¹Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a prostitute: and Gilead became the father of Jephthah.

¹耶弗他基列人耶弗他是個英勇的戰士；他是個妓女的兒子；耶弗他是基列所生的。

²Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said to him, “You shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of another woman.”

²基列的妻子也給他生了幾個兒子。他妻子的兒子長大了，就把耶弗他趕出去，對他說：“你不可以在我們的父家繼承產業，因為你是另一個婦人的兒子。”

³Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and lived in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

³耶弗他就從他的兄弟面前逃跑，住在陀伯地；有些無賴聚集到他那裡，與他一起出入。

⁴It happened after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

⁴過了些日子，亞捫人與以色列人爭戰。

⁵It was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob;

⁵亞捫人與以色列人爭戰的時候，基列的眾長老就去，把耶弗他從陀伯請回來。

⁶and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”

⁶他們對耶弗他說：“請你來作我們的統帥，我們好攻打亞捫人。”

⁷Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”

⁷耶弗他對基列的長老說：“從前你們不是恨我，趕逐我離開我的父家嗎？現在你們遭遇患難的時候，為甚麼到我這裡來呢？”

⁸The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

⁸基列的長老對耶弗他說：“現在我們回到你這裡來，是要你與我們一同回去，與亞捫人爭戰，你要作我們基列所有居民的首領。”

⁹Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Yahweh deliver them before me, shall I be your head?”

⁹耶弗他對基列的長老說：“如果你們帶我回去，攻打亞捫人，耶和華把他們交在我面前，那麼我就可以作你們的首領嗎？”

¹⁰The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh shall be witness between us; surely according to your word so will we do.”

¹⁰基列的長老對耶弗他說：“有耶和華在我們中間作證，我們必定照著你的話行。”

¹¹Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.

¹¹於是耶弗他與基列的長老一同回去了，眾人就立耶弗他作他們的首領，作他們的統帥；耶弗他在米斯巴，在耶和華面前，把自己的一切話都說了出來。

¹²Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, “What have you to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”

¹²耶弗他先與亞捫人交涉耶弗他派遣使者去見亞捫人的王，說：“我跟你有甚麼關係呢？你竟到我這裡來攻打我的土地呢？”

¹³The king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan: now therefore restore that territory again peaceably.”

¹³亞捫人的王對耶弗他的使者說：“因以色列人從埃及上來的時候，奪了我的土地，從亞嫩河到雅博河，直到約旦河；現在你要把它和和平平地交還。”

¹⁴Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon;

¹⁴耶弗他又再派使者去見亞捫人的王，

¹⁵and he said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel didn’t take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon,

¹⁵對他說：“耶弗他這樣說：‘以色列人並沒有奪取過摩押地和亞捫人的土地。

¹⁶but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea or, Sea of Reeds , and came to Kadesh;

¹⁶以色列人從埃及上來的時候，是走過曠野到紅海，到了加低斯；

¹⁷then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let me pass through your land;’ but the king of Edom didn’t listen. In the same way, he sent to the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel stayed in Kadesh.

¹⁷就派遣使者去見以東王，說：求你讓我們經過你的領土。以東王卻不答應；又派遣使者去見摩押王，摩押王也不肯；以色列人就住在加低斯。

¹⁸Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they didn’t come within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

¹⁸以後，他們走過曠野，繞過以東地和摩押地，到了摩押地的東邊，在亞嫩河那邊安營；他們並沒有進入摩押境內，因為亞嫩河是摩押的邊界。

¹⁹Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to my place.’

¹⁹以色列人又派遣使者去見亞摩利人的王西宏，就是希實本王，對他說：求你讓我們經過你的領土，到我們自己的地方去。

²⁰But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

²⁰西宏卻不信任以色列人，不讓他們經過他的境界；西宏聚集了他所有的人民，在雅雜安營，與以色列人爭戰。

²¹Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

²¹耶和華以色列的　神，把西宏和他所有的人民都交在以色列人手中，以色列人擊殺了他們，奪取了住在那地的亞摩利人的全地，

²²They possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.

²²佔領了亞摩利人四周的境界，從亞嫩河到雅博河，從曠野直到約旦河。

²³So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them?

²³現在耶和華以色列的　神，已經把亞摩利人從他的子民以色列人面前趕走了，你竟要佔有這地嗎？

²⁴Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.

²⁴你不是應佔有你的神基抹要你佔有的地嗎？我們不是應佔有耶和華我們的　神，從我們面前趕走的人的一切地嗎？

²⁵Now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

²⁵現在難道你比摩押王西撥的兒子巴勒還強嗎？他曾經與以色列人爭競嗎？或是與以色列人交戰過嗎？

²⁶While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; why didn’t you recover them within that time?

²⁶以色列人住在希實本和屬希實本的村鎮，亞羅珥和亞羅珥的村鎮，以及亞嫩河沿岸的一切城市，已經有三百年了；在這時期內，你們為甚麼沒有奪回這些地方呢？

²⁷I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Yahweh, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.”

²⁷我沒有得罪你，你竟惡待我，攻打我；願審判者耶和華今日在以色列人和亞捫人中間，判斷是非。’”

²⁸However the king of the children of Ammon didn’t listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

²⁸但亞捫人的王不聽從耶弗他差派人去對他所說的話。

²⁹Then the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.

²⁹耶弗他許願那時耶和華的靈臨到耶弗他身上，他就經過基列和瑪拿西，經過基列的米斯巴，又從基列的米斯巴去到亞捫人那裡。

³⁰Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

³⁰耶弗他向耶和華許願，說：“如果你真的把亞捫人交在我手裡，

³¹then it shall be, that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

³¹我從亞捫人那裡平平安安回來的時候，無論誰先從我的家門出來迎接我，他就必歸耶和華，我也必把他當作燔祭。”

³²So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh delivered them into his hand.

³²於是耶弗他去到亞捫人那裡攻打他們，耶和華把他們交在他手裡。

³³He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

³³於是他從亞羅珥開始擊殺他們，去到米匿，直到亞備勒．基拉明，共二十座城，是一場大擊殺；這樣，亞捫人就在以色列人面前被制伏了。

³⁴Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

³⁴耶弗他還願耶弗他回米斯巴去，到了自己的家，不料，他的女兒拿著鼓、跳著舞，出來迎接他；她是耶弗他的獨生女，除她以外，耶弗他沒有其他的兒女。

³⁵It happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.”

³⁵耶弗他看見了她，就撕裂自己的衣服，說：“啊！我的女兒啊，你真使我憂愁，你叫我太作難了；因為我已經向耶和華開過口許願，我不能收回。”

³⁶She said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon.”

³⁶她對他說：“我的父親啊，你既然向耶和華開過口許了願，就照著你口裡所說的向我行吧！因為耶和華已經在你的仇敵亞捫人身上，為你報了仇。”

³⁷She said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.”

³⁷她又對自己的父親說：“請你准我這件事吧：給我兩個月時間，讓我和我的同伴去漫遊山間，為我的童貞哀哭。”

³⁸He said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and mourned her virginity on the mountains.

³⁸耶弗他說：“你去吧！”就讓她離去兩個月；她就帶著她的同伴去了，在山上為她的童貞哀哭。

³⁹It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Israel,

³⁹兩個月後，她回到她的父親那裡，她父親就照他所許的願向她行了。她沒有與男人同過房。以後，在以色列中有個慣例：

⁴⁰that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

⁴⁰以色列的女子年年都去哀悼基列人耶弗他的女兒，每年四日。