz el38 És õ monda: Menj el. És elbocsátá õt két hónapra. Az pedig elment és az39 És a két hónap elteltével visszatért atyjához, és betöltötte az õ felõle40 Hogy esztendõnként elmentek az Izráel leányai, hogy dicsõítsék a
1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. (Bír 6,12; 2Kir 5,1; Zsid 11,32)2And 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.”3Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. (Bír 9,4; 1Sám 22,2; 2Sám 10,6; 2Sám 10,8)4After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.5And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. (Bír 11,3)6And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.”7But 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?”8And 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 be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” (Bír 10,18)9Jephthah 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.”10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.” (Jer 42,5)11So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah. (Bír 10,17; Bír 10,18; Bír 11,6; Bír 11,8; Bír 20,1; 1Sám 10,17; 1Sám 10,19; 1Sám 10,25; 1Sám 11,15; 1Sám 12,7)12Then 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?”13And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” (1Móz 32,22; 4Móz 21,13; 4Móz 21,24)14Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites15and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, (5Móz 2,9; 5Móz 2,19)16but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. (4Móz 13,26; 4Móz 14,25; 5Móz 1,40)17Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh. (4Móz 20,1; 4Móz 20,14; 4Móz 20,18; 5Móz 1,46)18“Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. (4Móz 21,4; 4Móz 21,11; 4Móz 21,13; 4Móz 22,36; 5Móz 2,1)19Israel 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,’ (4Móz 21,21; 5Móz 2,26)20but 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.21And 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.22And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.23So then the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them?24Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. (4Móz 21,29; 5Móz 9,5; 5Móz 18,12; Józs 3,10; 1Kir 11,7)25Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? (4Móz 22,2; Józs 24,9; Mik 6,5)26While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in 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? (4Móz 21,25; 5Móz 2,36)27I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” (1Móz 16,5; 1Móz 18,25; 1Móz 31,53; 1Sám 24,12; 1Sám 24,15)28But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.
Jephthah’s Tragic Vow
29Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. (Bír 3,10)30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, (1Móz 28,20; 1Sám 1,11)31then whatever[1] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it[2] up for a burnt offering.” (3Móz 27,2; 1Sám 1,28; Zsolt 66,13)32So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand.33And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. (Ez 27,17)34Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (2Móz 15,20; Bír 10,17; Bír 11,11; 1Sám 18,6; Zsolt 68,25; Jer 31,4)35And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” (4Móz 30,2; Préd 5,4)36And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.”37So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.”38So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.39And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel (Bír 11,31)40that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.